TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nate Diaz says he will 100% be at Madison Square Garden to fight at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 -- but if Dustin Poirier won't fight at 165 pounds, he wants a new opponent.

"Anybody who wants it at 165, we can do that," Diaz tells TMZ Sports.

Here's the issue ... Diaz is already booked to fight Poirier at 155 pounds. And, as Dana White pointed out last week, they signed the contract and everything.

But, Diaz believes he's a true 165-pound fighter -- and wants to start a 165-pound division so he and Dustin can fight in the main event that night for a brand new 165-pound belt.

And, if UFC and Poirier can't find a way to make it happen, Nate says -- "All comers bring it the f*ck on!"

Nate also had some strong words for Tyron Woodley -- saying The Chosen One better watch his mouth with all the trash talk or he'll get slapped upside his head ... whether it's in the Octagon or in the street.

Stay tuned ...

Kanye West says he's reached out to Colin Kaepernick -- and wants to bring him to Washington D.C. for a special meeting with Donald Trump.

West -- wearing his Make America Great Again hat -- sat down with Harvey Levin on "TMZ Live" on Monday and said he hopes to bring the two sides together so they can work out their issues.

Of course, Donald Trump has been extremely critical of Kaepernick -- strongly pressuring NFL owners to fire all of the "sons of bitches" who don't stand for the national anthem.

Kaepernick has said he began kneeling to shine a spotlight on police brutality against black people -- but Trump feels the demonstration is disrespectful to the flag and military vets.

So, will Kanye succeed in putting together a peace summit between Trump and Kaep?

He didn't say if either side was open to the idea -- but Trump has praised Kanye as a brilliant leader, so we're guessing he would be in.

LaMelo Ball was anything but mellow during his JBA international matchup on Monday -- SLAPPING his opponent and starting a BRAWL before getting ejected!!

The youngest Ball's Team USA squad was facing Alytaus Dzukija in Lithuania (welcome back) ... when Melo and his opponent got physical in the 3rd quarter ... and Melo hit him with a slap that would make Nate Diaz proud!!

Both benches cleared ... and all the players -- including Melo's older brother, LiAngelo -- had to be separated from the other teams.

Ex-Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione is going to bat for Jimbo Fisher ... saying the Aggies coach was just trying to teach his player when he violently grabbed his facemask Saturday.

In the third quarter of TAMU's win over Arkansas ... cameras spotted Jimbo yanking LB Tyler Dodson's helmet in order to get him out of a scuffle.

The act drew immediate criticism ... with Eagles star Chris Long callin' it "garbage" and Saints TE Benjamin Watson saying Fisher "should be suspended."

Enter ex-Aggies head man Franchione ... who tells us Jimbo was just trying to coach up his player -- and Dennis would have no problem with it if it were his kid in the helmet.

"It's not meant to be anything other than, 'Listen to me. Look at me. Give me eye contact. Make sure you hear me,'" Dennis tells TMZ Sports.

"Jimbo is really trying to get the culture right for his program there and trying to get the attention of the players and get everybody on the same page."

"And, I'm sure that's what he was trying to do there."

Franchione admits it probably wasn't the best thing for Jimbo to do in today's "politically correct society" ... but tells us, "It wouldn't have bothered me. I wanted my son to be coached well."

As for the player ... Dodson tweeted after the game, "Coach fisher is an amazing coach, he did the right thing. I let my emotions get the best of me at that certain moment."

MLB star Jayson Werth got into it with a police officer during his DUI arrest back in April -- ultimately telling the cop he's not sure the officer had his best interests at heart.

Werth was pulled over in Scottsdale, AZ on April 17 for expired registration and, during the stop, the officer suspected he was drunk.

Werth tried to celebrity his way out of the arrest -- handing the cop an MLB "courtesy card" which shows he's a pro baseball player -- and told the cop, "We do a lot of work with you guys."

Didn't work.

When the cops tried to conduct a field sobriety test, Werth objected -- refusing to comply and telling the cop, "I'm just not sure I trust you."

The cop tried to explain that he was NOT misleading Werth and was only trying to do the right thing.

Werth replied, "A lot of people have gotten into a lot of trouble assuming that police officers have their best interests [at heart]."

That's when the cop broke out the handcuffs and arrested the baseball player.

As we previously reported, Werth was taken to a nearby station where he ultimately surrendered to a blood draw -- which showed he had a .12 BAC.

