TMZ Sports - Page 50

Donald Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, are getting the early bird special at the UFC fight in New Jersey this weekend -- 'cause they showed up hours before the big bout.

President Trump's sons are sitting cage-side right now at the Prudential Center in Newark for the UFC on ESPN 5 event, where welterweights Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler are facing off for the main event. Colby personally invited DTJ and co. -- they're pals.

Sources connected to the event tell TMZ Sports that Don, Eric and their brood -- which appears to include Don's GF, Kimberly Guilfoyle and at least one kid -- arrived Saturday around 10 AM PT ... an hour after the first fights kicked off at 9 AM.

Kinda interesting if you think about it -- that means the Trumps are going to presumably stick around for a bit until the Covington/Lawler fight at noon ... which makes for a jam-packed day of Octagon action. Five matches have already been decided, so you gotta imagine the Trump crew caught at least two of them, so far.

It also looks like ESPN followed through on their plan to not keep the famous family off camera -- despite backlash it may or may not spark. They're all getting a healthy amount of screen time at the moment on TV, which we were told was expected ahead of the event.

As you know, the UFC is made up of pretty diverse fighters ... and with their pops being labeled a racist of late, the Trump boys' inclusion in this event was expected to be a powder keg of sorts.

No issues so far though, from the crowd or otherwise ... hopefully it stays that way.

Lamar Odom has a new woman and he ain't afraid to show it ... puttin' on some major PDA with his girlfriend in Atlanta ... and TMZ Sports has the video!!!

The 39-year-old ex-NBA star went public with 32-year-old health and life coach Sabrina Parr on Friday ... days after he was spotted gettin' romantic on a Chipotle date on Monday.

No word on how long the couple has been a thing .. but judging by the way he was kissing all up on her in public, everything seems to be going well so far.

Of course, Lamar was famously married to Khloe Kardashian before they split in 2013 ... and has recently said he wants to reconcile with the KarJenners.

As for his basketball career, Odom was recently cut from his BIG3 team after the league says he simply wasn't ready to compete at a high level.

But, now that he's dating a fitness guru ... maybe he'll be back next season???

After all, the former Lakers and Clippers star recently appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us he plans on continuing his pro career ... even if it means heading over to The Philippines to get back in game shape.

Monica tells TMZ Sports ... there's no HATE when it comes to her ongoing divorce with ex-NBA player Shannon Brown -- in fact, they still heavily support each other.

We broke the story ... Monica filed for divorce back in March, seeking to end her 9 year marriage to Brown. The couple has 1 child together but they have also been raising multiple children from previous relationships together.

So, when we spotted Monica out in NYC, we asked if she was supporting Shannon's new career in the BIG 3, where he's a cocaptain for the Aliens.

"I'm gonna support everything he does," Monica says ... "We have children. That's automatic."

In fact, when Monica talks about their relationship, she explains ... "It started with love and it ended the same way."

Monica says she encourages her kids to support Shannon by attending his games -- and she's planning to go to a game herself in the near future.

See, not all breakups have to be scorched-Earth war.

Not to say the breakup has been easy for Monica, she appeared on VH1's "T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle" earlier this year and admitted she's felt "overwhelmed" by the split.

"Me personal relationship has taken a major toll on me, I feel it every day."

Gervonta Davis says he's ready, willing and able to get in the ring with Vasyl Lomachenko -- and even gave message to the boxing superstar, "I think it's time."

Tank is coming off a ferocious 2nd round victory over Ricardo Nunez -- improving his record to an impressive 22-0.

Davis has generated a LOT of hype over the years, but fans are still waiting for him to get in the ring with a true top-flight opponent ... which brings us to Loma.

31-year-old Lomachenko -- the unified lightweight champ -- is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He's 13-1 and hasn't lost since 2014.

Just like Davis, Lomachenko fights around 130 pounds ... so, fans would LOVE to see the two stars face off.

So, when we spoke with Davis about it ... Gervonta told us he's all the way down to scrap.

"Of course [I'm interested in the Loma fight]. Just as a boxing fan, ya know, top guys fighting each other. Definitely looking for that. Maybe the beginning of 2020."

Davis is only 24 -- but he tells TMZ Sports he's "old enough to take on the challenge."

