TMZ Sports - Page 50

It'sssss TIME ... for President Donald Trump to attend a UFC fight in person!

That's exactly what's happening on Saturday -- POTUS will be in the house at Madison Square Garden for UFC 244, featuring a massive fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.

Trump has been a longtime supporter of the UFC and Dana White -- in fact, White has publicly credited Trump for being a key figure in turning the MMA promotion into the juggernaut it is today.

Now, Trump has reportedly made time in his schedule to see Diaz and Masvidal fight for the coveted "Bad Mother F**ker" belt when they clash on Nov. 2.

And, get this ... the celebrity guest list that night is insane -- Dana White previously told us Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be on hand to present the winner with the 'BMF' belt.

New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft -- whose also close with Trump -- will be in the house as well. The Patriots play the Ravens in Baltimore the next day.

President Trump's sons, Don Jr. and Eric, attended a UFC fight in New Jersey earlier this year -- when Trump supporter Colby Covington defeated Robbie Lawler.

Donald Trump called Colby after the fight to personally congratulate him.

As for UFC 244, you better believe Secret Service will be swarming that night.

And, it'll be VERY interesting to hear what the always outspoken Nate Diaz has to say if he gets the mic after the fight!

Hulk Hogan says he's been forced to change planes in Iceland after things went horribly wrong during the landing ... with his plane taking serious damage to the tires and brakes.

Hogan was on his way to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with fellow WWE legend Jimmy Hart for the upcoming 'Crown Jewel' PPV event, when things hit a snag.

"Just had a really hard landing," Hulk said from the tarmac ... "blew out the tires and brakes have melted."

Hogan says the plane was grounded due to "all that crazy stuff happening" -- but says a friend of his from Minnesota who stopped at the same airport offered seats on his plane to get them to Riyadh.

We're working on trying to find out exactly what went wrong -- but as far as we know, Hulk and the rest of his passengers are expected to make it to Saudi Arabia in time for the event.

Scary stuff.

Hulk isn't wrestling at 'Crown Jewel' -- but he's selected a 5-man team to take on another 5 superstars hand-picked by Ric Flair.

Some of the stars on Team Hogan include Roman Reigns, Rusev and Mustafa Ali. Team Flair includes Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre.

College athletes are one HUGE step closer to getting paid ... the NCAA's top governing board has just voted unanimously to allow athletes to profit off their image and likeness.

The NCAA's Board of Governors is directing the NCAA's three divisions to immediately consider updates to their bylaws to pave the way for the massive change in operation.

"We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes," chairman of the board Michael V. Drake said.

"Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships."

The Board issued guidelines for the impending changes which essentially says education and the collegiate experience must still be the priority over money.

The guidelines also say students must not be specifically compensated for athletic performance but rather their image and likeness as used for marketing purposes.

The NCAA says the topic was thoroughly researched before the Board voted -- with interviews with past and present student athletes, coaches, presidents, faculty and commissioners. They also spoke with politicians.

NCAA president Mark Emmert also weighed in ... saying, "As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes."

"The board’s action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals."

The news comes just weeks after California governor Gavin Newsom signed the "Fair Pay for Play" act, which made it legal for student athletes to get paid in CA without penalty.

The NCAA previously criticized the bill as a major threat to college sports -- but now, they're changing their tune.

If Zion Williamson wants to cut out injuries and cut weight ... he NEEDS to cut meat out of his diet ASAP, so says John Salley who says VEGANISM can save Zion's career.

Look, a lot of people think 284 pound Zion is just too heavy to have a long NBA career. He's already missing the first 6 to 8 weeks of the NBA season after undergoing knee surgery.

Enter Salley ... who says Zion can turn the ship around if he turns his diet around.

"My message to Zion? Go vegan, bro. Drink a bunch of water and find out the best way to heal your body, meaning ... not just ultrasounds, not just a hot tub, don't take pills."

The 4-time NBA champ says Zion was destined to become teammates with Jahlil Okafor, who recently made the switch to "mostly" veganism and lost 20 pounds ... and Salley wants Williamson to listen to the vet.

Jason Garrett says he expects Michael Bennett to stand for the national anthem like the rest of the Dallas Cowboys ... telling reporters, "We anticipate him doing what all of our players do."

