TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight was so bad, it actively HURT the sport of boxing ... but it was GREAT for the UFC ... so says UFC octagon announcer Bruce Buffer.

Buffer -- the voice of the UFC -- was brutally honest about the fallout from the bout that was supposed to be the fight of the century ... saying it was a HUGE flop.

"When you create something with so much hype, you have to deliver. And if you don't deliver, then instead of getting a shot in the arm, you get a shot in the leg."

"That night was really a shot in the leg for boxing in my opinion and a shot in the arm for UFC."

So, why was it so great for the UFC? Check out the clip.

BONUS -- Buffer also addressed criticisms from people who say UFC fighters are underpaid ... saying Dana White has done a helluva lot to make sure the checks are bigger than ever.

Buffer also mentions how much Rampage Jackson got paid for his first fight back in the day ... and the number is pretty shocking!!!

Ray McDonald's parents are adamant their son did NOT attack the mother of his child ... claiming he's a good man whose NFL career has been destroyed by his accuser's lies.

Labrina McDonald tells TMZ Sports she and her husband have spoken with Ray since his domestic violence arrest and he says there's a WITNESS who can prove McDonald never laid a finger on his accuser.

"[Ray's] personal driver witnessed everything that happened. He never touched her."

As we previously reported, Ray's ex-fiancee claims McDonald was drunk and aggressive toward her and their baby during an incident early Monday morning.

But Labrina says her son was NOT the aggressor -- adding, "Ray is never going to hit a woman. He may say some stuff to piss them off, he may kick them out of his house. But he'd never lay his hands on them. We didn't raise him that way."

Ray was arrested for a second time on Wednesday for violating a restraining order when he returned to his ex's apartment. McDonald's father tells us bluntly, "He should not have been there."

Ray's dad says the family knows the reality of the situation -- that Ray will likely never play in the NFL again -- but it could be the best thing for him.

"He can move on from football, develop a business mindset like my wife and I have. He'll be okay. He's going to be successful. He comes from a great family."

There could be a slurricane heading for Oakland ... 'cause rap legend E-40 says if the Golden State Warriors squad wins the NBA title, they'll get UNLIMITED booze from his winery for the rest of the year!!!

FYI -- E-40 is a major player in the booze biz ... he's the owner of the Earl Stevens Selections wine company ... and also puts out the "Slurricane" cocktail drink.

He's also a HUGE Warriors fan ... and made the team the following offer:

"If they win the Western Conference I will supply them with a celebration toast with Slurricane."

"If they win the NBA Finals, the whole team will get as many bottles of my Mangoscato wine from Earl Stevens Selections as they want until next season begins."

When it comes to his NBA future, DeAndre Jordan says "friendships" could be a major factor -- which is why his BFF relationship with Blake Griffin is HUUUUUGE!!!

DeAndre just got back from a guys trip to Mexico with BG -- and made it very clear that he and Blake are super tight on and off the court.

So, with rumors swirling that DeAndre could be looking to move on from Lob City ... we asked, "Would friendship help influence a player to stay on a team?"

Lil B is DOUBLING DOWN on his threat to curse LeBron James ... claiming the King is in "big, big trouble" for stealing B's famous dance move.

Lil B appeared on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" today (from an undisclosed location) and told us he appreciates Iman Shumpert's olive branch ... but the Cavs aren't off the hook yet.

As we previously reported, B's upset the team used his famous "cookin' dance" in a post-game celebration last night ... and didn't give him the proper credit.

Now, B's got demands if the team wants to escape the curse before the NBA Finals.

50 Cent isn't going to lose his biggest boxing star ... despite the fact his promotions company filed for bankruptcy this week ... with Yuriorkis Gamboa vowing to ride with 50 all the way 'til the end.

We broke the story ... SMS Promotions filed for Chapter 11 this week ... claiming it wants to reorganize and keep the boxing business 50 started back in 2012 afloat.

Well, Gamboa -- a former WBA and IBF featherweight champ -- says he's not concerned AT ALL about the company's financial situation ... saying, "I will support 50. He has always been a good friend and supporter."

Good news for the Houston Texans ... the team's $350 million stadium has suffered NO DAMAGE from the brutal floods wreaking havoc on the area ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We talked with a spokesperson for NRG Park who tells us, "We're pretty lucky. No damage on the property at all."

"We span across 350-acres and our property includes NRG Stadium (home to the NFL's Houston Texans), NRG Center, NRG Arena and NRG Astrodome."

"Most of the damage was on the freeways surrounding us and, of course, the streets. We had to cancel work yesterday because no one could get around."

One more interesting note ... the spokesperson adds, "Our roof is retractable, so during the storm it was closed. Hence, why there was no water collection."

We also spoke with a rep for the Houston Astros -- who told us Minute Maid Park was also spared ... suffering no major damage on the 29 acre property.

11:36 AM PT -- Iman Shumpert may have just BLOCKED the curse!!!!

After seeing B's threat, Shumpert tweeted at the rapper in an attempt to smooth things over ... writing, "@LILBTHEBASEDGOD Preciate the swag killa. I cooks I chef. all love."

Lil B saw the tweet and wrote back ... "@I_Am_Iman appreciate it brother I got you enough said GO CAVS - Lil B"

Solid move.

LEBRON JAMES HAS JUST BEEN THREATENED WITH THE BASED GOD CURSE!!!!!!