"I think I have enough skills. I’m maturing as a fighter, as a person. I think it’s time."

And, his message to Vasyl ...

"Just keep winning and someday we will get in there. We will get in there for sure."

Johnny Damon is sending a huge warning signal to the AL's top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports if the Yankees and Astros let Boston climb into the postseason -- the Sox might just win it all!!!

We got Johnny out in NYC this week and had to ask some baseball questions ... and that's when the 2-time All-Star told us teams NEED to be afraid of the Red Sox's potential.

"If they can somehow get above Tampa and make the playoffs, they're going to be scary," Damon says.

And, if you think Johnny is just blowin' smoke because he's a Sox legend ... he ain't -- he tells us he's still got some bitterness toward the way he left the team after the 2005 season.

"Boston and I, it was a little like a divorce," he says.

Johnny tells us the Red Sox are legit this year ... and if they had actually signed a closer in the offseason, he thinks they'd be much closer to the Yankees in the AL East standings right now.

Still, Damon says he thinks the Astros are the favorite for now ... saying when he watched Justin Verlander pitch earlier this week -- he didn't seem hittable!!!

What's it like to get a call from your boss telling you one of your fights will be forever memorialized in the UFC Hall of Fame?!

Check out this video of UFC legend Clay Guida telling us EVERYTHING in an amazing recap of the night his phone rang and Dana White was on the other line.

The fight that was enshrined is Clay's famous 2009 brawl with Diego Sanchez ... a 3-round bloodfest that's easily considered one of the greatest MMA fights EVER.

Clay lost the fight ... but man, what a war!!!

Clay and Diego were both on hand at the UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Las Vegas on July 5 ... where they got dope jackets and trophies to commemorate the enshrinement.

During the ceremony, Guida thanked everyone who helped make that legendary fight possible.

But, now, Guida is focusing on the present ... he's taking on Jim Miller at "UFC on ESPN 5" in Newark on Saturday.

Chaos at Lollapalooza in Chicago where more than 50 people charged the gates "Game of Thrones"-style to get free entry ... but cops only managed to stop one dude -- a guy who only has 1 leg.

BRUH, REALLY?!?!?

It all went down around 2 PM -- where fans who obviously were stoked to see huge acts like Childish Gambino and Tame Impala.

There was clearly a "They Can't Stop All Of Us" mentality ... and they were mostly right. Mostly.

In the footage, a cop storms into the fracas with heroic intentions ... only to step in front of the only guy in the group with a prosthetic leg.

Officials say NONE of the fence-stormers actually made it inside the festival -- claiming the gate that went down was only a perimeter fence.

In other words, there was a gate behind the gate.

No word what happened to the one guy who got stopped.

Look, cops don't always take the easy way out ... there was that one time they ran down a world-class athlete who ended up being the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The creators of the Philadelphia Phillies' famous mascot, the Phanatic, are threatening to take it away from the MLB team ... and now, the Phillies are fighting like hell to keep it.

It's all spelled in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... where the Phillies say back in 1978,  then Exec VP Bill Giles had a vision for a "green, fat, furry, big-nosed" mascot -- and they worked with a design firm called Harrison/Erickson Incorporated to make the Phanatic.

The MLB team says everything went smoothly with the negotiations ... it paid the firm for its work and the character was an immediate success.

In fact, the Phillies say the mascot became SO popular ... they had to renegotiate with Harrison/Erickson in 1984 to keep the mascot "forever" -- paying the company $215,000.

But now, the Phillies say Harrison/Erickson have gone back on that agreement -- arguing the deal wasn't REALLY a forever contract -- and just hit them with a letter threatening to terminate the arrangement.

The Phillies say in the letter, Harrison/Erickson would not allow them to use the Phanatic after June 15, 2020 if they don't renegotiate ... and are even threatening to make the mascot a free agent if the Phils don't fork over cash!!!

Could you imagine the New York Yankees Phanatic?

But, the team is now suing in federal court to try to stop that from happening, claiming Harrison/Erickson has NO legal rights to terminate the "forever" agreement it signed in 1984.

The team also says it owns the rights to the Phanatic just as much as -- if not more than -- Harrison/Erickson ... and wants a judge to intervene.

The Phillies want legal docs stating Harrison/Erickson can't pull the mascot ... and also want any other team that attempts to use it to be punished for it.

