Interview

Kamaru Usman had a nearly impossible decision to make Wednesday morning ... travel nearly 8,000 miles and fight Khamzat Chimaev on 9 days notice, and now the former welterweight champ is opening up on why he decided to step in against one of the most dangerous men in the world!

"I leave training and I get the call from [manager Ali Abdelaziz] and I'm immediately excited. That's where you are, you're excited about what could potentially be," 36-year-old Usman told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" show on Friday (airs weekdays on FS1).

But, the UFC legend said he didn't want "to be hasty and do something unintelligent," so after speaking with his coaches, who didn't object, Kamaru told his people he'd take Tuesday night to decide.

When the sun rose Wednesday morning, the choice was crystal clear for Usman, who "texted Ali and said, 'Let's do this!'"

Of course, Usman is stepping in for Paulo Costa -- the middleweight contender -- who was originally scheduled to fight Chimaev. unfortunately, Costa is dealing with a medical issue, and wasn't going to be cleared.

With less than two weeks before UFC 294, the co-main event was in serious jeopardy ... but then Kamaru saved the day.

Now, Usman faces a huge challenge in the 29-year-old, undefeated Khamzat ... who Kamaru admits is very dangerous.

"He's very skilled. He's strong, he's big. He's fast, he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can strike. He has everything," Kamaru said, "But so do I."

"At the end of the day, we're all human beings. Everyone feels invincible until someone pokes that balloon."

Usman (#1) and Chimaev (#4), are both top 5 ranked welterweights ... but the fight's being contested at middleweight (185 lbs.)

We asked the Nigerian Nightmare if he's been told a win earns him a title shot.

"I mean, it's a no-brainer," Kamaru said, before making it clear he's solely focused on KC.

"I've got a mountain in front of me that I have to scale. We'll get through that first and then we'll worry about what's next."

Check out the full interview ... there's much more with Kamaru, including whether we've seen the last of him at welterweight, where he's arguably the G.O.A.T.

David Ortiz is still mourning the death of Tim Wakefield ... telling TMZ Sports this week his former Red Sox teammate was a "great guy, man."

"Great guy," he repeated.

Ortiz opened up to us about Wakefield for a few moments while out in Los Angeles ... just days after the former Boston star pitcher died from brain cancer.

Big Papi said the knuckleballer was straight-up "like my family, man" ... and you can see in the clip, he's obviously still in pain over the passing.

Ortiz and Wakefield grew close during their time together at Fenway Park -- you'll recall, they shared a locker room with one another for nine seasons. And, the two formed such a strong bond ... Wakefield actually showed up to Cooperstown last year to watch Ortiz get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Papi is hardly the only former Red Sox player to express heartbreak over Wakefield's death -- multiple former teammates sent thoughts and prayers on social media as well.

Tim was just 57 years old.

Rob Gronkowski podría estar de vuelta en 2028 y le dice a TMZ Sports que se retiraría del fútbol si eso significaba que podía jugar la versión de la bandera de la misma para el equipo de EE.UU. en los Juegos Olímpicos.

La leyenda de los New England Patriots no se anduvo con rodeos a la hora de hablar de este deporte y su posible inclusión en los Juegos del 28, diciendo: "¡Cuenten conmigo ya!".

"Ojalá no haya pruebas y simplemente me acepten", dijo el ex tight end, que se alejó definitivamente de la NFL en 2022. "Pero estoy dentro. Voy a por ello si hay espacio para el football de banderas en los Juegos Olímpicos de 2028. Estados Unidos va a por todas".

Gronk tendría 39 años cuando los Juegos Olímpicos comiencen oficialmente en Los Ángeles, pero dice que ha estado cuidando de su cuerpo durante este tiempo y que ahora está de vuelta al 100 por ciento y parece anticipar que las cosas seguirán así.

De hecho, dice que si la NFL creara un espacio para las Olimpiadas, él estaría ahí.

"Te puedo decir esto", dijo, "Si hubiera una liga de fútbol bandera de la NFL, yo estaría jugando en estos momentos".

Por supuesto, este deporte aún no se ha añadido oficialmente a los Juegos. Se espera que el Comité Olímpico Internacional vote sobre él y algunos otros en los próximos días.

Aunque si se añade oficialmente, Gronk podría tener a un gran compañero corriendo junto a él en cuatro años más. Tyreek Hill dijo a principios de esta semana que también estaría feliz de participar.

Mientras tanto, cuando Gronk no está ocupado en mantenerse en forma, está tratando con su multitud de empresas de negocios, incluyendo su última idea, Voomerang.

