TMZ Sports

Tyron Woodley says his body will officially say "I Love Jake Paul" this weekend ... revealing he is still going to follow through on his tattoo bet after losing to the YouTube boxer last month.

So, now the question is ... rematch back on?!

As we previously reported, Woodley claims he tried like hell to get inked up in Cleveland after JP won via split decision ... telling TMZ Sports he waited and waited, but no one was around to do the job.

Despite TW's efforts, Jake said Woodley didn't hold up his end of the deal and moved on from rematch talks to focus on Tommy Fury ... but negotiations have gone essentially nowhere.

With Jake's next opponent up in the air, Woodley told MMA reporter Ariel Helwani he's STILL going to get the tat -- and he thinks a rematch with Paul is still the smartest move for both sides.

"Tommy Fury should have never even been in position for the bag," Woodley said Wednesday night.

"I’m gonna just let the week go through and see what happens. I think the most sensible thing to do is run it back."

Woodley says he's finally getting the tat on Saturday because "it's the solid thing to do" ... so it sounds like it's for sure happening even if a Jake rematch isn't in the cards.

As for the location of the tat, Tyron says he's still not sure where to get it on his body ... but it sounds like he has no plans to get it removed in the future.

"To me, it's like this ... if a dude want to pay me to whoop his ass -- since he supposedly paid me and promoted the fight -- then I love you!!"

NBA star Dwight Howard busted his ass getting ready for "The Masked Singer" ... taking singing and dancing lessons in preparation for his performance on the hit TV show.

TMZ Sports talked to the 35-year-old Lakers center after he was eliminated from the FOX show Wednesday night, following his performance of "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard, while wearing an extravagant Octopus costume.

"I did singing lessons. I did dancing lessons. I even did my own stuff, my own homework, drills that I never thought you'd have to do for singing."

Bottom line ... whether it's on the basketball court or stage, Howard doesn't like to lose.

"I was infatuated with The Masked Singer, and trying to win this show. It was crazy."

Unfortunately for Dwight, he was eliminated at the end of episode 1 ... but let's be honest, he was (literally) at a giant disadvantage.

Howard is 6'10" ... and regardless of the costume concealing his face and body, it was still clear the Octopus was a really tall person.

So, when it came time for judges Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger to guess who was in the outfit, they were all in the ballpark ... and The Hangover star actually correctly guessed Dwight.

FYI, Jenny guessed Dennis Rodman (6'7"). Nicole, Shaquille O'Neal (7'1").

We asked Howard what he was thinking as Jeong guessed it was him.

"I was like 'dang, he got me!' I couldn't believe that he got me, but I knew he had a chance because we actually did a commercial together. It was an Adidas commercial."

But, even though he was axed on night 1, Dwight says his time on the TMS was amazing.

"I'm sorry that I didn't make it to the end of the show, but I had so much fun. It was one of the best things that I've ever done in my life."

Celeb jeweler Ben Baller says he'll fix Aaron Jones' necklace issues ASAP -- offering to make the Packers star an indestructible piece that'll safely harbor his father's ashes forever.

The 48-year-old said he'd build Jones something similar to a device he already has on his keychain -- explaining the NFL player would never have to worry about losing his priceless contents ever again once he's done with the job.

"Look, Aaron, holler at me bro," Ben said. "Send me a DM. Send me a text. I'll make you one of these joints."

"Screw it on, boom. It's not coming off. You can secure your pops' ashes in there, man."

If you missed it, Jones headed into Monday's Packers vs. Lions game wearing a locket that had his father's ashes in it ... but he lost it at some point during the big win.

Fortunately, Green Bay trainer Bryan "Flea" Engel was able to find it after a frantic search ... though it's now unclear how Jones is going to proceed with the jewelry going forward.

Ben told us if Jones wanted, his contraption could be iced or it could be kept simple with yellow gold or platinum. Baller added he'd secure it all with one of his sturdy chains.

Andre Berto, Haitian-American former boxing champ, says President Biden needs to act NOW ... and prove he cares about Haitians at the U.S./Mexico border.

"My message to Joe Biden would be for him to get up and do something. Right now is the time. The Haitian people have been pleading, pleading for help for many years."

It's a subject that hits very close to home for the 38-year-old retired boxer. Berto's mom and dad were born in Haiti, and illegally migrated to the country before their son was born. They've long since got their papers ... but AB still understands the plight of many Haitians.

In fact, he holds dual citizenship (U.S. & Haiti) ... and has spent much time and money on the ground in the country.

The situation on the ground isn't good. Thousands of Haitian migrants flooded a border town, Del Rio, TX, last week ... with many setting up camp under a bridge, where they've lived in horrific conditions.

