Money

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager says some very powerful and rich men in Saudi Arabia have offered $100 million to get Khabib to box Floyd Mayweather in Riyadh.

... but it's highly UNLIKELY we'll see that fight go down in the Middle East.

Ali Abdelaziz says he recently met with the Saudis to discuss possible fight opportunities. Ali wouldn't say who was behind the offer and when it would take place.

He also said the same people have offered $100 mil to host the Khabib vs. Conor McGregor rematch.

But, here's why it probably won't happen ...

Back in 2019, WME -- which owns UFC -- returned a $400 million investment to the Saudi government following the murder of journalist Jamaal Khashoggi.

That doesn't bode well for a fight in SA.

However, we do know the Saudis have been making a MAJOR push to host global sporting events in Riyadh ... with Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz 2 recently taking place there. Plus, they've hosted multiple WWE events over the past year.

Venue aside, Ali says Khabib isn't focused on fighting either one of those guys right now -- he's locked in on his UFC 249 bout in Brooklyn against Tony Ferguson on April 18.

Floyd has previously talked about boxing Khabib -- saying he knows there's HUGE money if it happens.

For his part, Conor has said his priority is Khabib -- but Ali says Conor needs to beat some tough opponents first.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have just gone on the offensive, claiming federal prosecutors corruptly withheld evidence from them, which they say proves they bribed no one, and they further say the government withheld the evidence so it could squeeze the couple into accepting a plea bargain.

Lori and Mossimo claim in new legal docs, the money they gave Rick Singer to get their daughters into USC was a payment they believed was going to the University itself.

According to the docs, for months the government claimed it didn't have any exculpatory evidence showing the payment was not a bribe to then USC Senior Associate Athletic Director Donna Heinel.

According to the docs, after months of denials, prosecutors finally and belatedly turned over evidence and testimony from Rick Singer that tends to show NO BRIBE was offered ... at least that what Lori and Mossimo believed.

The docs state, "Rick Singer has advised the government, in sum and in substance, that ... the families that do the side door ...typically do not know that Heinel is involved until the time of the first payment."

Singer further stated, "Giannulli and Loughlin thought their payment of $50,000 went directly to USC's program." And, get this ... according to the docs, "The government clearly acknowledges that Giannulli and Loughlin's alleged 'bribe payments' did not go to any USC official personally, but rather went to USC itself."

As for the rest of the money, according to the docs, Singer told prosecutors Lori and Mossimo "thought their $200,000 payment went to [Singer's charity] with some of the funds then 'going to a USC program.'"

And, according to the docs, prosecutors have internal USC emails in which they offer to "flag" one daughter's application and take a customized tour of the campus "to discuss the impact of [Giannulli's] philanthropy."

This is really a core to the case because there's nothing illegal about contributing to the University. In fact, in the docs, USC "has an institutional practice of tightly intertwining admissions and fundraising." They point to then USC Athletic Director Pat Hayden, who reportedly said Lori and Mossimo were "good for a million plus" in connection with their daughters' admission.

"Mighty Ducks" goalie Shaun Weiss has a tremendous amount of help waiting for him when he gets out of jail ... from someone who knows plenty about rehab -- Michael Lohan.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Lindsay's pop is one of many people who are getting involved to help out the struggling child star. We're told Michael doesn't know Shaun personally but he's no stranger to rehab and staying on the straight and arrow.

Our sources say several people in Hollywood contacted Michael about Shaun's situation, and he jumped at the opportunity to help through a program in Texas.

We're told the program specializes in medically-assisted detox and therapy. It ain't cheap, but the program's agreed to assist Shaun with what it calls a scholarship ... worth up to $60k to cover expenses.

There is one major condition ... Shaun will have to be mentally evaluated, and if he poses no physical danger to himself or others ... our sources say he'll be admitted to the program.

That is, of course, if Shaun agrees to all of this once he's sprung free from a NorCal jail.

As we first reported ... friends are desperate to get Shaun much needed help. He's dealing with several life-threatening problems, including diabetes, mental illness and, of course ... drug addiction.