The Cowboys just traded for Bennett last week -- pulling the DE out of New England for a draft pick -- but many have wondered how Bennett will handle pregame anthems in Dallas.

Remember, MB has sat for the song in the past as a protest of racial injustices in America ... and during his time with the Patriots this year, he's just stayed in the locker room for the ceremony.

But, under Jerry Jones' watch, he's been adamant that Dallas players stand for the anthem -- regardless of their personal beliefs.

Star Cowboys players like QB Dak Prescott have supported the team's position in the past -- with Dak saying in 2018, "I never protest during the anthem and I don’t think that’s the time or venue to do so."

When Garrett was asked about all of that on Tuesday, he said, "We don't anticipate that being an issue."

Jones also said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday that he believes the same thing, saying, "I'm satisfied that, in Michael, we’ve got a player who knows how we do it here with the Cowboys."

The Dallas Morning News reports that Bennett and the Cowboys reached an agreement before the trade went through that he would stand on the sideline for the anthem in Dallas.

Bennett has yet to address the media regarding the issue ... but he's expected to speak with reporters sometime this week.

Can your friends do THIS?!?

NFL superstar DeAndre Hopkins went ALL OUT for his Halloween costume -- going head-to-toe blue paint to recreate Genie from "Aladdin" ... and it's amazing!!!

The Houston Texans WR hit up the team Halloween party Monday night and spared no expense for his look. The only question ... why does a top-flight, insanely fit pro athlete have to draw on ABS?!?!

Hopkins was joined by his mom, Sabrina Greenlee, who dressed up like Cleopatra -- but she also could have gone as herself ... since she's now the basis of a big-time Hollywood movie based on her life story.

Other Texans who showed out at the party ... QB Deshaun Watson who came as Jack Skellington from "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

One interesting thing about Deshaun's costume ... he was rocking sunglasses at night -- and we're not sure if it was part of the costume or a result of him being kicked in the eye during the Texans victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Remember, Watson caught a foot in his eye while scrambling in the 4th quarter -- and even though he couldn't see, dude threw a TD pass anyway!

Watson was checked out on the sideline and went back in and played -- but the sunglasses Monday night make us wonder ... he good??

John Cena's putting LOTS of money where his mouth is ... donating $500,000 to first responders helping to battle the California wildfires.

"Right now, California is in dire straits," the WWE superstar said in a video ... "It is burning. It is under siege from massive wildfires statewide."

And, as fate would have it, Cena also happens to be promoting his new movie, "Playing With Fire" -- a comedy about firefighters which opens next month.

Cena says shooting the movie has given him an even greater appreciation for people on the front lines battling the blazes ... so with the Kincade Fire, Tick Fire and Getty Fire raging, he's decided to reach into his own pocket to help out.

"On behalf of 'Playing With Fire' and out of respect to the people who I truly believe are heroes, my response will be to immediately donate $500,000 to this cause," Cena said.

"In times like this, when people are giving their lives and working around the clock, what they need from us is resources."

Cena challenged the studio behind the flick, Paramount, to pick the charity where his donation will land ... but says he's more than happy to write the check when they figure it out.

Brody Jenner is a single man after splitting from Josie Canseco, and we know what you're thinking, but ... no, the breakup has nothing to do with his freshly single ex, Kaitlynn Carter.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Brody and Josie are telling friends they've broken up, and one of their main issues was their age difference -- Brody is 36 and Josie is 22. We're told they're just on different pages in life.

The timing is interesting ... as we first reported, Miley Cyrus ended things with Kaitlynn a few weeks ago. Remember, the two women were first linked when they were kissing in Italy ... just as Miley announced she'd separated from her husband, Liam Hemsworth. Of course, Kaitlynn and Brody had also just split.

We got Brody's mom, Linda Thompson, over the weekend at the Casamigos Halloween party in Bev Hills after our photog saw her hugging and chatting up Kaitlynn. Linda told us Brody and Josie are on opposite sides of the world, but claimed they were still dating.

However, our sources say they're definitely dunzo, and their social media backs that up -- Brody and Josie have already scrubbed each other from their accounts.

As for Brody and Kaitlynn -- we're told they still communicate, but there's no chance of a romantic reconciliation. While Brody is still in party animal mode ... she's ending that phase.