And, Berto says it's time America steps up and helps.

"They're literally trying to find a better life in general. They'll put babies on their back and to walk from Brazil to Chili, all the way through Mexico."

Berto continued ... "Of course with a very corrupt government, you're talking about people that are just trying to find a much better way of life. And to be treated that way here is just sick to see."

Berto even compared the border crisis to the withdrawal in Afghanistan ... where the U.S. transported Afghan refugees from the middle east to the states.

"I just want equal treatment," Berto says, adding, "You saw what they did with the Afghan refugees. They pretty much brought up over here on a red carpet type of situation."

Well, AB says the Haitians need that same treatment.

Evander Kane did NOT gamble on hockey games ... so says the NHL, which announced Wednesday it has cleared the star after a probe into the allegations turned up "no evidence to support" the claims.

The league launched the investigation several weeks ago ... after Evander's estranged wife, Anna Kane, said the 30-year-old San Jose Sharks player had bet on games in his career.

In her claims, she accused Evander of "throwing games" in order to win cash.

The league, though, said it could not prove any of those allegations after a lengthy dive into the claims.

"The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane's accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane 'threw' games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games," league officials said.

"To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations."

They continued, "While Mr. Kane denied the accusations, our findings are not based on these denials but instead on other evidence uncovered during the investigation."

The NHL said it probed deep into Kane's public and private history to make sure the hockey player committed no wrongdoing.

It should be noted, though, the league did say Anna "refused to participate in the investigation."

The NHL did say it will still investigate Wednesday's claims that Evander both physically and sexually abused Anna during their relationship -- allegations Evander has already vehemently denied.

Patrick Mahomes was clearly less than pleased to see his little brother pouring water on smack-talking Ravens fans ... telling reporters Wednesday, "Obviously it's something we don't necessarily want to do."

Jackson Mahomes was caught on camera dousing Baltimore supporters with a bottle of water following the Chiefs' loss at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The video -- which shows fans jabbing at Jackson after the game before he tossed the liquid all over them -- quickly went viral ... and Patrick said in his weekly meeting with media members that he wasn't thrilled with it all.

The Chiefs star, though, did seem to at least understand the impulsive act ... saying, "There was things said to him and [my fiancée] Brittany that you don't see kind of on the clip."

Still, Patrick is hoping Jackson learns from the situation and deals with it in a different manner going forward.

"He's been good at not trying to respond to that stuff," Patrick said. "He takes a lot and he's usually pretty good at it."

"He'll learn from it and just try to stay away from those people best he can."

It turns out ya can't really say ANYTHING about a player without breaking the NBA's anti-tampering rules ... 'cause Warriors owner Joe Lacob just got hit with a $50k fine this week -- for basically saying he's not interested in landing Ben Simmons.

The Warriors have been named as one of the potential landing spots for the 25-year-old ... after the struggling Philadelphia 76ers star demanded a trade this offseason.

Lacob was asked about the team's potential interest in Simmons during an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle this week ... and it definitely didn't sound like they were jumping head-first into the Simmons sweepstakes.

"I think we are always looking at everything to see if we can improve our team," Lacob said.

"We would always look. In some ways, [trading for Simmons] doesn't really fit what we're doing. He makes a lot of money."

Lacob also said Simmons is very talented, but questioned whether he can finish games down the stretch and if he would fit well with Draymond Green.

In other words, Lacob's not salivating to bring Simmons to the Bay ... but, nonetheless, he was hit with a $50k slap on the wrist on Wednesday.

Donald Trump just can't stop taking shots at Joe Biden ... this time he shaded the current POTUS out on the golf course, saying there's no way in hell #46 could outdrive him.

Donald threw the jabs after smashing a drive on a tee box in front a crowd of golfers ... saying, "You think Biden can hit a ball like that?!"

"He couldn't get it passed the first tee!"

The onlooking golfers loved the remarks ... cheering on Donald as he got back into his golf cart to set up for his second shot.

Of course, clowning Biden is nothing new for Trump, who also took a dig at the President during a boxing match news conference earlier this month.

At that event -- a pre-fight media sesh for the Vitor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield clash -- Trump said he'd want to box Biden because he knows it'd be an easy victory.

"I think he'd go down very, very quickly," Donald said. "Very, very quickly."

Introducing the newest member of the Orlando Magic ... a 6'2" guard from Fayetteville, North Carolina ... J. Cole!!!

Okay, so maybe not quite ... but the superstar rapper DID work up a sweat with a bunch of Magic players at a workout this week -- and he looked GOOD!!

Of course, Cole is known for his skills on the mic AND the court ... and rap legend/former NBA hopeful Master P told us back in 2020 the rapper was interested in pursuing a career in the league.

