TMZ Sports - Page 50

There will be no 30th fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov -- the UFC superstar is "officially retired," following a face-to-face meeting with Dana White.

White previously told TMZ Sports he wanted to meet with Khabib in hopes of convincing the 29-0 fighter to "un-retire" and take a final, 30th fight. Khabib's late father had told people his dream was to see his son end his career with a 30-0 record.

But 32-year-old Dagestani had unexpectedly announced his retirement back in October after beating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... Khabib's first fight since the death of his father.

Well, Dana and Khabib got together on Thursday to talk things out -- and despite a hard sell from Dana, Khabib will remain retired.

"29-0 it is," White posted along under a selfie with Khabib ... "He is 100% retired."

"It was incredible to watch you work [Khabib]. Thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend.

Khabib will go down as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history -- smothering opponents with ease ... and never unanimously losing a single round!

The couple that speeds together, stays together?!

NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart is punching the gas all the way to the alter ... he just got engaged to his drag racer girlfriend Leah Pruett and the diamond ring is MASSIVE!

Stewart confirmed the engagement on social media late Thursday night -- saying, "So excited to spend the rest of my life with a truly amazing woman."

"She’s motivated, hard working, funny as hell, and as dedicated to her sport as anyone I’ve ever known. Love you babe."

49-year-old Stewart had just celebrated his 1-year dating anniversary with 32-year-old Pruett ... when he decided to put a ring on it this past weekend.

Pruett was so stoked, she casually showed off the hardware on her IG page ... and yeah, we noticed!

The couple met in 2019 -- but didn't go "official" until 2020 and reportedly spent the majority of the pandemic quarantined together ... and apparently, it's been going great!

During their 1-year anniversary last week, Tony posted a love note for his lady ... saying, "The last 365 days with this beautiful lady have been the highlight of my life."

"Cheers to one year together and many more to come!"

Looks like he meant what he said ... he's hoping they spend the rest of their lives together!

Stewart is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champ and he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

Pruett is also BEAST on the track -- the NHRA Top Fuel driver has 11 total wins in her career.

Stewart has been engaged before ... he proposed to actress/model Pennelope Jimenez back in 2017 but ultimately called things off in 2019.

As for Pruett, she's been married once before -- but that ended in 2019.

No word on when the race car driving lovebirds will formally tie the knot -- but we're guessing it'll be one helluva party.

Meyers Leonard is free to stream on Twitch again -- we've learned his ban has been lifted just over a week after he used an anti-Semitic slur during a video game session.

Remember, the former Miami Heat player was playing "Call of Duty" on March 9 when he hurled the K-word at an opposing player.

Twitch immediately blocked Leonard from the platform -- and the NBA hit Meyers with a $50k fine and a 1-week suspension.

Leonard apologized for using the slur and he's been working with various Jewish leaders to educate himself about why the word is dangerous and offensive ever since.

Now, Leonard's Twitch account has been reactivated -- which means he can get back to playing games in front of his 69,000 followers.

So far, Leonard has not logged back on -- and we're told he doesn't plan on doing so for a while -- while he continues to focus on educating himself.

In the meantime, Leonard has been traded from the Miami Heat to the OKC Thunder (though the Thunder don't plan on keeping him) ... and Meyers' wife issued a statement thanking the Heat franchise and the fan base.

"Our experience with the Heat has been anything but ordinary. Yet, it was nothing but exceptional", Elle Leonard said in a statement on social media.

Deshaun Watson is now being investigated by the NFL -- the league has reached out to the lawyer representing the 9 women who are making sexual misconduct claims against the QB.

Attorney Tony Buzbee posted the letter he received from NFL investigator Lisa Friel -- who previously had a lead role in the NFL's investigation of Ezekiel Elliott. A league source confirms to TMZ Sports the letter is authentic.

In her letter, Friel states the league is aware of the 3 lawsuits Buzbee has filed on behalf of the female massage therapists who claim they were sexually assaulted by Watson and she's hoping to conduct interviews with them as soon as possible.

