TMZ Sports - Page 50

Cris Cyborg says she's not sweating Holly Holm's famous leg-striking power -- it's Holly who should be worried about Cyborg's fists.

The UFC superstar joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) -- and told us why the former bantamweight champ should be afraid ... very afraid.

Cyborg vs. Holm is the main event at UFC 219 on Dec. 30 in Vegas -- and Cris says she's trying to rally her fans to help out the kids at the local hospitals while she's in town.

Watch the clip and click here to see how you can help in Cyborg's Teddy Bear drive!

Legendary play-by-play man Dick Enberg -- one of the most famous voices in sports history -- has died, his family confirmed. He was 82.

Dick's wife told reporter Bryce Miller he passed away at his home in La Jolla on Thursday. The family believes he died from a heart attack while getting ready to leave the house for a flight.

If you watched ANY sports, you know Enberg's voice -- he covered 10 Super Bowls, 28 Wimbledons and several NCAA basketball championship games.

He's also been honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

R.I.P.

UFC legend Chuck Liddell says there ain't a chance Floyd Mayweather steps inside the Octagon -- 'cause any MMA fighter would beat the living hell outta him!!

"C'mon man -- he can't fight in the UFC," Chuck told TMZ Sports.

"Why would he do that? He's just gonna get hurt."

The Iceman, who was out visiting a children's hospital, clearly thinks Floyd wouldn't stand a chance in an all-out scrap ... and told us it'd be over quick if he rematched Conor McGregor.

Eli Manning is still LOVED by his NY Giants WRs ... just ask supermodel Chanel Iman, who says the QB is definitely invited to her upcoming wedding to Sterling Shepard.

Sterling proposed to Chanel earlier this month after roughly 11 months of dating -- and now the wedding planning begins!

We had to ask about the guest list ... and that's when Iman raved about Eli Manning -- saying she's a huge fan of the quarterback both on and off the field.

In fact, Chanel says the guy doesn't even need to get them a wedding gift ... but c'mon, she doesn't really mean that, right?!

Floyd Mayweather moving over to MMA just got the thumbs-up from Holly Holm -- who says she could see TBE knucklin' up for the UFC ... and goin' after it with all he's got.

"I'm sure he won't mind putting in the work if he decides to do something with MMA," Holm told the guys on "TMZ Live."

If anyone would know, it'd be Holly -- who won 18 TITLE FIGHTS in boxing before she became a UFC superstar.

But HH -- who's fighting Cris Cyborg at UFC 219 -- ain't saying it's gonna be easy ... in fact, she told us one area where Mayweather's REALLY gotta work if he doesn't wanna get wrecked.

FYI, Floyd shot down fighting for the UFC on Wednesday after Dana White said they were in talks ... but, in the same breath, said the door's always open.

Get this ... Lakers player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is serving a 25-day jail sentence -- AND playing in the NBA at the same time.

No, this is not a joke.

24-year-old KCP was sentenced to 25 days after pleading guilty to violating his probation stemming from a DUI arrest in Michigan back in March.

The NBA player was initially sentenced to 12-months probation -- and was required to submit to drug and alcohol testing. Problem is ... he didn't comply, so the judge ordered him to be locked up.

But here's the catch ... the judge allowed KCP to do a "work-release" sentence -- where he's locked up at a facility for most of the day ... but he's allowed to leave to do his job.

Lonzo Ball ain't the only Lakers rookie looking to make a dent in the sports apparel game ... his teammate, Kyle Kuzma, is also hawking his own line of shirts -- and they're selling like crazy.

Kuzma teed up some "Kuzmania" shirts on his website over the weekend -- and sold all 1,000 of 'em super quick. Now, he says he's got another batch on the way.

And get this ... they actually have a reasonable price tag at $27 a pop ... roughly half the price of a Big Baller Brand shirt.

And with Kuzma coming off a 38-point performance against the Rockets, his stock is rising in a big way.

Think LaVar's jealous??

Of course, Kuz and Lonzo are pretty tight -- Kuz even roasted Zo for his "$600" BBB hat -- but you gotta wonder if this is a little bit of a swag rivalry.

If Floyd Mayweather's serious about stepping inside the Octagon -- there's a UFC champion, not named Conor McGregor, who says he'll (respectfully) kick his ass!

We spoke with T.J. Dillashaw after Dana White said he was "talking to Floyd" about a UFC deal ... and the bantamweight champ threw down the gauntlet on Mayweather.

"Floyd, bring it," T.J. said to TMZ Sports. "Let’s find out what real fighting’s all about."

But as much as Dillashaw would "love" to welcome TBE to MMA ... he's not giving Floyd a chance in hell of surviving.

"Not against me, that's for sure ... he's toast."

Tristan Thompson's Kardashian spawn ain't just gonna make him more famous ... it could damn well make him a better basketball player -- so says NBA vet Jim Jackson.

We got J-Jax at Cafe Gratitude in L.A. ... and he told us why knockin' up Khloe might translate to a fiercer Tristan on the hardwood.

