TMZ Sports - Page 50

Brock Lesnar's personal "advocate," Paul Heyman, tells TMZ Sports ... the only real thing standing in the way of a UFC fight with Daniel Cormier is the size of his paycheck.

Of course, Brock and DC have been unofficially promoting a fight for months -- but there's no deal in place and Dana White recently told us Cormier's team wants him to retire now.

So, when we saw Heyman -- Lesnar's right-hand man -- we asked what it's gonna take to make the fight happen.

"As long as Daniel Cormier has the balls to step into the Octagon and put his title up against Brock Lesnar, and UFC comes up with the money for Brock Lesnar, I don't see anything that would keep Brock Lesnar from taking the fight."

Cormier has said he will NOT take any fights after his 40th birthday -- March 20, 2019 -- so, if this fight's gonna come together ... they gotta move pretty fast.

And, since Heyman has been so damn successful as an "advocate" in the WWE, we asked what it would take for him to rep Conor McGregor ... if the Irishman chooses to go down that road later in his career.

We all knew Steph Curry's clutch under pressure ... but the dude just took it to a whole 'nother level ... getting behind the needle and inkin' up his own personal tattoo artist!!

The Golden State Warriors superstar met up with the guy behind his body art -- Zebra Tattoo artist Nino Lapid -- on Monday night ... giving him one hell of a birthday present ...

A PERMANENT AUTOGRAPH ON HIS LEG!!!

Lapid is the same guy commissioned for a private tat sesh for the Curry fam after the Warriors beat up on the Cavs last year ... so they're a really tight group.

It's not every day you get tatted by a 2-time NBA MVP ... but that's not all that went down last night -- Steph's wife, Ayesha, and teammate Damion Lee got in on the fun too!!

Luckily for Nino ... it looks like Steph's hand was as steady as his shot.

Ray Rice was welcomed warmly by Baltimore Ravens fans almost 5 years after his infamous domestic violence incident ... with the crowd breaking out a "Ray! Ray! Ray!" chant.

It all went down Sunday ... when Ray was making his first appearance at a Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore since he was cut by the team in Sept. 2014.

The Ravens initially stuck by the star running back until TMZ Sports published video showing the Feb. 15, 2014 attack on his now-wife, Janay Rice, inside an elevator at an Atlantic City casino.

But now, it seems the two sides have made up -- Ray was invited to participate in the team's "Legends of the Game" ceremony along with stars from the 2008 Ravens team.

So, why the warm reception? Ever since he was cut, Ray has spent countless hours speaking with young athletes so they don't make the same bad decisions he did.

Ray's wife, Janay, praised her husband after the game -- saying, "It was a memorable day being welcomed back into our home of 7 years, M&T Bank Stadium!"

"I’m so proud of my husband for overcoming yet another hurdle in this journey and doing it with a smile on his face. Never once letting any circumstance change who he truly is."

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich has filed for a restraining order against her MMA fighter husband, Arnold Berdon, in the wake of a violent incident over the weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Rachael filed for the order herself in Hawaii on Nov. 19 -- and based on court docs, it appears the order was temporarily granted and is set to stay in effect until May 18, 2019.

As we previously reported, Ostovich was hospitalized with a broken orbital bone along with other injuries after an incident in Hawaii.

Multiple sources tell us ... Ostovich is pointing the finger at Berdon and that's why she's filed the restraining order.

Cops have opened a felony domestic violence investigation but have not released the name of the suspect.

We spoke with a family member who is very close with Berdon, who tells us Arnold is seeking a lawyer and intends to defend himself against allegations he attacked his wife.

We're told Berdon will argue he was attacked first and defended himself.

Berdon is also a pro MMA fighter. He's 27 years old with a 7-2 record, according to Sherdog.com.

He's listed at 5'9" and 135 lbs. Berdon's last fight was back in June -- a unanimous decision victory over Jeremias Fernandez.