Legendary sportscaster Ernie Johnson has just announced he will NOT be covering the MLB playoffs for TBS ... after doctors diagnosed him with blood clots in both of his legs.

The 62-year-old says he was undergoing a routine physical when doctors found the clots -- which can be fatal if not treated immediately.

The danger with blood clots ... they can break off and enter the blood stream and, in some cases, can cause a pulmonary embolism, which is a blockage of an artery in the lungs.

Johnson says he understands the situation -- and he's treating it aggressively with blood thinners and compression socks.

Flying in planes can be dangerous when diagnosed with clots -- and since Johnson would be taking a bunch of flights in a relatively short time period, his medical team advised him it wasn't worth the risk.

"The best course of action is to just stay grounded at this point, not fly," EJ said ... "blood clots are nothing to be messed with."

While recovering and treating the clots, Johnson says he'll be preparing to cover the NBA when the season kicks off in just a few weeks.

10:55 AM PT -- Eric Reid hasn't yet decided if he will continue kneeling during the national anthem ... telling reporters at his first-ever Panthers news conference today he's still considering it.

The newly signed safety -- sportin' an all-black "#IMWITHKAP" shirt ... says he needs to evaluate "the scope of our country" before he decides whether he'll continue to take a knee.

The 26-year-old says he's also considering other ways outside of pregame kneeling to continue his protests ... telling reporters, "I'll make that decision later."

Think Eric Reid is happy to be back in the NFL? Judging by this pic at Panthers practice Monday morning ... he's STOKED!!!

The 26-year-old rocked his new #25 jersey for the first time Monday -- it's a huge deal considering Reid sued the NFL claiming he was being blackballed for kneeling during the national anthem.

Reid was one of the top available defensive backs (he's a stud) -- but remained unsigned until last week when the Panthers finally pulled the trigger on the 2013 Pro Bowler.

After Reid signed his 1-year contract, he got love from a bunch of NFL stars who feel he should have been on a team months ago ... guys like Colin Kaepernick and Torrey Smith.

Reid flashed the black power fist while signing his deal -- leaving many wondering if he'll continue his kneeling protest now that he's back in the league.

The Panthers take on the Giants at home on Sunday ... so, stay tuned.

How does smokin' hot model Alexis Ren blow off some steam when she's not training for "Dancing with the Stars"?

Tiny bikini beach sesh ... and it's great.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Rookie of the Year hit up the beach in Santa Monica (where she grew up) over the weekend and flaunted her insane physique for all to see.

Ren wasn't alone ... she was splashin' around with her boyfriend, Sky Bear (yes, that's his name) ... a handsome dude with a man bun.

The two were spotted flirting in the water and kicking around a soccer ball. She looked amazing. He was also there.

Monday morning, it was back to work for Ren -- training with her 'DWTS' partner, Alan Bersten, as they get ready for week 2 ... where the theme is "New York Night."

LeBron James did his best Kobe impression Sunday ... in the air ... 'cause dude took a private helicopter home from San Diego after his first-ever Laker game!!

Bron got his first minutes with the LakeShow down in San Diego for L.A.'s preseason opener ... and afterward -- to the chopper he went.

"Felt good back on court tonight," he said as he boarded.

Bron only played 15 minutes but had some good numbers -- 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Most importantly, he looked like he was really meshin' with his teammates (if only for 15 minutes).

Remember ... Mamba was famous for using his Kobe-copter to get from his home in Orange County to Los Angeles (and back) without having to battle that ridiculous L.A. traffic.

Big win means big dance party for the Chicago Bears -- who broke out the disco ball in the team locker room after beating the brakes off the Bucs ... and TURNED UP!!!

It's become a tradition for the Bears -- with head coach Matt Nagy believing his players should be able to celebrate the hell out of every victory.

So, after Mitch Trubisky and company dominated Tampa Bay in a 48-10 ass whooping at Soldier Field ... the ball came out and the music got loud!

The song -- "My Dawg" by Lil Baby.

"Great team victory. Unbelievable team victory," Nagy told the team after the game.

"That's a full team win right now and we protected Soldier Field."

It's clear to see Justin Bieber's romance with Hailey Baldwin has the singer punch drunk with love ... so much so the Biebs could barely contain himself while shadow boxing during the lovers' trip to London.

Just look at how energetic Justin is in this vid ... bobbing, weaving and grinning as he playfully boxes his driver. Nothing lifts your spirits quite like love.