Rob Gronkowski could be back on a gridiron as soon as 2028 ... telling TMZ Sports he'd unretire from football if it meant he could play the flag version of it for Team USA in the Olympics.

The New England Patriots legend didn't mince words when talking about the sport and its potential inclusion in the '28 Games ... saying point-blank Thursday, "Count me in already!"

"Hopefully there's no tryouts and they just accept me," said the former tight end, who walked away from the NFL for good in 2022. "But I'm in. I'm going for that if there is flag football in the Olympics in 2028. USA going all the way!"

Gronk would be 39 years old when the Olympics officially kick off in Los Angeles ... but he says he's been taking care of his body so well in retirement, he's now back to 100 percent -- and he seems to anticipate things staying that way if and when it comes time to put the flags on.

In fact, he says if the NFL created a league of its own prior to any sort of Olympic action, he'd be down to lace up his cleats ASAP for it.

"I can tell you this." he said, "If there was a flag football league -- an NFL flag football league -- I would be playing in that currently as we speak."

Of course, the sport has not yet officially been added to the Games -- the International Olympic Committee is expected to vote on it and a few others in the coming days.

Although if it does get officially added, Gronk could have some serious firepower running alongside him in four years ... as Tyreek Hill said earlier this week he'd be all-in for it as well.

In the meantime, when Gronk isn't busy staying in shape ... he's dealing with his multitude of business ventures -- including his latest one, Voomerang.

Mattress Mack is hoping his family's generous contribution toward Mary Lou Retton's medical expenses leads to more donations for the Olympics legend ... telling TMZ Sports it's the least they could do.

Mack -- real name Jim McIngvale -- and his wife, Linda, wrote a check for $50,000 to assist with the gold medalist's hospital bills as she remains in the ICU with a rare form of pneumonia.

We spoke with Mack -- who owns Gallery Furniture in Texas -- about his family's decision to step up in such a big way ... and he said they have been fans since before she became a household name at the 1984 Olympic Games.

"We followed Mary Lou since her career in Houston," Mack said. "My wife and I have always been a huge support of Béla and Márta Károlyi's gymnastics team. My son worked out with them on the team for years, my daughter did as well."

"Mary Lou was always a shining point of light, as George Bush would say, and we pray for Mary Lou's recovery and the $50,000 is the least we could do to help an American icon get better."

In fact, Mack said Linda went through a similar health scare when she suffered a severe lung infection from pneumonia a year ago ... and now that she's doing much better, he hopes the same happens for Mary Lou.

"My parents taught me, and I try to teach my children, and Linda certainly lives that life, that the essence of living is giving," Mack added. "People get in a hard spot, let's help 'em out because one of these days, all of us will be in a hard spot. We're thrilled to help our Mary Lou, we pray for her speedy recovery and, again, I've lived my life by that motto -- 'the essence of living is giving.'"

The NYC tech founder who flew to Israel to help in the war against Hamas terrorists says the death and destruction are making for a terrifying fight ... but it's one he's determined to see through to the end.

Noy Leyb joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," talking to us from Israel about his experience flying overseas and rejoining the Israel Defense Force -- after first enlisting when he was just 18 years old.

He says he's been going back to Israel for training over the years after completing his time in the IDF, so he wasn't completely out of practice Saturday when he saw the horrors unfolding and booked a flight.

We also talked with Noy about the level of fear he's feeling in such an uncertain time ... and despite all the gruesome happenings in the days since Hamas slaughtered innocent Israelis, Noy knows he and his brothers in arms are ready to fight until all of Hamas is "eliminated."

El fundador de una empresa de tecnología en Nueva York que voló hasta Israel para luchar contra los terroristas de Hamás dice que la muerte y la destrucción están haciendo de este combate uno aterrador... pero a pesar de eso está decidido a ser parte de él hasta el final.

Noy Leyb se unió a "TMZ Live" el miércoles, para hablar con nosotros desde Israel sobre su experiencia de volar al extranjero y volver a unirse a la Fuerza de Defensa de Israel (FDI), después de alistarse por primera vez cuando tenía 18 años.

Cuenta que ha estado volviendo a Israel para recibir entrenamiento en los últimos años, después de completar su tiempo en las FDI, por lo que no estaba completamente fuera de la práctica el sábado cuando vio los horrores que se desarrollaban y reservó un vuelo.