Jeff Bezos just added BILLIONS to his massive fortune -- which is nothing new for him, but what's new this time ... it only took a few strokes of the clock to make that increase.

Stock for the Amazon honcho's company surged 12 percent in a matter of 15 minutes Thursday afternoon, which equaled an astounding 11-digit increase to his bottom line.

The astronomical math? Bloomberg says Jeff added $13.2 BILLION just from the surge, which raises his net worth to about $129.5 billion. Forbes was a wee bit more modest, reporting Bezos added $12.8 billion to his portfolio, with a new net worth of $128.9 billion.

Either way ... ya get the point. Bill Gates feels like a panhandler right now.

On an even grander scale -- the stock boost pushed Amazon's market cap north of $1 TRILLION!!! That's a lot of zeroes.

Oh, and Bill ... JK, buddy. The world's second-richest man is still worth about $110.8 billion. Said another way ... about one Laurene Powell Jobs (Steve's widow) less than Bezos.

Damn, these people are rich!!!

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have listed their massively expensive home, TMZ has learned, but our sources say it has NOTHING to do with the college admissions scandal or their upcoming trial.

Lori and Mossimo have quietly put their Bel-Air estate on the market for $28,650,000. It's in one of the best areas of L.A.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ, they're doing what they always do ... following Mossimo's passion for architecture. He's super talented at redoing homes, and this one's no exception. They bought the house in 2015 for $13.9 million and listed it 2 years later for $35 million but took it off the market in July 2018.

The house is pretty great ... 12,000-square-feet, 6 bedrooms, 9 baths and on and on.

So Mossimo did his thing, and now they're ready for another home challenge. They've done this for years, selling the family home every 3 to 5 years.

And, check this out. Realtors at this price point typically get 5% of the purchase price -- which they split if there's a separate agent for the seller and the buyer. If someone offers full price that would mean the commission would be $1.43 million. The deal is ... the commission will be maxed out at $1 mil -- take it or leave it.

Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg better put their Super Bowl advertisements to good use, by making them fun and exciting ... so says Congressman Andre Carson.

We got the distinguished gentleman from Indiana on Capitol Hill Thursday, and asked him about the mix of commercials and political ads for Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast.

There's gonna be more political ads than usual -- it's an election year, after all -- and Rep. Carson says candidates are gonna do everything they can to capitalize on the massive TV audience tuning in to the Big Game.

It's pretty crazy ... FOX, which is broadcasting the game, says a 30-second commercial's gonna cost up to $5.6 million ... but Carson says the huge price tag is worth every penny.

Rep. Carson's advice for Super Bowl ads ... make them entertaining and engaging, and don't just talk about personal accomplishments.

Demand for Kobe Bryant memorabilia is surging like crazy in the wake of his death -- with collectors paying INSANE prices to scoop up valuable items, TMZ Sports has learned.

But, with the high demand comes scam artists looking to push fakes ... and the market is already on high alert.

We spoke with multiple high-end collectible dealers who are all saying the same thing ... people are clamoring for anything Kobe ... and they're paying anywhere from 2x to 20x the price Kobe stuff was fetching before his death.

For example, a game-worn and signed Kobe jersey from the 2004-2005 season was expected to hit $6,000 before his death ... but pre-bidders have already bumped the price to a starting $6,500 and the auction still runs for another month!

Another high-end dealer who didn't want to be mentioned by name says an extremely rare Kobe basketball card (which was originally expected to sell around the $2,500 range) has sold in the private market after Kobe's death for nearly $50,000.

Other dealers have told us straight-up they're pressing pause on selling Kobe items because it doesn't feel right to capitalize on emotional fans.

As for the fakes, multiple dealers have told us it's not uncommon for forgers to push out fake items and fake signatures on eBay and other platforms.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry aren't going to be left penniless -- FAR from it actually, according to Ryan Seacrest and Mark Cuban ... so long as they follow this advice.