Move over Tom Brady ... Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports he won't be surprised if we're all callin' Patrick Mahomes the new GOAT by the time his career reaches its end.

"I think he has a chance to go down as one of the ... if not the finest," the legendary coach says.

Patrick lit up the Rams for 478 passing yards and 6 TDs Monday night ... and when we spoke with Dick about the performance Tuesday -- he couldn't have been more impressed.

In fact ... Vermeil -- who previously coached both the Rams and Chiefs -- says he'd straight-up take Pat over Jared Goff and any other young QBs in the league right now.

"I've never seen anything like him," Vermeil says ... "He can do it all. He can throw off balance, upside down and backwards and throw a completed pass. He has unbelievable poise."

"I don't see any limitation."

Vermeil says it's Mahomes' age that impresses him the most, telling us a 23-year-old in his 2nd year shouldn't be able to do the things the Chiefs star is currently doing.

"He's way ahead of everybody else at the same time!"

We also spoke with Dick about the Rams ... and he loves them too -- but says Goff and the guys still have some proving to do before they can be compared with his old Rams squads.

By the way, if you notice the Chiefs logo on Dick's shirt -- he swears he's not picking favorites ... it's just "gym clothes."

Shareef O'Neal might not be on the court at UCLA this year but he's still finding a way to give the rest of the PAC-12 fits ... 'cause he's getting in early on a BLUE-CHIP L.A recruit ... LeBron James Jr.

14-year-old Bronny hit the UCLA game Monday with his brother, Bryce, and the rest of the O'Neal kids -- including his current Crossroads schoolmate, Shaqir O'Neal.

The whole crew was there to support Shareef -- a member of the UCLA team who's sidelined this season due to a heart condition. As we previously reported, he'll be undergoing surgery next month.

The O'Neals and the James families are REALLY close ... so all of this could just be a fun night out, but you have to wonder if hanging around Westwood is gonna give the Bruins an inside track on Bronny for 2023.

We can't be sure about that, it's too early to tell ... but we are 100% sure about one thing.

These kids are growing like beanstalks, seriously. We have to know what Shaq, Shaunie, LeBron, and Savannah are feeding these children.

Monday night was a GREAT time to be Sean McVay -- because after his Rams defeated the Chiefs, the coach's smokin' hot girlfriend went down on the field to celebrate!!

Veronika Khomyn and another attractive lady friend busted out the whole "Whose house? Rams' house!" thing on the field at the Coliseum.

When your man's the hottest coach in the NFL, you get an all-access pass after the game!

There was more ... Jay-Z got the VIP golf cart treatment to escape the post-game insanity after watching his Roc Nation Sports client, Todd Gurley, tear it up.

And, Taran Killam -- possibly the biggest Rams fan on the planet -- LOST HIS DAMN MIND after the game!

The Rams beat the Chiefs 54 to 51 in what some people are calling the greatest NFL game of all time.

And, if you had Jared Goff or Patrick Mahomes on your fantasy team, YOU BETTER HAVE WON last night!!!

Next up for the Rams -- the Detroit Lions on Dec. 2.

After that, we might see these teams meet up again ... in the Super Bowl.

Rams stars Jared Goff and Andrew Whitworth shared an emotional moment with victims of the horrific Thousand Oaks massacre after the L.A. win Monday night ... nearly coming to tears at midfield.

The QB and the left tackle passed on celebrating their epic 54-51 win with their teammates to meet with family members of those killed at Borderline Bar and Grill near L.A. earlier this month.

The players and the victims embraced for several seconds ... and the families couldn't thank Goff and Whitworth enough for their actions.

"I'll tell you what, you sometimes realize things are bigger than yourself," Andrew told reporters after the game.

"Coming off of a win, you realize quickly, man, there's a whole lot of things more important than football."

L.A. also hung up a banner with pictures of the victims and the words, "Together we mourn. Together we stand."

Family members of fallen Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus also lit the ceremonial torch pregame ... and Andrew donated his entire game check to the survivors.