The league has invited Buzbee to be included in the interviews, if the women agree to participate.

Unclear if the women will cooperate -- especially while their lawsuits are still pending.

As we previously reported, Buzbee claims he's representing 9 women who are all making similar allegations against Watson -- that what was supposed to be an innocent and professional massage session turned into an aggressive push for sex acts.

Watson has issued a statement denying the allegations and insisting Buzbee is only looking to score an unwarranted payday for his clients based on lies.

Watson has not been charged with a crime or even named a person of interest in a criminal investigation.

However, the NFL has made it clear they don't need a criminal conviction in order to take disciplinary action against a player ... and that's exactly what happened in the Ezekiel Elliot case.

Zeke was hit with a 6 game suspension in 2017 following a probe into domestic violence allegations ... despite the fact he was never charged with a crime.

The NFL said at the time it found enough evidence to show Zeke violated the league's personal conduct policy, which the league claims justified the punishment.

The Houston Texans have released a statement on the Watson allegations Thursday afternoon ... saying the team will fully cooperate with the league's investigation.

"The NFL informed us today that they will conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the civil lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson," the team said. "We will stay in close contact with the league as they do."

The allegations against NFL superstar Deshaun Watson are piling up ... a third female masseuse has filed a lawsuit against the QB, claiming he forced her to perform oral sex during a Dec. 2020 encounter.

The woman, who filed her suit under the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect her identity, claims Watson reached out on Instagram to set up a session.

The woman says the two agreed to an appointment at a Houston, Texas office building on Dec. 28, 2020 at 10 a.m.

Jane Doe -- who claims she was newly engaged and had just graduated chiropractic school -- says her mother dropped her off at the job, and then she met Watson ... and that's when she claims things immediately got weird.

The woman says Watson insisted she focus on massaging his "inner thighs" and "inner glutes" -- while repeatedly telling her he's a professional football player.

She claims Watson "got more aggressive" -- and eventually "coerced [Jane Doe] to move her mouth toward his penis, forcing [Jane Doe] to perform oral sex on him."

The woman claims she never consented to the sex act ... and actually "blacked out for a few minutes from the fear."

In her suit, the woman claims she was so terrified, she defecated on herself.

The woman says Watson got up, got dressed and left as if nothing happened.

The woman is suing for sexual assault, civil assault and intentional inflection of emotional distress.

It's the third lawsuit filed against Watson by attorney Tony Buzbee ... who claims there are at least 3 other women who will be taking legal action against the Houston Texans player.

Watson has not been arrest nor charged with a crime ... and has adamantly denied all wrongdoing, insisting Buzbee is just trying to score an unwarranted payday for the women.

It looks like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are moving onward and upward after reaching a breaking point ... but the open question -- how much of this is for the camera?

J Lo and A-Rod packed on the PDA Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, where they've been working through some serious relationship issues. They certainly look like a couple, kissing and conversing on a balcony. But, there's no doubt ... they know cameras are trained on them.

The sparks were flying, and not just between J Lo and A-Rod ... they were even treated to a fireworks show, which Jen seemed to love, throwing her fists in the air.

Cameras or not, it seems like a good sign for J-Rod ... and their 4 kids. As we first told you, the children are a big reason why J Lo and A-Rod are giving it the ol' college try in the DR ... trying to patch things up.

Seems Alex made the right move in visiting Jen in the Dominican, where she's been shooting a movie. He fueled up the jet Sunday and flew down from Miami. A-Rod was feeling good about their prospects Monday, saying things were onward and upward, and the next day they were smooching.

TMZ broke the story ... people close to the couple acknowledged things between J Lo and A-Rod blew up Friday, TMZ and other outlets reported the couple broke up Friday -- sources directly connected to the couple told us so. We're told someone said "It's over!" in the heat of the moment, but by Saturday morning J-Rod was telling us "We are working through some things" and their issues had nothing to do with a third party.

