TMZ Sports Podcast

Conor McGregor stole the show Saturday night at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ... and the spirits clearly moved him.

Conor was on hand to watch Mike Perry defeat Luke Rockhold, who threw in the towel after his teeth got messed up in the brawl.

Conor, who was sipping, then swigging, his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, toasted the crowd at the 1stBank Center and the crowd ate it up.

But McGregor wasn't done ... Perry invited him into the ring and they faked a face-off. That's when the Irish champ grabbed Perry's BKFC belt ... a move that would ordinarily have triggered another fight, except this one was for s**** and giggles. They stared each other down, WWE style, and that was that.

As for Conor ... he's been sidelined with an injury for 2 years, but he's expected to fight Michael Chandler soon.

The Celtics' closeout win over the Hawks on Thursday was apparently bittersweet for Jayson Tatum ... who admitted after the game he was kinda pissed it ultimately forced Janet Jackson to postpone one of her concerts.

Just after Boston took down Trae Young's squad in Game 6 of the Celts' playoff series with Atlanta, Tatum got on the courtside microphone ... and said he was sorry to Jackson.

If you're unfamiliar, because Boston didn't beat the Hawks in Game 5 ... the two teams had to return to State Farm Arena on the same night Jackson was supposed to perform as part of her "Together Again" tour. The decision was made to move her show to Friday night so the NBA playoff game could be played.

Tatum was clearly bothered by it all ... because after he helped the C's to a 128-120 win -- he told NBA on TNT, "I want to say an apology to the legend Janet Jackson."

"We were supposed to close out in Boston and she had to postpone her show. I hope she sees this. I apologize for that."

No word yet from Jackson on the matter ... but we're sure she appreciates the shoutout nonetheless.

As for where Tatum goes from here ... Boston's next series against the Sixers will begin on Monday -- leaving him plenty of time to potentially catch one of Jackson's three shows this weekend.

Turns out, Jalen Carter's legal woes didn't impact his NFL draft status that much at all ... the former Univ. of Georgia star was just selected by the Eagles with the No. 9 overall pick.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Philadelphia's selection minutes ago in Kansas City ... sharing a big hug with the 22-year-old on stage -- a somewhat surprising scene, considering Carter's tumultuous March.

You'll recall, while the defensive lineman was in Indianapolis for the NFL's annual scouting combine back on March 1 ... authorities in Georgia issued a warrant for his arrest.

Officials alleged he had been racing a UGA football assistant moments before her fatal car crash in January ... and charged him with one count of misdemeanor reckless driving and one count of misdemeanor racing.

With the case still lingering over his head two weeks later, Carter showed up to UGA pro day on March 15 ... and struggled.

While the football player eventually reached a plea deal with prosecutors to close out his reckless driving case on March 16 ... many had expected it all to impact where the blue-chip prospect could fall during Thursday night's first round.

In fact, ex-NFL general manager Michael Lombardi told TMZ Sports he'd have "a lot of concern" picking the guy.

But, Carter ultimately went right around where he was expected to be picked before the charges were levied ... and he's now slated to sign a 4-year deal in Philly worth more than $23 million.

It ain't C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, or Anthony Richardson ... no, according to Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, Bryce Young is this year's top quarterback prospect!!

The ex-Seattle Seahawks superstar broke it down for TMZ Sports on the eve of the NFL's annual draft ... telling us he thinks the Univ. of Alabama signal-caller is the top dog at the position for 2023.

"Bryce Young is my favorite," Moon said ... before adding, "I think he's going to be a tremendous pro."

Moon said he loves the 21-year-old's instincts, leadership abilities, and track record of playmaking ... although he did concede he has at least some concern about the quarterback's 5-foot-10 frame.

Then again, Moon told us he thinks even that's a bit overblown ... saying guys like Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have found plenty of success despite similar statures.

As for who his second favorite quarterback in the draft is ... Moon told us Ohio State's Stroud slides into that spot for him.

When it comes to Levis and Richardson, he said he's a fan of them too ... but he told us they'd really benefit from sitting on an NFL bench for a year and learning from a veteran QB.

Nate Diaz is now a wanted man in Louisiana ... cops said Monday afternoon they've issued an arrest warrant for the former UFC star -- after he was seen on camera choking out a man on Bourbon Street.

