Money

Conor McGregor has a pretty powerful supporter -- with Chuck Liddell telling TMZ Sports the Irishman is right ... his fight with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone should be promoted as the MAIN event.

Remember, Cowboy told ESPN this week ... fight negotiations broke down because Conor refuses to be billed as a co-main event.

The issue is that neither Conor nor Cowboy currently hold a title -- so they would share the main event billing with whatever title fight would take place on the same card.

Cowboy claims Conor ain't down with that -- and won't share top billing with anyone else. So, for now, the fight doesn't seem to be happening.

Enter, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell ... who tells us he REALLY wants to see that fight because Conor and Cowboy are two of his all-time favorites and the bout would be awesome!!!

"I'm excited for that fight," Chuck told us on the way out of 1OAK in L.A. ... "I hope it happens."

As for the main event issue, Chuck says ... "It's a main event fight for sure. No matter what."

"Come on, Conor McGregor and Cowboy?! Two of my favorite fighters! I love watching those guys fight."

Chuck thinks Conor is ultimately using the main event issue as a way to negotiate more money because he's a smart businessman ... and believes the two sides WILL come to an agreement.

Kid Cudi turned 35 a little over a month ago but dude's still turning up in style ... with this INSANE custom diamond chain.

We're told the rapper commissioned celebrity jeweler Ben Baller to get it done as a birthday gift to himself. It cost Cudi a whopping $275k!!! The BAPE camo diamond chain carries a sick colorful pendant ... including black diamonds to make out Cudi's hair and white diamonds for Cudi's t-shirt.

The pendant's also littered with Cognac diamonds for Cudi's face, canary diamonds for Cudi's rings and blue diamonds for the pants. The "stoner" eyeballs are made up of rubies. The piece was designed by Japanese fashion designer Nigo, who used to own the popular BAPE clothing line. Kid Cudi has been featured in some of their collections over the years.

Solid way to celebrate turning 35. Remember ... Cudi broke bread with Kanye West, Pete Davidson and Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet back in January in Malibu to ring in 35.

Now, he can keep celebrating in style.

21 Savage could be on the hook for $1 million after a promoter says he bailed on a gig back in 2016.

If the incident sounds familiar -- it should -- it's the same case that was recently rejected by the D.A.'s Office after the office claimed it was a civil matter ... so the promoter is doing just that.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Sadaetirs Kent Smith, a club promoter, is now suing the rapper alleging he bailed on a performance back in September 2016 and never returned the amount he had been paid ... $16,500.

We broke the story ... the promoter went to cops in October 2016 and filed paperwork to get a felony warrant against 21 Savage for theft by deception, claiming he walked off with $17k for a show that never went down.

As for the $1 million figure ... Smith says the breach of contract caused severe emotional distress.

12:02 PM PT -- We've now learned Gloria Allred will represent the woman who made claims Kelly sexually abused her at just 13 years old in Detroit ... police are looking into the accusations.

The victim tells us, "Listening to R. Kelly's denials about what he did to underage girls like me was very hurtful. He needs to tell the truth and he needs to stop playing the victim. He was the adult and I was the child. He has no right to take advantage of me when I was only a 13-year-old child."

R. Kelly's ex-wife claims his abusive ways didn't end when they got divorced ... she says he tried to control her by cutting her off from child support.

A rep for Drea Kelly tells TMZ ... the embattled singer knew EXACTLY where to hit Drea where it hurt her most after she spoke out in June 2018 -- on a show called "Sister Circle Live" -- and alleged he'd been physically and mentally abusive during their marriage.

We're told the singer -- who has 3 kids with Drea -- had sporadically been paying child support, but lo and behold ... the payments completely stopped after her interview aired on TV.

Drea's team says her career took a hard hit after she had her first kid -- Kelly wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom, set strict rules for her and insisted she only work for him. When the marriage hit rock bottom ... she was a single mother without a job.

That control didn't stop after they split -- Drea says Kelly's unwillingness to take care of his kids was a form of control because he knew damn well she needed his financial support.

She says sometimes he would pay in full, sometimes late and sometimes nothing at all. Bottom line ... she never knew how much, if any, money they'd have to live on.

As for Kelly dumping all his problems on Drea -- she says that's a load of crap.