It all went down during Justin's trip to London with bride-to-be Hailey ... ya know, the one where they sucked face above the city before he serenaded her with an impromptu concert outside Buckingham Palace.

We're told Justin and Hailey didn't meet with any members of the Royal family ... but judging from his boxing sesh, nothing could bring Bieber down from cloud 9 -- not with Hailey by his side.

If you think you've seen Justin in the ring before ... you're right!

Daniel Cormier might get a 3rd crack at Jon Jones -- so says Dana White, who tells TMZ Sports he's trying to make it happen!

Of course, D.C. and J.J. hate each other's guts -- White says "the hatred is real" -- and now that Jones is being reinstated, a lot of people would looove to see a 3rd fight between the two.

"I would like to see it, I think the fans would like to see it," White says.

"What would be interesting is ... we might see it at heavyweight!"

Cormier has previously said he wants a piece of Brock Lesnar -- so, the big question is ... when would the Jones fight happen?

"I'm gonna do whatever D.C. wants to do," White says.

"Daniel Cormier has been an incredible champion for us. He's an incredible human being. He's a stud and I'm gonna do everything in my power to keep that man happy."

Bad news, San Diego ... the Chargers ain't coming back.

Good news, San Diego ... Landon Donovan's working on your replacement -- YOUR VERY OWN MLS SOCCER TEAM!!!

Philip Rivers and the rest of the Bolts packed their bags for L.A. last year ... and in their wake -- they left a giant plot of land for the city to use.

That's when Donovan stepped in and helped spearhead an effort to fill that space with a new stadium, restaurants, housing, shopping -- and a new MLS futbol team.

So, what'll it take for Landon to get all this done??

"If people in San Diego want this to happen and want this to be a part of the future of this city and impact people for decades to come," Donovan tells us, "then they can vote 'yes.' Our measure is Measure E."

The vote's Nov. 6 ... and Donovan's promising a space of land that will rival what L.A.'s got downtown by the Staples Center if it goes down.

Earl Thomas just flipped off the Seattle Seahawks -- his OWN team -- after suffering serious injury ... and with no new contract to show for it.

The All-Pro safety jacked up his leg Sunday during a defensive play against the Arizona Cardinals, and ended up getting carted off the field with a cast on his left leg. During his ride, he looked over at the Seattle sideline and flipped the whole staff the bird.

The Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll said Earl had fractured his lower leg. The injury might be season-ending -- much like Tyler Eifert's own ankle injury Sunday almost certainly will be -- and Thomas made no bones about how he really felt about his raw deal with his squad. As we reported ... he was holding out earlier this year for a better contract that would pay him more money, and he even wrote a 1,500-word letter in explaining himself.

Clearly, Thomas ended up joining his teammates on the football field after initially refusing to report to training camp last month ... unlike Le'Veon Bell, who's still battling with the Steelers for his money. Lots of people have thoughts on that sitch ... including Snoop and Pittsburgh's own mayor.

Those who are quick to get queasy should look away-- Bengals star Tyler Eifert's ankle went in a direction it definitely shouldn't have during a game against the Falcons ... and his season is likely over.

Cincinnati's starting tight end suffered a gruesome injury Sunday against Atlanta, where he was attempting to run the ball downfield ... but got pummeled by linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who awkwardly fell on Tyler's right ankle, and snapped it sideways.

Tyler was eventually carted off the field, and he appeared to be in sheer agony as they drove him away. It's almost certainly a season-ending break, which sucks for the dude since he's had a series of injuries over the last few years that have kept him from playing.

He missed the entire 2014 season to an elbow injury, hurt his other ankle in 2015 and had both his 2016 and 2017 seasons delayed due to back issues. Tyler's 2017 season ended after just two games due to another injury as well. He's never played a full 16-game season.

Honey Boo Boo delivered a finishing blow to a wrestler Saturday during a match at the Georgia State Fair.

It was James Storm vs. Robbie E and it got super intense outside the ring. After being egged on, Boo Boo is cajoled into striking Robbie E ... who was being thrown around by Storm like a ragdoll.

Turns out it was spontaneous, but not unexpected. The whole fam was there -- Mama June, Alana, Lauryn and more -- along with cameras shooting a new season of June's reality show.

Now that Boo Boo is throwing down at state fairs, could WWE be far behind?