The two titans of industry -- who've successfully forged their own paths in entertainment and sports, and branded themselves masterfully -- sat down for the new, TMZ/FOX special, "Harry & Meghan: The Royals In Crisis," to share their thoughts on PH and MM's financial future in entertainment.

As you might've heard, the former Royals are kinda on their own now. And, life ain't free!!!

The question ... can they make an honest buck, and if so, how? Seacrest says it all depends on what they have to offer, which may come as a surprise to both the public and maybe even themselves, especially Harry. Bottom line, RS thinks there's untapped potential there.

Mark Cuban is right there with him ... saying, if Har and Meg play their cards right, they could be just as successful and wealthy as the Obamas, if not more so.

FOX's one-hour special gets into more than just what lies ahead for them though ... it's also a deep dive into what got them here to begin with. Piers Morgan has thoughts on that.

Check it out ... he makes no bones about how he believes Meghan manipulated her way to the top, only to strip his country's Prince away from his people and family. Oof, harsh!

Renowned writer Afua Hirsch has a different take, however, with which many others agree.

Blac Chyna's gotta write a fat check to her former landlord for allegedly bailing on her lease and not paying rent ... because she didn't even bother to fight the lawsuit against her.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... BC's been ordered to fork over nearly $72,000 to Michael Kremerman, who sued her for unpaid rent and damages to the rental home.

It's a default judgment, meaning the judge ruled for Kremerman because Chyna never responded to the suit.

As we first reported ... the landlord filed suit against Blac Chyna back in April, claiming she bolted on her lease 5 months early, didn't pay a dime after leaving and removed fixtures and equipment from the pad.

The landlord said BC was $48,546 in the red, and he sued for that amount plus interest and attorney's fees ... hence the $72k judgment.

One of the most popular faces on the Internet -- you know him as the "Success Kid" meme -- is shaking his famous little fist at Rep. Steve King for screwing up his brand.

Sam Griner is the little guy who became known as "Success Kid" nearly 10 years ago when people started attaching his determined little face to memes. Sam's mother, Laney Griner, has fired off a cease and desist letter to Congressman King.

In the letter, Lainey accuses King of implying his re-election campaign is associated with "Success Kid." She says King is using the Kid's photo with the caption, "FUND OUR MEMES," in large red letters on a crowdsourcing site.

The Kid's mom says she owns the copyright on Sam's image and has licensed it over the years to huge companies like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Microsoft and Marriott. She has not, and it sounds like never will, struck any such deal with Rep. King.

Mama Success says of King, "You have a record of vitriolic criticism of individuals who belong to protected classes or disadvantaged groups, or who support legal rights that you condemn."

The letter goes on, but you get the point -- she's not a fan of King or his politics.

She's giving the Iowa Rep. until Wednesday morning to take down his Success Kid imagery, post a retraction and apology, and hand over an accounting of how much his campaign's made off Success Kid. If he doesn't meet the deadline, she strongly suggests a lawsuit is in the offing.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry should have no problem becoming self-sufficient ... because there are huge sums to be made for speaking engagements and book deals.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would easily command upwards of $500,000 each to speak in front of crowds ... according to folks who help celebs get such deals.

Lots of famous folks get paid huge sums to speak, and Meghan and Harry are obviously in demand. GDA Speakers, whose clients include Nicole Kidman and Diane Keaton, predicts baby Archie's parents could do a lot of business speaking in front of non-profit and volunteer-based organizations, and they'd get more than the standard $200,000 to $300,000 going to most celebs.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's baby mama, Jen Harley, is turning her passion into a full-time gig ... because she's officially licensed to sell houses!!!

Jen just got her real estate license in Nevada, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, and she's joining the team at Realty One Group in Las Vegas.

Sources close to Jen tell TMZ ... she caught the real estate bug after making some extra cash helping agents flip her own homes, and decided she wanted to take real estate classes and pursue a career in the biz.

Jen's been around the game for a while ... we're told she's owned 6 homes in her life and got a thrill out of buying and selling each property. Now she can pocket some commissions!!!

In addition to being licensed in Nevada, we're told Jen wants to eventually get a license in Cali, and she has a house in escrow in Florida she's hoping to turn into an Airbnb.