JOEY CHESTNUT'S STILL GOT IT!!!

The food legend proved once again he's still the king of shoveling meat down his throat -- devouring more than 30 boneless wings in 90 seconds at an FCF eating competition ... all while beating out teams of massive football players!

The face-stuffing event went down Wednesday night just outside of Atlanta at the Infinite Energy Center, where the Fan Controlled Football league hosted its first-ever eating event.

37-year-old Chestnut -- the greatest eater of all-time -- was matched up against four teams of two ... which included squads featuring hungry-ass linemen.

Chestnut, though, was able to pound down more chicken by himself than every other team ... plowing through 33 wings in the allotted 1.5 minutes.

It was no boat race ... 2nd place ate 31 and 3rd place at 28 -- and even Joey had to tip his hat to the other guys after taking the crown.

"I knew I was going slow," Chestnut said, "but they were eating!"

Props to Joey for yet another win under his belt ... now get back to the hot dogs -- 4th of July is less than four months away!

Father Time is undefeated ... even against the skateboarding G.O.A.T.

Tony Hawk has completed what he's calling his "last ever" Ollie 540 ... and the moment will hit you right in the feels.

Of course, 52-year-old Hawk first nailed the move in 1989 ... and has spent the past 32 years perfecting his technique.

Naturally, there were a bunch of wipeouts along the way ... and Hawk says the failed attempts have especially taken a toll on his body over the past 10 years.

As a result of that, TH decided to officially retire the trick ... but first, he wanted to land it one last time.

In true Tony Hawk fashion, the skater was able to step up to the challenge and complete the trick ... and the video is pretty emotional.

"Kinda sad," Hawk said while choking back tears. "I'm like a little sad. I've never had much finality to anything but that was definitely the last one I'll ever do."

"F*** it. Happy I made it. Thanks guys for hanging in there with me."

Now, Hawk is using the monumental moment to rake in some serious cash ... announcing the footage of his final Ollie 540 will be sold as an NFT.

Hawk didn't leave the pipe unscathed, however -- he still did some damage to his pinky.

Rob Gronkowski is finally opening up about what it was like when he found his Patriots teammate Aaron Hernandez was a suspect in a murder case ... and it's clear Gronk is still shaken up about it.

FYI, Gronk and Aaron were both selected by the Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft and spent countless hours together in meetings and workouts because they both play the same position, tight end.

Of course, Aaron's NFL career came to a screeching halt in 2013 when he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was found guilty of 1st-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

"I was definitely shook when I heard that," Gronk said during the "10 Questions with Kyle Brandt" podcast.

"Because, being his teammate and everything -- you really don't see that. You're not really looking into players like that ... that's who they are, or that's what they're doing."

Gronk says Hernandez was a "great football player" -- but notes in the greater scheme of things "that does not mean anything."

Hernandez was also charged in the 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado -- but he was ultimately acquitted in 2017.

Mike Tyson is coming back ... again!!!

The 54-year-old fighter has confirmed he's got another HUGE boxing match lined up for the end of May at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami ... but the big question, who's the opponent?!?

Mike made the announcement while talking with Canelo Alvarez and UFC star Henry Cejudo on his "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast ... saying he's looking at a May 29 fight date.

Mike didn't expand on the details -- but we already know Tyson has been eyeing a long-awaited rematch with Evander Holyfield.

In fact, Tyson has previously told us he'd be down to run it back with Evander -- as long as the two can raise a bunch of money for charity in the process.

We recently spoke with 58-year-old Evander Holyfield in December who told us "it looks like" the fight with Mike was going to happen.

The guy's been training like a maniac lately -- so, it would make sense.

Evander and Mike last fought in 1997 ... and it ended with Tyson biting a chunk out of Evander's ear. Holyfield's last pro fight was in 2011, when he earned a TKO victory over Brian Nielsen.