As we've first reported, Brody and Kaitlynn split this summer after he wouldn't commit to giving her the two things she wanted -- a baby and a legal marriage. Although they had a big ceremony in Indonesia in 2018, they never followed up with a marriage license in the States.

Shortly after that split, Brody and Josie hooked up ... which, in hindsight, looks pretty rebound-y.

Far as we know, Brody never got a chance to hit the batting cages with Josie's pops, Jose Canseco.

To Infinity ... and BEYOND!!

The biggest stars on the Boston Bruins teamed up for the kids on Monday -- busting out their best costumes from 'Toy Story' to spread some Halloween joy at the Boston Children's Hospital and the pics are awesome!

Superstar David Pastrnak -- who's leading the NHL in scoring -- put on his best Rex costume ... along with Brandon Carlo (Hamm), Charlie McAvoy (Toy Alien), Charlie Coyle (Jessie), Danton Heinen (Woody) and Torey Krug (Mr. Potatohead).

The kids were STOKED to see the hockey stars roaming the halls -- where they gave out high fives, hugs and selfies to kids of all ages!

The families were happy too ... because when your kid is stuck in the hospital, seeing them smile is the best thing ever!

The Milwaukee Brewers will have their MVP back to start next season ... Christian Yelich tells TMZ Sports his fractured knee cap is now feeling 100% healthy!!

"I'm doing great, man," Yelich says. "All good."

The superstar outfielder busted up his knee back on Sept. 10 when he fouled a pitch off his right leg ... and there was initial concern the injury could linger into next season.

But, Yelich -- who ultimately didn't require surgery to fix the issue -- told us out at LAX he's feeling great ... and expects to be good to go for the start of spring training in a few months.

"We're ready to go, man," Yelich says.

Of course, that's great news for Milwaukee ... Yelich is maybe the best player in the MLB -- and could win his second straight National League MVP award next month.

By the way, Christian also gave us more good news ... telling us he and his family haven't been affected by the wildfires that are raging near his Thousand Oaks, Calif. hometown.

Did Floyd Mayweather just diss one of the richest guys on the planet? Seems that way.

Mayweather was walking into Craig's in L.A. on Monday night when our camera guy asked about the challenge made by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, a Chinese billionaire who wants to fight Floyd.

Ma made a video with Manny Pacquiao this week ... both guys called out Floyd. Manny wants a rematch and 55-year-old Ma says he's down for an exhibition scrap with TBE.

"I am ready. Any time, any place, Manny's team is ready," said Ma, who's been working out with Team Pacquiao.

The bad news for Jack ... Floyd says he's never heard of the guy!

"Who?!" Floyd said ... "I don't even know who he is!"

Yeesh. That's gotta hurt Ma's ego, right?

Floyd also responded to Manny Pacquiao's latest call for a rematch by mocking the way Manny called him out.

There have been rumblings Floyd is considering a rematch with the Filipino superstar ... but so far, nothing's in stone.

Is Blake Shelton the reason Kyler Murray is quarterbacking the Arizona Cardinals?!?

The country star sure made it seem that way when we got him out in L.A. this week ... 'cause he told us he straight-up forced the Cards' GM to take the Oklahoma QB!!!

"I told Steve Keim that we wouldn't be friends anymore if he didn't take [Kyler] No. 1 in the draft," Blake says.

FYI, Blake is a diehard Cards fan -- he says he's backed the team for more than 20 years -- and says he's got a hell of a relationship with A LOT of high-ranking execs on the team.

So, he really might've swayed Steve!!!

Of course, the pick seems like a no-brainer now (Kyler's KLLIN' it this season) ... but at one point, a lot of people had their doubts about the Heisman Trophy winner.

In fact, Joe Theismann told us way back in April he thought Kyler was making a HUGE mistake by picking football over baseball!!!

But, Shelton says he was always super confident that Murray would be a star for his favorite squad ... telling us, "I love Kyler Murray. I love him."

As for what he thinks Kyler is going to accomplish for the Cards this year ... Shelton gave us a big, fat guarantee -- saying Arizona will make the playoffs!!!

LA Chargers star Austin Ekeler isn't just jacked ... he's 1-armed-pull-ups-while-reading-a-book jacked ... and the dude put it on full display in a crazy video on Instagram!!!