As you know ... Ronnie and Jen are selling their Las Vegas home after listing it 3 months ago. Jen only got her real estate license in January, so she didn't land that listing.

Probably for the best, considering their track record.

Lee Harvey Oswald -- the man some believe acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy -- never cashed his final paycheck ... on account of being dead, we're assuming.

Oswald's check from the Texas School Book Depository is now up for auction ... and it's likely to fetch a lot more money than what it was originally worth to him.

It was issued to Oswald on December 3, 1963 -- 11 days after he killed JFK, and 9 days after he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby.

As you can see, it's handwritten other than the stamped amount of "$43 and 37 cts" and includes a note at the bottom left that reads, "4 Days. Lee Harvey Oswald for Nov '63."

This implies he was paid for 4 days that week, but not a fifth day ... possibly Friday, November 22, the date of the assassination. Of course, Oswald was seen working at the book depository that morning ... before climbing into a 6th-floor window, and taking aim at Kennedy's motorcade in Daley Plaza.

Oswald fired 3 shots at 12:30 PM.

The check ended up in the possession of Marina Oswald's lawyer, John Thorne. He apparently paid Lee's wife the cash in order to keep the check, which he obviously realized would become historic memorabilia.

When Thorne died, it was transferred to his widow ... who's passed it along to Heritage Auctions to put it on the block. We're told it could haul in thousands, as it's comparable to checks signed by John Wilkes Booth ... which can sell for up to $10k.

Lance Armstrong is going on a trip to Spain ... and he's lookin' for some friends to go with him -- as long as they got an extra $30k lying around.

Here's the deal ... the disgraced cycling superstar is putting on a trip called "The Move Mallorca 2020" ... where he and 12 lucky (and rich) guests will ride through the island together for almost a week.

So, what does the hefty price tag come with??? According to the tour company's website, "accommodations, meals, bikes and more” for the 6 day/5 night trip.

Despite the bad taste Armstrong might leave in cycling enthusiasts' mouths, we're told the company has has “been inundated” with inquiries since it was announced on January 20.

By the way, Lance's ex-teammate (and fellow drug cheater) George Hincapie will also be part of the ride.

Ricky Martin is getting to work to help the people of Puerto Rico who have been devastated by recent earthquakes ... sitting with local politicians to come up with effective solutions.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ the singer met with Mayors representing districts hit by the quakes Friday to formulate plans to fast track help to those in need. We're told the meeting took place at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.

As you probably know by now ... Puerto Rico's been battered with powerful earthquakes since late last month. The most powerful quake -- a 6.4 magnitude on Jan. 7 -- wreaked havoc in several villages and damaged homes, attractions and hotels along the southwest coast.

It's pretty simple -- you win the natty, they back up the Brinks trucks to your driveway ... and that's exactly what happened for LSU head coach Ed Orgeron!!

Coach O and the Tigers are still basking in their glory following the 42-25 win over Clemson in the College Football Playoff championship game ... and as a result, LSU's beloved leader got a MAJOR pay raise.

How good of a raise?? O just agreed to a 6-year deal exceeding $42 MILLION.

It's not the lifetime contract Joe Burrow called for in his Heisman acceptance speech ... but THINK OF ALL THE CRAWFISH YOU CAN BUY WITH THAT KINDA MONEY!!!!

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward spoke about the decision, saying "Coach O has set a new standard at LSU."

"He has proven that he is not only a championship coach, but also a leader of a program committed to doing things the right way. He has represented our institution and our state with great pride, on and off the field of play."

"He is well-deserving of this new contract, which should make clear our commitment to Coach O and the direction of our football program."

O's initial salary when he got the gig was $3.5 million a year ... and he eventually got bumped up to $4 million earlier this year. Orgeron was tied for the 28th highest-paid coach in college ball.

Now, Orgeron will be one of the highest-paid football coaches in the NCAA ... right behind names like Dabo Swinney, Jimbo Fisher, Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh.

Looks like O won't have to do any local Hummer commercials anymore.