Former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis has also told us he's down to scrap with Mike ... but only "if the people want it."

Mike last fought 52-year-old Roy Jones Jr. back in November and both men put on one hell of a show -- showing off incredible agility, power and stamina during their 8-round exhibition.

But, when we spoke with Roy just a few weeks ago, even RJJ was convinced Holyfield would be Mike's next opponent.

Can Gonzaga really win the entire NCAA Tournament? YES, THEY CAN!

... at least, that what Barack Obama thinks!

The 44th President of the United States revealed his bracket for 2021 March Madness -- and POTUS likes Gonzaga, the #1 ranked team in the country.

In fact, Obama's Final Four is comprised entirely of #1 seeds -- Baylor, Illinois and Michigan.

The only longshot Obama likes to get to the Elite Eight is USC, a #6 seed.

He's got a couple of upsets in the 1st round -- including UCSB (12 seed) over Creighton (5 seed) and Georgetown (12) over Colorado (5).

On the women's side, Obama likes Baylor to win the whole thing -- they're a #2 seed!

His Final Four is made up of N.C. State, Maryland and Stanford.

Obama even has Baylor knocking out #1 seed UCONN in the Elite Eight!

The NCAA Men's tournament begins 1st round action on Friday. The women don't begin until Sunday.

President Trump never filled out an NCAA bracket during his time in office -- no word if he has plans to start now!

Unclear if Joe Biden will try his luck as well.

But, Obama loves hoop and follows it closely -- he's been all over the brackets for as long as we can remember.

The entire NCAA men's tourney is taking place in a controlled environment in Indianapolis -- but there are serious concerns over COVID, which has already impacted several teams and even referees.

Hopefully, the tourney will go off without a hitch and everyone can stay healthy!

Dontavious Jackson -- a former star linebacker at Florida State -- says he was called a "f***ing n****r" during an altercation on a flight Wednesday ... and then he claims he was nearly arrested over it all.

Jackson spelled out the disturbing story on his Twitter page late Wednesday night ... saying he was on a United flight when a "racist family" began harassing him.

Jackson claims he was called racial slurs ... but says "flight attendants just let it happen!"

"Unacceptable!!" Jackson wrote of the incident.

But, Dontavious -- who played in 43 games for the Seminoles from 2016 through 2019 -- says when cops arrived to investigate the altercation in Miami, they nearly arrested HIM over it all.

Jackson claims the family "tried to play the victim card, telling the officers I punched/attacked them which was a lie."

Jackson says witness' statements -- and video a person had filmed from the scene on the plane -- was the only reason officers let him go.

"The officer told me if it wasn’t for the witnesses I would’ve been taken to jail," Jackson said. "@united this isn’t right & I’m not staying quiet!"

Jackson later added, "Just grateful to still be a free man smdh."

We've reached out to Jackson and United Airlines for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Jackson was a solid player for Florida State during his 4-year career ... logging his best season as a junior in 2018, when he tallied 75 total tackles.

One of the women who accused Kellen Winslow Jr. of sexual misconduct is now suing the ex-NFL star ... with the woman claiming the football player traumatized her with some disgusting acts at a gym in 2019.

The woman -- who was 77 years old at the time of the incident -- just filed the civil suit last month ... laying out in graphic detail how she says Winslow terrorized her at 'Crunch Carlsbad' in Southern California.

The woman says on Feb. 13, 2019, she was working out when she noticed the former Cleveland Browns player masturbating near her.

She claims Winslow then approached her, "made lewd and offensive remarks," and pointed "at his erect penis" and said, “Do you see this, do you like it."

The woman says she ran off, found her husband inside the gym and left immediately.

But, less than 2 weeks later on Feb. 22, the woman says she encountered Winslow again inside of the fitness center's Jacuzzi.

In her suit, the woman says Winslow got in the water, sat close to her, and rubbed her leg and arm without her consent.

She claims she ran off and notified fitness center employees ... who she believes called law enforcement.