Marshawn Lynch hurled F-bombs at a group of kids during a drill at his football camp in Seattle ... and when one of the moms confronted him, Marshawn asked, "Is there a man here with you?"

It all went down at Lynch's Fam 1st Family football camp on July 28 at a high school in West Seattle where Lynch was out on the field coaching up roughly 200 kids, some as young as 9 years old.

At one point, we're told 33-year-old Lynch tossed some of the kids out of a contact drill ... saying, "Get the f*ck out." It's unclear why Lynch booted the kids from the drill.

Some of the kids began to cry -- prompting at least one parent to intervene. We're told that parent went onto the field and pulled her kid out of the camp immediately, telling off a camp staffer in the process. The woman says she threw her son's jersey on the field in Marshawn's direction and stormed off.

Our video begins with Lynch walking up into the stands to try and speak with the upset mother and other parents at the camp.

The moms in our video (who have kids around 11 years old) wasted no time telling Marshawn they had huge issues with his language and conduct on the field.

Marshawn repeatedly asked the women, "Is there a man here with you?!"

In the video of the encounter, you can hear another parent tell Lynch, "What does that matter?!"

Lynch responds, "Because I want to speak to a man."

We spoke with Stephanie Siva, the mother who Lynch is speaking with in the video, and she told us she felt the question was incredibly sexist and she was offended by it.

During the intense interaction, Lynch acknowledged using obscene language -- including the F-word and the N-word -- and explained why the words are necessary to get the most out of the kids.

Lynch explains, "There's no disrespect ... I understand I'm not gonna be able to please everybody."

At no point did Lynch ever raise his voice or get aggressive -- in fact, he was very calm during the entire interaction.

As Lynch tries to end the conversation, he addresses one of the moms as "sweetheart."

Former MMA star, War Machine -- aka the scumbag who is serving a life sentence for brutally beating his ex-gf -- is getting married Friday, proving love really must be blind.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... he will marry Ashley Farrington at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. She's the woman who befriended him after writing letters to him back in 2017.

As we first reported ... their relationship evolved to visits in prison and eventually their engagement. There will be no traditional honeymoon -- the impending nuptials are happening despite Nevada's strict rule of no conjugal visits.

A rep for the State of Nevada Department of Corrections tells us, when someone in prison wants to get married, the prisoner must file a marriage request ... which is reviewed by the chaplain and warden. They both sit down with the couple and explain to the non-prisoner the seriousness of the crimes committed by the prisoner.

In this case, we're told Ashley did file for a marriage license in Nevada, and War Machine did make the prison marriage request. Ashley apparently still chose to marry him despite his heinous 2014 crime against Christy Mack.

Four men who unfurled a Trump 2020 banner at the Orioles game in Baltimore on Thursday were escorted out of the stadium while fans chanted, "Take it down" -- and it was all captured on video.

It all went down in the 8th inning of the Orioles vs. Blue Jays game ... after most of the fans had left Camden Yards because the Blue Jays were beating the hell out of the home team.

The men displayed the "Keep America Great" banner from an upper deck railing behind home plate -- and it hung for about 10 minutes before stadium officials took action.

You can see cops order the men to pull their sign up, which they do -- while basking in the boos from other pissed off fans.

FYI, the Orioles have an anti-banner policy at the stadium ... prohibiting fans from displaying ANY signs during the game -- especially if the team feels the signs are in "bad taste."

The men were eventually escorted out of the stadium -- but they didn't seem to care at all. In fact, it looks like they LOVED the attention.

Of course, Baltimore and President Trump have been in the news all week long ... POTUS called the city a "rodent-infested mess" and opinions from both party lines have gushed in ever since.

Trump supporters like Johnny Damon have said the President ain't wrong, telling TMZ Sports that toward the end of his baseball career, he found the city to be "scarier."

Novak Djokovic doesn't need a racket to whoop you on the court .... he doesn't even need hands, 'cause the 32-year-old tennis superstar will beat you with his noggin and his feet!!!

The Joker showed off his insane coordination with an intense game of soccer tennis on Friday ... and the 45-second rally is really impressive.

In case you couldn't figure it out, "Soccer Tennis" is tennis where you can't use your hands. It's super hard and VERY impressive to watch.