También hablamos con Noy sobre el miedo que está sintiendo en un momento tan incierto. A pesar de los horribles acontecimientos que han ocurrido desde que Hamás masacró a ciudadanos israelíes inocentes, Noy sabe que él y sus compañeros de armas están listos para pelear hasta que todo Hamás sea "eliminado".

Dodgers great Steve Garvey is channeling his inner Tommy Lasorda on the campaign trail ... telling TMZ Sports he's evoking the late Hall of Fame manager's legendary mentality as he runs for U.S. Senate in California.

74-year-old Garvey is sliding into politics as he aims to fill the late Dianne Feinstein's seat next year ... and while a Republican hasn't held the position in decades, he is confident he can be the one to change that.

"Everybody has always said, 'Oh, you want to run for the Senate in California? Well, that's probably the most difficult race in America. Good luck, God bless, but if anybody can do it, you can,' which I think it was always encouraging," Garvey tells us.

In fact, the World Series champion says he's been getting love from some rival fan bases who used to boo him on the baseball diamond ... which was one sign he needed to run.

"Recently, I had a San Francisco Giants fan come up to me and say, ‘Garvey, I hate the Dodgers, but I'm gonna vote for you,'" Garvey added. "And I think that closed the deal."

"That and having Democrats come up and say they've never voted for a Republican, conservative, but I'm gonna vote for you because I know you, I know you care about me and my family. And we need your voice in Washington."

Garvey says he's running a common sense campaign ... and quality-of-life issues, public safety and education will be his main focus in office.

As for his former teammates, Garvey says the responses he's been getting from them have been "heartwarming" ... and they'll love the message he'll convey as he connects with Californians before they hit the voting booths -- as it's one they have heard before.

"Tommy Lasorda, a great manager and father figure and Hall of Famer, he used to say in key moments, 'You gotta believe.' Maybe that's going to be our theme. You know, everybody's saying, 'Oh, no, you can't win in California.' But we believe, and the people are going to believe that I can go to Washington and represent them."

Lasorda is one of the all-time greats -- he won two World Series titles as the Dodgers' skipper ... and the organization retired his No. 2 jersey in 1997.

El gran Steve Garvey está canalizando al Tommy Lasorda que lleva dentro en la campaña. Le informó a TMZ Sports que está evocando la mentalidad del legendario miembro del Salón de la Fama mientras se postula para el Senado de EE.UU. en California.

Garvey, de 74 años de edad, se desliza en la política y aspira a ocupar el escaño de la difunta Dianne Feinstein el próximo año y mientras que un republicano no ha ocupado el cargo en décadas, confía en que puede ser el que cambie eso.

"Todo el mundo me ha dicho siempre: 'Oh, ¿quieres presentarte al Senado por California? Bueno, probablemente sea la carrera más difícil de Estados Unidos. Buena suerte, que Dios te bendiga, pero si alguien puede hacerlo, eres tú', lo que creo que siempre ha sido alentador", nos cuenta Garvey.

De hecho, el campeón de la Serie Mundial dice que ha estado recibiendo el amor de algunos fans rivales que solían abuchearlo en el diamante de béisbol. Esto sería una señal para él de que debía postularse.

"Hace poco, un aficionado de los Gigantes de San Francisco se me acercó y me dijo: 'Garvey, odio a los Dodgers, pero voy a votar por ti', añadió Garvey. "Creo que eso fue muy importante para mí".

"Eso y que los demócratas se acerquen y me digan que nunca han votado a un republicano conservador, pero que van a votarme porque me conocen, saben que me preocupo por ellos y por sus familias y necesitan mi voz en Washington".

Garvey dice que está ejecutando una campaña de sentido común y las cuestiones de calidad de vida, la seguridad pública y la educación serán su principal objetivo en el cargo.

En cuanto a sus excompañeros de equipo, Garvey dice que las respuestas que ha estado recibiendo de ellos han sido "conmovedoras" y les encantará el mensaje que va a transmitir cuando se conecta con los californianos antes de que lleguen a las urnas, ya que es uno que han escuchado antes.

"Tommy Lasorda, un gran entrenador, figura paterna y miembro del Salón de la Fama, solía decir en los momentos clave: 'Tienes que creer'. Tal vez ese vaya a ser nuestro lema, ya sabes, todo el mundo dice, 'Oh, no, no puedes ganar en California', pero nosotros creemos y la gente va a creer que puedo ir a Washington y representarlos".

Lasorda es uno de los grandes de todos los tiempos, ganó dos títulos de la Serie Mundial como capitán de los Dodgers y la organización retiró su camiseta No. 2 en 1997.