Winslow was eventually hit with a criminal charge of lewd conduct in public over the incident ... and a jury found him guilty of the crime -- as well as rape and other charges -- at a trial in May 2019.

DeShaun Watson has been sued by a female masseuse who claims she was sexually assaulted by the NFL superstar during a session gone bad -- but Watson is denying the allegations, claiming he's the victim of a shakedown.

The woman filed her lawsuit Tuesday. Her attorney, Tony Buzbee, told FOX 26 in Houston that Watson was getting a massage from the accuser when the QB "went too far."

In an effort to try and get ahead of the story, Watson issued a strong denial late Tuesday evening.

"As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff's lawyer I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me," Watson said.

"I have not yet seen the complaint but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect."

He continued, "The plaintiff's lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected."

"Unlike him, this isn't about money for me -- it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

We're working on hunting down the lawsuit and contacting the lawyer behind it.

The timing couldn't be worse for Watson who's currently trying to force his way out of Houston so he can continue his career with another NFL team.

The Houston Texans issued a statement Wednesday morning saying, "We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night. This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon."

"We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident."

Michael Pittman is a man of his word -- the Colts wideout did NOT give up his #11 jersey number ... forcing Carson Wentz to now take the #2 in Indianapolis.

A Colts official tells TMZ Sports the team's newest quarterback will officially change numbers this season ... after he rocked the one-one for his entire 5-year Eagles career.

Unclear why the choice of #2 -- but perhaps it has something to do with him being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft ... or maybe 1+1=2?

As for how Wentz ended up with the new digits ... the QB had called Pittman about prying the #11 jersey away from the receiver after the Colts made the blockbuster trade for him in February.

But, Pittman told us shortly after that call he didn't want any part of giving up his uni number ... which Michael says Wentz was ultimately cool with.

"I told him I was locked in," Pittman said, "and he was like, 'That’s cool, bro, because I’m probably gonna switch anyway.'"

Michael added, "He asked me very respectfully and I just appreciated him for that. I think he’s a great dude, because lots of guys with his status, they would come in and demand and stuff like that."

Wentz not only wore the #11 in Philly ... but he also had rocked the digits during his college career at North Dakota State.

LeBron James says his thoughts and prayers are with the "entire Asian community" after a gun-toting maniac went on a shooting spree in Atlanta Tuesday night, killing 8 people including 6 Asian women.

"My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa," Lebron said in a statement late Tuesday evening.

LeBron then tore into the shooting suspect -- 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long -- calling him a "Coward a** young man!!"

Bron continued, "Just senseless and tragic!!"

Officials say Long opened fire at Young’s Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County, Georgia -- killing 4 people and injuring 1 more.

Then, officials say Long went to the Gold Massage Spa where he killed 3 more people.

Finally, Long allegedly went across the street to the Aromatherapy Spa and killed one more person.

In total, 8 people are dead including 6 Asian women.

Officials captured Long Tuesday night by using a pit maneuver on his SUV to stop his car.

He's since been taken into custody and charged with murder.

Investigators have neither confirmed the motive behind the shooting or confirmed if it was racially motivated.

After the incident, NBA star Jeremy Lin -- who's been speaking out against anti-Asian racism for years -- also weighed in saying, "This is sooo heartbreaking ... praying for our world."

"To my Asian American family, please take time to grieve but know youre loved, seen and IMPORTANT. We have to keep standing up, speaking out, rallying together and fighting for change. We cannot lose hope! #StopAsianHate #NOW."

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo also released a statement Wednesday ... saying he's "deeply saddened" by the tragedy ... and went into detail about his own experiences with racism.

"As an Asian American, I have heard the jokes and name calling," Koo said. "I often dealt with it by ignoring what was said and minding my own business."

FYI -- Koo was born in South Korea but was raised in the United States.

He continued ... "I don’t have all the answers, but I realize now more than ever that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and that ignoring it won’t help us do that."