The #1 ranked player in the world kills it with his skills ... trappin' and juggling the ball like he's Lionel Messi.

Carmelo Anthony says there's no question he still belongs in the NBA ... and claims his absence from the league is more about politics than talent.

35-year-old Anthony has been out of the league since he was cut from the Houston Rockets back in November ... and there's been a public campaign by his NBA peers to get him back in the league ever since.

Melo sat down with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday to discuss rumors of wanting a "farewell tour" similar to Dwyane Wade's last season in the league ... and he says that's simply not true ... because he's still got a lot left in the tank.

"I feel like I still can play, I know I still can play. My peers know I still can play," Melo says.

"I don't think it's about basketball anymore. I think it's about me as a person willing to accept certain roles on basketball teams. Am i willing to accept a certain role on a basketball team? Yes."

Melo says he was willing to accept smaller roles with OKC and Houston ... but got cut from the Rockets before he could prove he was willing to come off the bench.

"That's major, major ego hits. So, that was a whirlwind for me over that year and a half. But, I got to a point in Houston where I can accept that, I'm going to do that."

Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed sent a message loud and clear at Thursday's Hall of Fame game ... ditching his HOF golf polo to remember victims of police violence instead.

Six of the seven living members who are set to be enshrined in Canton this weekend rocked black polos with the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo on them at the Falcons-Broncos game Thursday.

But, Reed spurned that dress code ... and instead, wore a shirt with the faces of victims of police brutality on it.

Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, Stephon Clark and Freddie Gray were all featured on the white and black T-shirt.

Reed didn't comment on the fashion statement during NBC's broadcast -- he wasn't asked about it during his 2nd quarter interview -- but the shirt clearly speaks for itself.

Ed is following in the footsteps of 2018 HOF inductee Randy Moss, who also remembered police brutality victims with names stitched in his tie during the induction ceremony.

Of course, NFL players all over the league have been trying to raise awareness to stop police violence for years ... with Colin Kaepernick famously kneeling for the national anthem back in 2016.

In fact, Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid has already said he'll continue that protest in 2019 ... telling reporters last month, "If a day comes that I feel like we’ve addressed those issues, and our people aren’t being discriminated against or being killed over traffic violations, then I’ll decide it’s time to stop protesting."

Donald Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, will be front and center at Saturday's big UFC fight, and ESPN will show their mugs on TV ... but there are a few strings attached.

Sources connected to the Disney-owned network tell TMZ ... there has been no pressure to keep them off camera to avoid controversy. It's a particularly sensitive time, with Trump's latest attacks which have a huge swath of the country calling him racist. The UFC community -- both fans and fighters -- is diverse, and the presence of the Trumps is a powder keg.

Nevertheless, we're told UFC honcho Dana White is calling the shots on who gets on TV, and we're told the Trump kids will get as much air time as other big celebs at the Prudential Center in Newark. Not to say Dana's directing, but he gives broad directives, and there is no Trump ban.

Now ... we're told the commentators have been told ... NO POLITICS -- and that's squarely in line with ESPN's directive.

Eric and Donald Jr., along with his GF, Kimberly Guilfoyle, were invited to the fight by Colby Covington, who's headlining the main event against Robbie Lawler. Covington is a staunch Trump supporter who's rarely seen without his MAGA hat. POTUS even invited him to the Oval.

And, Dana himself is a die-hard Trump supporter, who even spoke at the RNC. Dana has famously said he will NEVER say anything bad about Trump, who was one of his first and biggest supporters in the early days of the UFC.

Josie Canseco came thiiiiis close to losing a fight with the Pacific Ocean on Thursday ... holding on to her thong for dear life during a beach day in Waikiki.

The Victoria's Secret model is out in Oahu for the opening of a KITH x Coca-Cola pop-up shop (she's modeled for them in the past) ... but decided to take a break to frolic in the sand. The pics are straight fire.

But, during her dip, the tide got a little aggressive ... and nearly took her down her bottoms. A struggle for the ages ensued.

The good news for Josie, she was able to save herself from a public pantsing -- and went back to enjoying paradise.

The 22-year-old model -- who's the daughter of MLB legend Jose Canseco -- famously dated rapper Mike Stud ... but they broke up earlier this year.