Although he ranted to CBS that he can't make money because of her abuse allegations, Drea points out the #MuteRKelly movement started well over a year before she spoke out.

The U.S. Women's National Soccer team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation -- claiming they're sick of being paid less than the men's team ... despite being WAY better than their male counterparts.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Julie Ertz and others all joined in on the suit ... which blasts the USSF for the pay disparity.

"Despite the fact that these female and male players are all called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams ... the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts," the women say in their suit.

"This is true even though their performance has been superior to that of male players -- with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions."

They're right -- the USWNT are not only champs but perennial contenders while the U.S. Men's National Team sucks so bad, they didn't even make the World Cup in 2018.

Oh, and the timing of the lawsuit is interesting -- filed on International Women's Day, which happens to be 3 months before the Women's World Cup begins in France.

In the suit, the women allege gender discrimination. They're seeking to end "the USSF's discriminatory practices."

Paris Hilton's former party pad is hitting the rental market, which means you can live it up like the famous socialite and her celeb friends -- if you've got the cash. A lot of it.

Paris' old crib is well-known across Hollywood for its legendary parties, and it's the same place where Kim Kardashian styled Paris' hair back in the day. It doesn't come with Kim, though, so here's what ya do get.

The Spanish-style, Hollywood Hills pad has a baller backyard, breathtaking views and endless entertainment options ... perfect for hosting parties. Obvi. Check out the pics, and you'll know why P enjoyed tons of wild nights with Nicole Richie before she moved out in 2007.

Less fun fact: this is where Paris was living when cops came to haul her back to jail in 2007 -- one day after she'd been released -- for a probation violation.

The house recently sold for $3.9 million, but the new owner's looking to rent it out in the next few weeks.

Tyga's got a pretty strange cure for the repo man blues -- he's simply buying even more luxury rides ... somehow, someway.

Sources familiar with the deal tell TMZ ... Tyga purchased a red, 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan -- the luxury line's new SUV. We're told he picked it up about 3 weeks ago, ironically, shortly before he got manhandled at Floyd Mayweather's party over a Maybach that got repo'd.

In fact, that's the whip he hopped into after the nightclub incident where he tried to pull his bodyguard's handgun. The Rolls goes for about $325k, but that's a base model.

If that's not shocking enough ... we're also told Tyga was shopping Wednesday in Bev Hills for a brand new Lamborghini and could pull the trigger on it any day now.

We'd love to just to be happy for the guy, but NONE of this adds up.

Besides the Maybach repo, he's also dealing with a $128k lawsuit for bailing on payments for a Ferrari and a Rolls-Royce.

BTW, while he had time to shop for a Lambo this week, he couldn't squeeze a court appearance into his schedule, so there's now a warrant for his arrest.

Point is ... Tyga loses the You-Owe-Us-Money-For-That-Car game -- time and time again -- yet he keeps on playing. Good luck, car dealers!!!

If the deals go south, we know a guy who can help 'em recoup their losses.

3/8 -- Manafort appeared in his inmate jumpsuit in court, and the scene was captured by a sketch artist inside.

Paul Manafort is going away for a little while -- a judge just sentenced him to 47 months in prison ... which means he could be a free man again relatively soon.

President Trump's former campaign chair was sentenced Thursday after being found guilty on 8 criminal counts, ranging from tax fraud to bank fraud ... not to mention laundering more than $18 million to fuel his lavish lifestyle.

Manafort was facing a maximum of 80 years in prison, but federal prosecutors recommended he get up to 25 years. Clearly, the 69-year-old caught a huge break with the judge.

As we reported ... Manafort's charges stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential Russian collusion with the Trump campaign leading up to the 2016 election.

The sentencing is the climax of Manafort's tumble from political power -- the FBI raided his house in VA and seized tons of documents ... he was eventually indicted on multiple federal charges, and surrendered to the FBI.

Although he was out on bail, he got sent back to jail for violating his bail conditions. Mueller's office accused him of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say he urged 2 witnesses in his case to commit perjury in his defense.

Manafort's been sitting in solitary confinement since June -- and, reportedly, he's mostly been doing it in a wheelchair or using a cane due to his declining health. His lawyers said in court filings he's battling gout.

The big question is will Trump pardon Manafort?