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich has officially pulled out of her upcoming fight against Paige VanZant -- citing the brutal injuries she suffered during an attack over the weekend.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 27-year-old Ostovich was hospitalized after she was assaulted on Hawaii -- and she's been diagnosed with a broken eye socket and other injuries.

Now, her manager has issued a statement explaining that Rachael is simply too hurt to get in the Octagon in January.

"A very unfortunate incident occurred Sunday night with Rachael Ostovich that ended with her suffering a fractured orbital and other injuries," Brian Butler-Au said.

"As a result of these injuries she will not be able to compete in her upcoming bout with Paige VanZant on January 19th."

"Rachael is now home from the hospital with her family and will be going back for further check ups on her orbital."

Butler-Au added, "We would like to thank the UFC for all their support on this matter as well as the fans and media for your concern."

As we previously reported, cops have opened a felony domestic violence investigation into the matter -- but so far, no arrests have been made.

Cops have also not released the name of the suspect.

Michael B. Jordan's mouth might've written a check that his ass can't cash ... 'cause Roy Jones Jr. says he heard MBJ say he could beat Roy, and now he wants him to prove it in the ring.

In case you missed it ... we got Mike leaving Avenue nightclub in Hollywood Saturday, and asked if he if there are any real boxers he thinks he could beat with his 'Creed' fight training.

Jordan pulled Roy Jones Jr.'s name out of the sky ... saying the 49-year-old has slowed down just enough for him to beat him. We spoke to Roy, and not only does he disagree, but he's also anxious to prove it.

"If Michael B wants this real, contact Roy Jones Jr. and we'll make it happen."

Roy, who's still an active fighter, says he gives less than a damn about the age difference -- MBJ is 31 -- because his 30-plus years of ring expertise will be the difference.

"I know he can't beat me still. I know he's probably in better condition because he's younger ... but I'm an old school vet."

BTW -- this is not talk. Roy Jones Jr. wants to fight Michael B. Jordan. For real. Roy says the fight would be a perfect promotion for the movie, which comes out this week, although the fight would have to wait a little bit.

"[I'd] probably need, for him, about four or five weeks."

Joe Theismann says he was so shook after watching Alex Smith's brutal leg injury on Sunday, he couldn't sleep that night ... telling TMZ Sports it's brought back some painful memories.

Joe was at FedExField on Sunday when Smith took a hit from J.J. Watt that snapped his fibula and tibia -- a compound fracture where the bone broke through the skin.

Of course, Theismann was on the receiving end of a similar hit back in 1985 when Lawrence Taylor brutalized him on "Monday Night Football" ... causing the same injury.

"It was so surreal yesterday in the stadium," Theismann told the guys on the TMZ Sports TV show ... "to have what happened to Alex on the day it happened to me 33 years ago."

Joe says the similarities between the two are eerie.

"It was I think 166th game for Alex. Mine was 167. Basically, the same place on the field. Heck, I have a nephew named Alex Smith who's 33-years-old ... the whole thing is crazy."

Theismann says for the first time in his life, he couldn't really sleep after watching the injury in person -- saying, " I didn't really think this thing had bothered me as much as it did, and I think it probably got to me a little bit more."

Joe says he considers Smith a friend and plans on reaching out to the QB after giving him some space to deal with the injury.

The big message for Smith -- Theismann says there's light at the end of the tunnel ... so don't give up hope.

Tom Brady ain't going to be reprising his role as the terrible throwing dude at a carnival anytime soon -- the Pats QB says his career as a "Saturday Night Live" host is likely over.

And why? He's too damn busy.

"I'm basically on a reality TV show every Sunday afternoon for 3 hours so I feel like I'm on TV enough in the Fall and Winter."

The GOAT appeared on WEEI's "Mut & Callahan" on Monday and was asked about life outside of football -- particularly if he'd ever return to 30 Rock like he did back in 2005 when he famously played "Alan" ... a guy with an arm like Nathan Peterman.