Now, Cole was able to put his skills to the test against guys like Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton ... with the Magic posting footage of the squad hooping on Wednesday.

The vid is impressive -- Cole holds his own against the pros by draining three-point shots and dishing dimes.

Cole even got to chat it up with the guys after ... saying, "Any time I get to act like a kid around professionals, I appreciate it."

The Magic even gave Cole his own custom #15 jersey to top it all off!!

But, does Cole really have what it takes to be in the NBA?? Ex-pro Larry Sanders certainly thinks so -- he told us back in August 2020 the dude could legit make it if he worked at it.

Keep ballin' out, J.!!

If you're looking for a sweet deal on a Texas mansion ... ex-NBA star Jermaine O'Neal just dropped the price of his decked-out mega-mansion -- and now it only cost $9.9 million.

The former Indiana Pacers center built this beauty on 5 acres of land in Southlake, Texas (about 25 miles from Dallas) back in 2012.

And, the 16,477-square-ft. estate is dope -- featuring 8 bedrooms, 10.5 bathrooms, a giant living room with a gorgeous staircase, top-notch kitchen, full gym, an elevator and a 6-car garage.

The best part? The cribs entertainment. There's a full indoor basketball court (of course) and a big outdoor pool with a waterslide.

There's also a bowling alley and pool table in the game room!

The house has been on the market for over 500 days. O'Neal even put the property up for auction in December 2019 ... but the reserve price of $11.49 million was not met, according to the Star-Telegram.

JO slashed the price by almost $2 million and re-listed the house on the open market for $9,999,900.

Almost seems like a steal for the chance to live like a legit NBA All-Star ... exactly what O'Neal was during his career.

Knives pulled, hit with bottles. Spiders, snakes. No heat or Internet. That's just some of what MMA fighter James Yang -- Demetrious Johnson's protégé -- experienced while living at a Shaolin martial arts academy in China ... and he says that adversity helped prepare him for his first pro fight.

TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Yang ahead of his highly anticipated debut at ONE Championship's ONE: REVOLUTION later this week ... and James broke down his experience living in the temple as a 17-year-old, and it sounds scary.

"I was living in rural China, and it was out in the farmlands where we barely had any heat. We had no Internet, very bad. And, just the living conditions were just horrible. But, that adversity is something that made me who I am today. Some people would look at it as a bad thing, but for me, I looked at it as all beneficial."

Yang says at the time, foreigners weren't accepted in the region where he was living ... so venturing out of the temple grounds could get very dangerous.

"I seen guys get bottled in the head. I had knives pulled on me. These kinda things happen out there. But, it made me stronger. It didn't make me weak or anything."

If his time in China didn't already make him the most interesting MMA fighter in the world ... James also detailed his time spent performing with Cirque du Soleil.

Yang ultimately chose fighting over performing ... and has been training with Mighty Mouse at AMC Pankration in Washington.

Now, it's almost time for Yang -- a featherweight -- to fight ... and he's taking on MMA vet, Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro.

Rosauro last fought in January 2020 ... and won by unanimous decision.

Yang's fight -- as well as 3 title fights -- all go down Friday morning at 6:30 AM ET ... and is available live on Bleacher Report, B/R's YouTube Channel, and B/R's app.

In closing, we asked what fans can expect from his first MMA fight ... and James delivered an ominous answer.

"Brutal violence. That's it. Brutality."

Evander Kane says his estranged wife, Anna Kane, is straight-up lying ... saying in a statement Wednesday he NEVER sexually or physically abused her during their relationship.

Anna, though, says he did in fact do those things ... spelling out the allegations in new court docs, according to the San Jose Mercury News, that were filed in Santa Clara County earlier this week as part of her divorce case against Evander.

In the docs, Anna claims Evander forced her to have oral sex with him in March 2019 -- just after a funeral for their baby daughter.

Anna alleges the San Jose Sharks player then forced her to have intercourse again days later ... writing in the docs that Evander told her when she denied his advances, "you can’t rape your wife.”

"Evander again forced me, against my will," she said in the documents, "to have sexual intercourse with him even though I had not healed."

Anna claims Evander also roughed her up after one of his playoff games against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

In the docs, Anna says after Evander had found out she had been drinking before the game with some of the other players' wives -- he snapped.

She says after the game, which the Sharks had lost, the 30-year-old winger, "began screaming at me and punching me on the upper side of my head above the hairline."

She added, "Evander grabbed my blouse forcefully and pushed me into the wall of the room, slapping me across my face. Evander was screaming at me and threatened to hurt me even worse if I 'disobeyed' him and had any drinks without him."