UFC fighter Natan Levy says he's currently around 25-30 miles away from the heinous attacks Hamas is unleashing on his native Israel ... and the scene is horrifying.

The 32-year-old flew to Israel just a few days before the weekend wave of terror began ... and simply intended to spend time with his family at a cousin's wedding.

But, Tuesday on "TMZ Live," he told us about the moment all their plans changed, and they went into survival mode.

Natan said he and his family fled to a bunker as soon as they heard sirens in the area, but thought it was "just missiles" ... something that's, sadly, fairly common. Initially, they didn't realize the terrorists were invading on foot and killing civilians.

He adds, "What's happening -- it's not far from here. It's a war zone, and it's just by the hand of God I'm not there inside the war zone."

Citing the reports of Hamas beheading babies and burning others alive ... Natan said he's hoping Israel's severe retaliation continues.

"I think we're going to have to attack -- they've left us no choice," he said. "Hopefully the least amount of civilians get hurt, but all of the blood is on their hands."

Asante Samuel says if Tom Brady came out of retirement and rejoined forces with the New England Patriots ... he'd almost certainly win his eighth Super Bowl this season.

"This terrible team that everybody sees is a terrible team," Samuel told TMZ Sports on Monday, Brady "can come right now, today, and win a Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Because that's Tom Brady."

Samuel made the bold claim while discussing the state of the 2023 Patriots -- who, with a 38-0 loss to New Orleans on Sunday, are now just 1-4.

The former All-Pro said the bad losses are all further proof that Bill Belichick has largely been a failure when Brady is not under center for his teams. In fact, he said it's all showing that TB12 was the one most responsible for the Patriots' dynasties.

"I don't understand why is it such a big drop off when one man leaves the 53-man roster -- why is it such a big dropoff and you can't replace it but you're supposed to be a great coach?" Samuel said.

Samuel, who played for Belichick and alongside Brady from 2003 to 2007, added that he thinks Brady could solve all of this team's woes ... if he just simply showed up.

"I compare this team to the 2015 Super Bowl champions," Samuel said. "I see the same exact team -- it's only minus Tom Brady is the difference. And I can see Tom coming and leading this to the Super Bowl."

He continued, "My point in saying that is Belichick is a guy there that's not providing much for the team. And it's showing over and over and it's getting worse and worse."

Arnold Schwarzenegger has accomplished a lot in his life -- and now, he wants to spread the wealth of knowledge he's gained over the years with anyone willing to listen ... and read.

We talked to the 'Terminator' Monday on "TMZ Live" about the release of his new book, "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life," which hits bookshelves on Oct. 10. Arnold was kind enough to break down his thought process in this latest endeavor.

Check it out ... AS tells us this book was written to help people of all kinds, but especially for those who feel aimless and without purpose. For those folks, Arnold's got big-time tips.

For starters, he preaches a mantra that he's been living for years now -- namely, ya gotta have a vision for yourself and where you see your life headed. Of course, that includes setting goals, taking steps to achieve those and most importantly, putting in the work.

He tells us there'll always be haters and naysayers along the way who might try to deter you in whatever it is you're attempting to conquer -- and to them, Arnie says tune 'em out.

As he explains here, there were A LOT of people who told him he wouldn't succeed in showbiz ... but, as we all know, Arnold went on to become one of the biggest movie stars ever. The body builder-turned-actor-turned-politician says you gotta use what others consider a flaw to your advantage -- and to do that, it'll take a bit of creative thinking and ingenuity, plus major willpower.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ha logrado mucho en su vida, y ahora quiere difundir la riqueza de los conocimientos que ha adquirido a lo largo de los años con cualquier persona dispuesta a escuchar y leer.

Hablamos con "Terminator" el lunes en "TMZ Live" sobre el lanzamiento de su nuevo libro, "Sé útil: Siete herramientas para la vida", que saldrá a la venta el 10 de octubre. Arnold tuvo la amabilidad de explicar su proceso de pensamiento en este último trabajo.

Échale un vistazo, Arnold nos cuenta que este libro fue escrito para ayudar a las personas de todo tipo, pero especialmente para aquellos que se sienten sin rumbo y sin propósito. Para ellos, Arnold tiene grandes consejos.

Para empezar, predica un mantra que lleva viviendo desde hace años: tienes que tener una visión de ti mismo y de hacia dónde quieres dirigir tu vida. Por supuesto, eso incluye fijarse objetivos, tomar medidas para alcanzarlos y, lo más importante, trabajar.