Fresh off scoring the game-winning TD against the Chicago Bears on Sunday ... the 24-year-old celebrated a "peaceful victory Monday," complete with a workout and some literature.

FYI -- Austin and his GF, Taylor are OBSESSED with fitness ... and the couple likes to incorporate their relationship into some unique workouts.

Hey, the dude has been putting up numbers this season ... racking up 8 touchdowns, more than 250 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards.

The guy who threw down NASCAR superstar Denny Hamlin during a brawl with Joey Logano on Sunday was just suspended 1 race by the league ... officials announced Monday.

If ya missed it ... Hamlin and Logano really got into it at Martinsville Speedway over the weekend -- carrying some on-track drama onto pit road.

The two stars were discussing their in-race driving ... when all of a sudden Logano gave a hard shove to Hamlin's shoulder.

That's when Denny went after Joey ... and all hell broke loose -- with both of the drivers' pit crews hopping into the melee.

But, before Denny could get his hands on Logano ... one of Joey's pit crewmember grabbed Denny by the neck and threw him to the ground!!!

Denny was pissed ... but the brawl was quickly calmed down by NASCAR officials.

On Monday, the league handed down punishment for the fight ... banning Logano's pit crew member -- tire technician Dave Nichols Jr. -- for one race for his role in grabbing Hamlin.

As for the rest of the guys involved in the fracas, seems NASCAR has let them all off with a warning.

Douglas Lima says he ain't just the best welterweight in Bellator ... he's the best freakin' welterweight MMA fighter on planet Earth.

Yes ... ya listening, Kamaru Usman? 'Cause Lima says (in the most respectful way ever) he knows for sure he'd beat you!!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 31-year-old Lima -- who's got a record of 32-7 with wins over beasts like Michael "Venom" Page and Paul Daley -- 2 days after his Bellator Grand Prix title win over Rory McDonald.

The prize? The welterweight belt and a million bucks.

We'll get to the money later ... but first, we asked Lima where he stacks up when it comes to the badass welterweight fighters in the UFC.

Flat out, Douglas says he's the best ... and he's tired of people shading him and his skills 'cause he isn't in Dana White's promotion.

"I know real MMA fans, they recognize, they know I'm up there with those guys. They know I can beat, I can fight any of them. But, most of them it's like, 'Man, you're not in the UFC, you're a nobody.'"

Lima continued ... "Man, I hate that. That's people who doesn't understand the sport. It's not the name UFC or Bellator or ONE FC. There's killers everywhere."

Usman is the current champ ... so we point-blank asked Lima what'd happen if they fought.

"I'd beat him. I'd probably KO him. He's a great wrestler for sure, he wrestles a lot. But man, at any point in that fight if I connect, I can put him away. I don't even think about that, I just know I can beat him, I can beat anybody at this weight class.

"I'm not talking bad about the guy. He's a champion there. He's doing his thing. But, I just know it, man. If one day something like this happens, I definitely believe in myself to go over there and kill it."

Now, bout that milli ... the check hasn't hit Douglas' account just yet, but when it does -- he's got some pretty cool plans for the dough.

2 smokin' hot models flashed their boobs during Monday night's World Series game ... and now MLB has BANNED the women!!

The incident -- caught by TV cameras -- went down in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the WS between the Nationals and Astros in Washington D.C.

Julia Rose and Lauren Summer -- who have 2.8 and 1.5 million followers on Instagram, respectively -- were seen lifting their shirts up as Gerrit Cole prepared to throw a pitch.

The game was briefly held up ... and security apprehended Rose and Summer and escorted them from their seats.

Rose and Summer's accomplice, Kayla Lauren (also a model), claims the women were taken to police headquarters ... before being released.

Rose posted a letter she says she got from Major League Baseball ... that banned her from MLB events.

The letter, from baseball's VP of Security, says ... "On October 27, 2019, you attended World Series Game 5 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. During the game, you violated the fan code of conduct by exposing yourself during the 7th inning, in order to promote your business."

"You are hereby banned from all Major League Baseball stadiums and facilities, indefinitely."

"You were also part of a scheme in which you induced others to expose themselves to promote the business."

Why'd they do it? Julia says the motivation was a mix between promoting their publication, ShagMag ... and raising awareness for breast cancer.