Evander, though, says it's all B.S. ... denying the claims in a lengthy statement issued by his attorneys.

"To be clear," Evander's attorneys said, "Evander denies ever abusing Ms. Kane or their daughter Kensington, whom he cherishes."

"He recognizes that they have many years ahead of them as co-parents, during which they will have to work together, which makes it that much more frustrating that she has chosen this path."

The attorneys added they're confident Anna's "lack of credibility" will be exposed at future court hearings.

Of course, this isn't the first time Anna has hurled accusations at Evander ... earlier this summer, she claimed the hockey player would bet on his own NHL games from to time.

Evander has vehemently denied those allegations, saying, "I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged."

The NHL has launched an investigation into the claims.

Meanwhile, Evander, in his own court filings, has accused Anna of getting violent with him on several occasions in the past, including an incident where he claims she punched him in the face multiple times.

Riddick Bowe will NOT be fighting against Lamar Odom next month -- the boxing legend has been yanked from the event as a result of Evander Holyfield's performance earlier this month, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the 53-year old former undisputed heavyweight champ was slated to go up against the NBA champ at James L. Knight Arena in Miami on Oct. 2.

But, after "The Real Deal" suffered a brutal technical knockout against Vitor Belfort at Triller Fight Club, Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman decided it was best for everyone's safety to find a different opponent for 41-year-old Odom.

Bowe had been training hard leading up to the fight ... but ultimately, the idea was scrapped.

It's probably good news for all involved ... and plenty of folks in boxing will be happy to hear it.

After all, famous promoter Lou DiBella was LIVID with the idea of Bowe getting in the ring ... saying, "No. Just NO!!!! This is barbaric and beyond dangerous."

Now, Feldman is on the search to find Odom's replacement at the last minute ... so who knows, maybe we get an Odom vs. Aaron Carter II??

Robert Griffin III is open to going back to where it all began -- the current free agent says he'd LOVE to make a big comeback with the Washington Football Team ... but he's not gonna beg.

Of course, RG3 was the #2 overall pick to Washington back in 2012 after a Heisman-winning season with the Baylor Bears ... but things didn't necessarily go according to plan, as the QB faced several injuries throughout his time with the team.

With the injury bug biting the WFT as well in 2021, RG3 -- who hasn't played since 2020 -- was asked if he'd pick up the phone if coach Ron Rivera came calling ... and he sounds more than willing to listen to what he's gotta say.

"Yeah, I mean it could [work out], to be honest," Griffin said to "The Adam Schefter Podcast" on Tuesday. "But, for me to go back to Washington ... that would have to be something that coach Ron Rivera and the team would be open to."

"You never say never, is what I would say," he added. "Would I be open to it? Yeah ... I would love to go back and be able to have that come full circle. But, am I begging for that or pleading for that? Nah ... But, if your guy goes down, make the call."

It just so happens WFT QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is out several weeks with a hip injury ... and Griffin says he's still got that competitive fire in him.

If you thought your bar tab was bad this weekend ... there's no way it topped Bruce Barnum's -- 'cause the Portland St. head coach revealed this week he dropped $14,000 to pay for fans' beers on Saturday!!

The coach -- who promised supporters he'd pick up ALL of their suds if they showed up to PSU's game against Western Oregon -- showed off the receipt Tuesday ... and it's pretty staggering.

Barnum ended up paying $14,448 for 786 Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPAs and 1,260 Coors Lights -- a fairly shocking number, considering only about 3,000 fans showed up!

Of course, we're pretty sure Barnum was happy to foot the bill ... 'cause, after all, his team did beat the Wolves 21-7 in a laugher.

Unclear if Barnum is planning similar things for PSU's upcoming games -- but, hey, can't mess with something that's working, right?

Tom Brady is so upset with all the ticky-tack fouls in the NFL these days ... he's officially dubbing the league as "softer" now.

The quarterback explained his stance on his 'Let's Go!' podcast with Jim Gray this week ... saying the way penalties are being called has changed the game completely, particularly for quarterbacks.

Brady says he believes guys like Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and other mobile signal-callers are thriving simply for the fact that defenders are more timid to hit now due to flag-happy refs.

"I think they're calling more penalties on defensive players for hitting, you know, for violent contact," Brady said. "There's a lot of plays and hits that are happening on quarterbacks now, that are flags for defensive players, that probably weren't that way 10 or 15 years ago."

"So I'd say the game is a little softer than it used to be."

Of course, this ain't the first time Tom has expressed some unhappiness with the league's direction this season ... just a few weeks ago he slammed the NFL for allowing defensive players to wear single-digit jersey numbers.

He also put himself firmly in the camp that criticized NFL officials this week for all of the excessive taunting penalties that were called on Sunday.