TB12 says he loves the show ... but it's too big of a commitment and he'd rather be hanging out with Gisele and the kids.

"It's hard for my family to give that up," Brady says.

"It's hard to say, 'All right guys, well, I'm going to go off and do another week of something that I've really done before.'"

ICYMI ... the carnival sketch was Brady's best work -- but he also donned a sultan outfit and played the manager of "Falafel City" ... and had a sketch where he joked about his rivalry with Peyton Manning and other QBs.

Good times.

Make sure you're sitting down for this one ... a super rare Michael Jordan trading card just sold for an INSANE $95,000!!! ... TMZ Sports has learned.

It's not just some card ... it's the 1997 Upper Deck Michael Jordan All-Star game jersey card -- complete with MJ's autograph -- and only 23 of its kind exist.

BTW -- this same card -- given an 8 Near Mint condition rating by Beckett Grading Services -- was sold back in 2014 for (just) $45,998 ... already making it one of the highest-selling basketball cards in history.

Now, with the newest sale with PWCC Marketplace, the Jordan autograph card is believed to be in the Top 3 most valuable hoops cards ever ... behind a George Mikan rookie card ($403k!!) and Pete Maravich rookie card ($130k).

Colin Kaepernick's girlfriend is lashing out at the NFL -- claiming the only reason CK doesn't have a job is because the shot callers in the league are still blackballing him.

Nessa -- a hugely famous New York DJ -- weighed in after their good friend, Eric Reid, told reporters that Kap has NOT thrown in the towel when it comes to an NFL comeback.

Reid said he's one of Colin's closest friends and said Colin not only wants to play, "He's ready to play" -- and he's still working out 6 days a week.

Nessa confirmed everything Reid said -- and emphasized that "all the teams know" Colin is NFL ready right now.

That's when she went in even harder on the league ...

"Colin trains everyday. All the teams know. But they’d rather keep blackballing him. The league, owners & mgmt are the ones who don’t want him to play."

She added, "Journalists should ask the league why they’re blackballing Colin."

Think Charlotte Flair was excited after beating up Ronda Rousey at "Survivor Series"?!!

Check out this footage of the WWE superstar going crazy in the car with her dad, Ric Flair, in the moments after the match at Staples Center in L.A.

You can hear the "WOOOs" from excited fans as they took off to continue the celebration.

Yeah, Charlotte was technically disqualified and lost the match -- but she beat the dog snot out of Rousey, and even smashed her with a kendo stick in the center of the ring. At one point, she threw Ronda into a steel chair ... and even stomped her out. Good times!

Check out Ronda's face -- looks like she took some real damage ... but the former UFC champ ain't sitting around licking her wounds.

Ronda has vowed to be at "Raw" on Monday night -- saying, "No one can stop me." Should be fun.

Charlotte wasn't even originally scheduled to face Ronda at the event -- and only stepped in after "Smackdown" women's champ Becky Lynch suffered a broken face last week.

Ex-49ers running back Jarryd Hayne -- who's also an international rugby star -- was arrested in Australia for aggravated sexual assault and now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Officials say the accuser is a 26-year-old woman who claimed she hooked up with Hayne on Sept. 30 in what started as a consensual sexual encounter. She claimed the two met online.

But, at some point during the incident, the woman claims Hayne's actions turned criminal and she suffered injuries as a result.

Cops investigated the matter and ultimately determined there was enough evidence to charge Hayne with a crime -- "aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm."

Hayne turned himself in to police on Monday and was released on bail several hours later.

A spokeswoman for NSW Police issued a statement to local media outlets saying -- "Police are investigating following reports a woman was sexually assaulted by a 30-year-old man in late September."

"The investigation is being led by detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad."

Hayne is a massive star in Australia -- and famously left the rugby world in 2015 for a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers. He flashed potential on the field but it ultimately didn't work out.

It's not the first time Hayne has been accused of a sex crime -- back in 2015, a woman in the United States claimed Hayne raped her after she had been drinking and passed out.