This is a huge deal ... with rapper Lil B sending James an official "warning" -- after Bron and the rest of the Cleveland Cavs did B's cooking dance last night without giving him proper credit.

You know the curse by now -- it's already taken down NBA stars from Kevin Durant to James Harden.

Now, after Lil B got word of the Cavs' hot tub victory celebration -- which included the cooking dance -- Lil B sent the following message:

"Sending a warning to lebron James Kyrie jr smith and iman shumpert yall stealing swag Lil B cooking dance what yall doing #warned - Lil B"

How happy is Golden State right now?

Jerry Ferrara thinks that the Tom Brady era is definitely OVER ... in fantasy football ... telling TMZ Sports Tom Terrific is no longer worthy of a first round fantasy draft pick.

The "Entourage" star (and fantasy nut) was in NYC promoting his other movie "Club Life" when asked if the suspended Brady was still studly enough to command one of the top picks in next year's fantasy drafts.

Jerry's answer is a solid NO ... which isn't surprising because he's a HUGE New York Giants fan ... but slightly controversial because his boss Mark Wahlberg LOVES him some Tom Brady.

If Colin Kaepernick is "truly remorseful" about the stupid, insensitive comments he made about Houston floods -- he should let his wallet do the talking and DONATE ... so say reps for the Mayor of Houston.

After the 49ers quarterback apologized for mocking the deadly floods on social media yesterday, we reached out to the office of Mayor Annise Parker for comment.

Her press secretary was straight and to the point:

"Anything Colin Kaepernick said isn't really of concern to us. We're focusing on what's going on here. We still have rain coming. We're focused on getting our residents what they need."

"He apologized. I'm sure he is sorry for what he did, so he is forgiven. This is too serious a situation to hold a grudge."

"If he is truly remorseful, he can donate to our food bank, to the Red Cross. Any of those avenues."

Shaquille O'Neal was cut in half ... and had his spinal cord ripped in half ... all in the same day -- and it was all thanks to Kenny "The Jet" Smith.

The "Inside the NBA" stars met up in Atlanta recently where they agreed to battle to the incredibly violent death in a game of "Mortal Kombat X."

Adidas -- All Day I Dream About Stalling.

In the wake of several FIFA execs being arrested for allegedly taking more than $150 MILLION in bribes, we asked Adidas if it would continue its relationship with the soccer organization.

Here's the answer we got ...

"The adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we expect the same from our partners. Following today’s news, we can therefore only encourage FIFA to continue to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do.

adidas is the world’s leading football brand and we will continue to support football on all levels."

Classic misdirection ... issue a statement that really doesn't say anything.

Long story short ... FIFA is a big deal and Adidas doesn't want to do anything rash. Instead, issue an ambiguous statement until the dust settles.

How did LeBron James and the rest of his Cleveland Cavs squad celebrate after winning the Eastern Conference Championship Tuesday night?!

TURN UP IN THE HOT TUB!

James, along with J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert and Kendrick Perkins grabbed some bubbly and their championship hats and sang along to Chedda Da Connect's "Flicka Da Wrist."

But the most impressive part of the entire victory turn up ... how the hell did so many giant men wedge themselves into a such a tiny little tub??!

Who cares ... TURN UP!

Lamar Odom channeled his inner Billy Idol this week -- dancing with himself in the middle of a party at an L.A. day club ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

L.O. was hanging out at the Bungalow Lounge in Santa Monica on Monday -- one of the most exclusive places to day drink in town -- when some music came on that clearly struck a nerve.

Odom started feelin' himself and busted out his own little two-step ... despite the fact no one else around him was gettin' down.

But who cares what everyone else was doing -- we're told Odom was having a blast all day long. By the way, no one we spoke to saw him drinking.

Odom also didn't have a date with him at the club -- probably because he's still focused on saving his marriage with Khloe Kardashian.

Ray McDonald has just been arrested AGAIN -- this time, cops say he violated his restraining order ... and was taken into custody at a Togo's sandwich shop.

According to police, the NFL player had been ordered to stay away from the residence where his ex-fiancee has been staying in Santa Clara, CA after Monday's domestic violence arrest.

As we previously reported, McDonald was accused of attacking his baby mama while she was holding her child early Monday morning.

But cops say he returned to the scene of the alleged crime Wednesday afternoon -- but quickly left ... and went to the Togo's, where cops found him and arrested him around 5:35 PM.

Cops say he was arrested without incident and taken to a nearby jail where he was booked.

A little "Good News, Bad News" for Blac Chyna ...

The Good News -- she's moved on from Tyga and is now dating boxing champ J'Leon Love.
The Bad News -- sex is 100% off the table for the next 4 WEEKS!!!

Here's the deal ... Blac Chyna met Love around 3 weeks ago and kicked up the flirting when she made him her Man Crush Monday. We're told he flirted back and they've been on ever since.

By the way, Love is one of the hottest rising stars in boxing right now ... and is represented by Floyd Mayweather's promotional company. So, he's a bona fide member of The Money Team.

Now, let's get to the "no sex" thing ...

Love -- the WBA International Super Middleweight Champion -- is training for a big fight in Vegas on June 20th ... and he has a very strict "no banging" policy in the weeks before a bout.

One source connected to Chyna tells us she's totally cool with J'Leon's vow of celibacy ... and she's told friends, "I feel like it's a good thing and I'll deal with it with him!"

Only 24 days to go -- but who's counting?