Kanye West's hit collab with Ty Dolla $ign and Kid Cudi left out another featured artist ... at least according to the guy suing all 3 rap stars for stealing his voice.

"Kids See Ghosts" dropped back in June 2018 ... big hit for Ye and co. -- but the song doesn't open with any of their voices. A guy named Ronald Oslin Bobb-Semple says the first voice you hear is his. It's a portion of a 45-minute presentation Ronald's been performing around the world for decades now ... according to the suit.

Ronald says his presentation is a tribute to Marcus Garvey, the historic pioneer for black rights in the Americas. In the suit, he points out Ye, Cudi and Ty have received accolades and "substantial profits" from "Kids See Ghosts" -- but he hasn't seen a dime.

He says it's time for all 3 men to pay the piper, and yeah ... Ronald's the piper.

Kanye West's attempts to get out of his contract with EMI are ridiculous, legally speaking, and he knows it -- especially because he's signed multiple extensions ... at least, according to the record label.

EMI is now suing Kanye in federal court over his publishing deal. According to the suit, Ye signed the contract in 2003, and received "tens of millions of dollars" from EMI as a result. The label says some of that money was paid to him after he signed 7 different modifications and/or extensions to the deal.

The twist here is that EMI says the contracts are clear that NY laws govern the deal. That's important because as we reported ... West sued EMI in California, claiming the contract amounts to "servitude" because it's a personal services contract lasting more than 7 years.

He's right ... in Cali, it would be. But, EMI points out in its lawsuit, NY State is a different story ... there's no such 7-year rule there. Plus, EMI is shooting down Kanye's claim the deal is a personal services contract.

EMI wants the court to declare the contracts are valid, and Kanye's gotta stick to it. The label also wants the court to block Kanye's lawsuit.

GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY ... Jim Ross is leaving WWE.

The 67-year-old legend made the announcement on "The Jim Ross Report" podcast on Thursday -- explaining he'll be leaving the company later this month when his contract expires.

"My WWE contract after 26 years will expire on Friday, March 29," Ross said.

"And, after talking a couple of weeks ago with Vince McMahon, we have mutually agreed I need to move on."

While noting the move is on good terms, Ross suggested powerful people in the organization clearly wanted him out.

"I still think I can do play-by-play even though others that may surround Vince think I can't."

Ross says he's leaving the company "with great thoughts, very positive."

"I've made a lot of money, Vince is amazing to Jan and myself. He set us up for life financially, of which I can never repay him."

"I'm 67, I still feel I can get the job done doing wrestling play-by-play, and I want to explore that opportunity and possibility," Ross said.

So, what's next for Ross? There are rumblings he will sign with the new AEW wrestling organization -- but nothing is official at this point.

Ross has been calling matches for WWE since the early '90s and has been part of the company's biggest moments.

After calling The Undertaker's match at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, he signed a 2-year contract to call special events for WWE. The last time he was on-air was back in April to work the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.

Michael Cohen says Donald Trump left him and high dry the second things got hot, and went back on a promise to cover all of Cohen's legal fees related to the Mueller investigation.

Cohen just filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization for more than a million bucks -- money he says was supposed to be paid to his lawyers. In the suit, Cohen says shortly after he was first subpoenaed, Donald's co. agreed to cover all of his attorney's fees.

That was in July 2017, and Cohen says all seemed to be going well. In October, his attorneys got a check for $137,460 from the Trump Org. -- and that continued until May 2018. He says Trump's company eventually covered $1.7 million of his legal expenses.

But, when Trump's former right-hand man flipped in June 2018 ... the relationship soured. Funny how that goes. Trump started distancing himself from Cohen. In fact, Cohen recalls his former boss saying in June, "I haven't spoken to Michael in a long time. He's not my lawyer anymore."

According to the suit, the well ran dry that same month ... and Cohen says a total of $1,037,868 remains unpaid to his high-powered law firm. Most attorneys frown upon working for free, and Cohen says they indeed pulled out ... which hurt his case.

Remember, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

7:45 AM PT-- Kelly directly addressed his failure to pay child support during his CBS interview ... and is blaming his ex-wife, Drea. He claims her "lies" about his abuse are the very reason he can't make money to pay her.

R. Kelly's lying through his teeth when he says he's trying to have a relationship with his children, because he's had a chance to for years and ignored it.