Nos dice que siempre habrá enemigos y detractores en el camino que intentarán disuadirte de lo que sea que estés intentando conquistar, y a ellos, Arnie les dice que no les presten atención.

Como explica aquí, hubo MUCHA gente que le dijo que no triunfaría en el mundo del espectáculo pero, como todos sabemos, Arnold se convirtió en una de las mayores estrellas de cine de la historia. El culturista convertido en actor convertido en político dice que tienes que utilizar lo que otros consideran un defecto como tu ventaja, y para hacer eso, se necesita un poco de pensamiento creativo y el ingenio, además de una fuerza de voluntad importante.

Greta Gerwig is already circling her next movie -- but it ain't gonna be a walk in the park the way "Barbie" has been ... if anything, she makes it sound like the exact opposite.

The writer-director made an appearance Sunday at the London Film Festival -- where she went onstage for a sitdown interview with "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong ... who asked her a bunch of questions, including what she had coming down the pike.

Gerwig didn't get into specifics about what exactly she was working on ... but confirmed she's already in the writing process for another feature, over which she's feeling apprehensive.

She says, "It’s hard and I’m having recurring nightmares." There's no video that's surfaced of her making this comment -- only recaps from outlets that were present -- so there's no real context as to the exact emphasis she placed on this, or what she even really means.

Some have characterized her remarks as feeling dread over re-entering the writing process ... but the quote on its own is a little strange, considering "Barbie" was light-hearted and easy viewing -- not to mention a complete home run crowd pleaser.

What we can surmise is that "Barbie 2" isn't what she's talking about. There's been no word on a green-lit sequel yet -- despite the OG's success -- any inkling of that would've leaked out by now if it was already happening. Then again, the WGA strike did just end -- so ... 🤷🏽‍♂️

Greta Gerwig ya está pensando en su próxima película y al parecer no va a ser un paseo por el parque como "Barbie".

La guionista y directora hizo una aparición el domingo en el Festival de Cine de Londres, donde subió al escenario para una entrevista con el creador de "Succession" Jesse Armstrong quien le hizo un montón de preguntas, incluyendo lo que tenía por venir.

Gerwig no entró en detalles sobre lo que estaba trabajando exactamente, pero confirmó que ya está en el proceso de escritura de otro largometraje sobre el que se siente aprensiva.

Dice: "Es duro y tengo pesadillas recurrentes". No hay ningún video de ella haciendo este comentario, solo nos podemos guiar por la información proporcionada por algunos presentes, por lo que no hay contexto real en cuanto al énfasis exacto o lo que realmente quiso decir.

Algunos han relacionado sus comentarios a un sentimiento de temor por volver a entrar en el proceso de escritura, pero la cita por sí sola es un poco extraña, teniendo en cuenta que "Barbie" era alegre y fácil de ver, además de un completo éxito de taquilla.

Lo que podemos suponer es que no se refiere a "Barbie 2". Aún no se sabe nada de una secuela, y a pesar del éxito de la original, cualquier indicio ya se habría filtrado si estuviera en marcha. Por otro lado, la huelga de la WGA acaba de terminar, así que... 🤷🏽‍♂️

Si el perro del presidente Biden realmente está recibiendo formación (como la administración ha afirmado) ha estado recibiendo el tipo de entrenamiento equivocado. Esto según un ex oficial del Servicio Secreto que ha tratado con otros perros Primera.

Marshall Mirarchi trabajó en la división K-9 del Servicio Secreto durante una década, cuando Biden era vicepresidente en la administración Obama. Se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el  jueves para explicar por qué no está tan seguro de que commander se haya graduado legítimamente de la escuela de obediencia.

Según Marshall, los perros NUNCA pasan de un punto de no retorno (incluso un reincidente como Commander) cuando se trata de la formación. Dice que siempre se les puede volver a adiestrar, aunque la cantidad de tiempo que tarda un perro en alinearse es otra historia.

En cualquier caso, Marshall cree que todos los indicios apuntan a que Commander no está recibiendo la dirección adecuada y nos dice lo que puede y debe hacerse para que vuelva a estar listo para la Casa Blanca.

También se refirió a lo difícil que es para el personal de la Casa Blanca vivir y trabajar con un perro que es muy impredecible.

Como informamos, Comandante fue expulsado de la Casa Blanca esta semana después de haber mordido a un mínimo de 11 personas, con al menos 1 víctima reciente siendo enviada al hospital.