"Having a child always settles you down a little bit," Jackson told TMZ Sports. "Maybe a kid settles him down and gives him more focus."

Seems like Jim isn't buying into the Kardashian curse -- basically saying TT should be good as long as he keeps handling business for the Cavs.

John Salley says Magic Johnson called him the day after the NBA legend's 1991 earth-shattering HIV announcement ... to ask if Isiah Thomas had been privately dissing him for contracting the disease.

Johnson and Thomas ended their decades-old feud this week with a teary-eyed reconciliation -- part of a sit-down interview between the two men.

Salley played with Zeke on the Bad Boy Pistons team of the 80's, and when we reached out to him to ask him about the hatchet burying, he gave us some insight into why things were so bad in the first place.

"I know how tough it was. The morning after Magic announced I was on the phone with him, and he asked me, 'Did Isiah say such and such?'"

The fact Johnson was so concerned with Thomas' reaction to his illness shows how fractured their relationship was -- and why it took nearly 30 years to repair things.

Salley went on to say he's glad Magic and Isiah have patched things up -- and the fact that Johnson apologized for the way he treated Zeke really makes a difference.

"I'm the biggest Magic Johnson fan ever ... and now even more."

Darryl Strawberry says his sex addiction was so bad during his MLB days ... he would take chicks into the clubhouse and nail 'em between innings.

The ex-NY Mets star opened up to Dr. Oz (the full interview airs Thursday) and said he used to get away with it because teammates would cover for him when he would go MIA.

"It was pretty crazy," Strawberry says ... "I would go between innings, and stuff like that and run back and have a little party going on."

Strawberry has since sought treatment for his addictions and says he's a changed man -- noting that his old behavior is "not good for anyone."

LaVar Ball says his new amateur hoops league is gonna crush the competition ... and he's got a loud, pointed message for anyone doubting his ability to run the show.

"The (Junior Basketball Association) is a heck of a league! Gonna be one of the most exciting ever!"

"And for all you haters out there -- keep doin' what you been doin' -- NOTHING!" LaVar said in a video posted to social media.

The Big Baller Brand honcho says the JBA – a league recruiting top amateur players like his son, LaMelo -- is ahead of the curve ... and finally paying young players "what they're worth" ($3k-$10k per month, reportedly).

LaVar also seems to take a shot at FS1's Jason Whitlock ... which is kinda confusing since Whitlock basically went to bat for Ball on Wednesday.

Christmas came early for A-Rod ... 'cause the ex-MLB superstar just unwrapped his brand new PRIVATE JET -- and it's awesome!

We're told Alex Rodriguez got rid of his old LearJet 60 a while ago ... and decided to upgrade with a Gulfstream IV.

According to people familiar with the planes, Alex's new jet has DOUBLE the flight mileage capacity as the old jet ... which means it's better for international travel.

And get this ... the jet seats up to 14 people -- perfect for Jennifer Lopez and her kids!

The new Gulfstream was delivered to Alex in Florida on Wednesday with his A-Rod Corp. company logo painted on the tail ... just in time for the holidays!

Venus Williams insisted to lawyers the traffic light was "always" green as she drove across the intersection where she had the fatal car accident -- but that doesn't match up with what she told police on the scene.

TMZ Sports obtained a portion of Venus' recorded deposition in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against her by Jerome Barson's family. During the depo, taken Nov. 9, Venus repeatedly says she only saw a green light. If true ... it would mean the Barsons, traveling perpendicular to Venus, had run a red light when they t-boned Venus.

The potential problem for Venus is that's not how witnesses remember it, and it's not even how Venus remembered it while talking to Palm Beach Gardens PD. Body cam footage shows her saying, "As I was going to start again, I saw that the light was turning red." The exchange begins at 40 seconds.

If Venus saw the light turning red, that would mean the Barsons did have a green light as they proceeded through the intersection. In fact, according to the police investigation, witnesses said the Barsons DID have a green.

As we reported, the police cleared Venus of any criminal wrongdoing in the accident -- saying neither party was to blame.

Meanwhile, the wrongful death suit is moving forward and likely headed for court where a jury will have to decide if Venus was negligent as she crossed the intersection.

Diddy has another big supporter in his corner in his quest for NFL ownership -- with Al Sharpton saying the business mogul could fix a BUNCH of the league's PR problems.

"He would be the perfect mixture of business acumen and pizzazz," Sharpton said -- pointing to Diddy's success in music and fashion.

Sharpton also thinks Colin Kaepernick deserves a place at the owner's table -- saying his knowledge as a "football scholar" would pair perfectly with Diddy.

Demetrious Johnson thinks Floyd Mayweather would be EASY WORK in the octagon -- telling TMZ Sports he'd obliterate the boxing superstar if the two clashed in the UFC.

After Dana White confirmed he was talking with Floyd about a "UFC deal" ... DJ immediately threw his name in the mix as a possible first opponent.

In fact, Mighty Mouse joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and broke down exactly how he'd punish the 40-year-old.