Sources close to the situation are calling BS on some of Kelly's antics with CBS News ... particularly the part of about "trying to have a relationship with my kids." We're told the singer hasn't even tried to reach out to his 3 children with his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, since 2017.

As we reported ... the singer went ballistic during his interview with Gayle King, and at one point screamed he was only trying to repair ties with his kids and didn't care about his career.

Our sources say that's all for show -- after all, we're told he changed his number and never gave it to Drea.

Speaking of Drea ... she maintains she's open to Kelly reconnecting with their children, who are adults now -- which is somewhat surprising, considering how she ripped into him in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries.

Kelly's daughter, Buku Abi, also says she and her siblings have been estranged from their father for years. Although, she called him a "monster" ... Kelly, ironically, chalks that up to brainwashing from Drea.

Either way, Kelly has definitely come up short with his kids when it comes to child support ... which is why he was arrested again Wednesday. As we reported, he'll need to fork over more than $161k to Drea to be released.

Floyd Mayweather says his fans "shouldn't worry" about guys like Conor McGregor and Canelo Alvarez angling for a rematch ... telling TMZ Sports he's already proved he can beat ANYONE.

"Nobody can beat me! Y'all already know that," the boxing legend told us Wednesday night on his way out of TAO in Los Angeles.

"Everybody wants a rematch with me."

He's right ... earlier this week, Conor was breaking down his 2017 fight with Floyd and suggested the two will run it back in the near future saying, "A rematch will be interesting no doubt."

So, we asked Floyd how he felt about Conor's prediction -- and it wasn't exactly met with the same enthusiasm.

"Don't worry about that," Floyd told us ... while directing us to point the camera on his $18 MILLION diamond watch.

So, we switched the topic to Oscar De La Hoya -- who says a rematch with Canelo would be a $1.5 BILLION fight ... and again, Floyd didn't really seem to be interested.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah ... everybody's saying something. I don't worry about that. I already made over a billion! You already know that!"

He added, "I'm not worried about all that my man. Floyd is undefeated. Nobody can beat me. You already know that, man!"

Of course, Canelo and Floyd initially fought in 2013 -- with Floyd dominating the then-23-year-old rising star. Floyd got a $41 million guarantee for that fight, which was a record payday at the time.

Both Oscar and Canelo are now making a renewed push for a rematch ... for obvious reasons.

As for Floyd's $18 MILLION timepiece, he calls it "the one and only" ... and he bought it in 2018.

Want details? It was made by Jacob & Co. back in 2015, it features 239 emerald-cut baguette diamond stones, each weighing up to 3 carats.

Good times!

Big Boi is following suit with Travis Scott and Maroon 5 by partnering up with the NFL to donate a bundle of cash, but he's keeping his charitable efforts close to home.

The Outkast rapper -- who performed with Adam Levine and co. during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show -- will announce Thursday a joint donation of $100k from himself and the NFL. We're told the money will be going to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Big Boi's hometown of Atlanta.

Sources familiar with the deal tell TMZ ... the joint donation is similar to the ones the league made with the other halftime performers in Atlanta. Maroon 5's went to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and Travis' went to Van Jones' Dream Corps.

Their donations were announced before the big game, but we're told Big Boi always intended to make one too. He just took longer to announce it because he needed time to decide where the money would be put to the best use -- and The King Center won out.

What Michael Jackson couldn't get from Joe Jackson, he got from one of his bodyguards instead ... according to a letter written by the King of Pop.

Michael's handwritten note, from around 1992, was addressed to his personal security guard, Bill Bray ... and filled with references to his traumatic childhood. For instance, he wrote ... "Joseph never ever had time for me, he only saw me as a way for him to make money."

The point Jackson wanted to make was that Bill had been the father figure he never had.

RR Auction is putting the letter up on the block Thursday, and we're told it's expected to fetch more than $18,000!!!

It'll be interesting to see if the letter's value is affected by the renewed controversy generated by the "Leaving Neverland" documentary.

In the letter, Michael tells Bill he loves him and admits, "I don't know what would have happened to me if you were not around." He straight-up thanks his bodyguard for "being a father" to him.

According to RR, Bill started working security for the Jackson 5 in the 1970s ... and kept working with Michael -- as a bodyguard and close confidant -- until retiring in the mid-1990s.