The incident happened late Saturday night after Diaz had attended the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans.

In footage of the altercation, you can see Diaz got a man in a headlock during what appeared to be a large dispute -- and he didn't let the guy go until he was unconscious.

The man later took to social media to say he suffered a gnarly head wound during the incident.

According to MMA Fighting, authorities said they reviewed the footage, and an arrest warrant for Diaz for second-degree battery was ultimately issued.

Diaz is not currently in custody.

The 38-year-old fighter has yet to publicly comment on the situation ... but sources close to the fighter tell TMZ Sports he did not believe the man he choked out was acting as a peacemaker -- saying there was a larger fight happening in the area and the guy was part of that group. They're adamant Diaz was simply defending himself.

Diaz, who's slated to box Jake Paul later this summer, had been in a separate altercation earlier in the night -- when he threw a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor while ringside at the boxing event.

Travis Kelce went from 3rd round draft pick to an 8x Pro Bowler, 7x All-Pro, and 2x Super Bowl champion ... so, with just three days until the NFL Draft, we asked the future Hall of Famer what advice he'd give soon-to-be rookies.

"The biggest thing for me is taking advantage of your opportunities. If you're blessed enough to get drafted," Kelce told Michael Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), continuing, "take advantage of those opportunities and don't feel accomplished just because you finally made it to the NFL."

Travis added ... "I know it's going to be a very accomplishing feeling, but there's still a lot of work that you gotta do. You gotta mesh with your new teammates and everything like that. So the opportunities at hand, just make sure you take advantage of it."

33-year-old Kelce wasn't exactly seen as a can't-miss prospect coming out of college, after spending 5 years at the University of Cincinnati. However, Travis did have a productive senior season, catching 45 passes (he caught 59 in his entire Cinci career) for 722 yards and 8 touchdowns.

That was good enough to make Kelce the 63rd overall pick. Of course, if teams were to re-draft now, Travis would almost certainly be the #1 pick.

We asked Kelce what he'd say to players who feel disrespected or overlooked with their draft positioning.

"It's naturally going to fuel you and make you want to work harder, and prove yourself even more."

FYI, Kelce, with hindsight, isn't the first or last guy to be drafted way too late. Tom Brady was a 6th round selection, going 199th overall. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe went in the 7th round, 192nd overall. Rodney Harrison, 145. Roger Staubach, 129. Bart Starr, 199. And so on.

Kelce says ... just go in and make your mark, regardless of where you're drafted.

There's more! We also talked to Kelce about his upcoming music and food festival, Kelce Jam -- coinciding with the draft in Kansas City -- where they're expecting over 15 thousand fans in attendance at the Azura Amphitheater on Friday.

Travis hit up some of his celeb musician friends to perform, locking down Machine Gun Kelly, Tech N9NE, Rick Ross, and more.

Andy Ruiz's ex got a temporary restraining order against the star boxer earlier this month ... claiming he raped, abused and terrorized her throughout their relationship, TMZ Sports has learned.

But, Ruiz strongly denies the allegations ... and is adamant he is actually the victim in the case.

Julia Lemus filed for the domestic violence restraining order in San Diego back on April 6 ... alleging Ruiz "sexually, physically, and psychologically abused me, making me feel like feel like I had to walk on eggshells around him" while they were dating.

The 26-year-old -- who was with Ruiz from 2015 through 2022 -- added that Andy physically and emotionally abused their two children as well.

In the documents, she also accused Ruiz of abusing both alcohol and illicit drugs ... causing her to "fear for my life and safety and the lives and safety of my children."

Lemus described several instances of alleged abuse from Ruiz in her restraining order application ... saying the 33-year-old began to get physical with her in 2019 after he beat Anthony Joshua for the heavyweight title.

"He began grabbing me by my upper arms and physically yanking me in order to move me wherever he wanted me to go," Lemus said in the docs. She added he also began to "jokingly" punch her in her arms and legs, leaving her with bruises. She attached photos of the alleged injuries to her application.

Lemus claims in the docs ... earlier this year, Ruiz purchased several guns in Las Vegas and wanted to show them to her -- but when she became uncomfortable with all the firearms around, she said he "proceeded to point an AK-47 at my face." She claimed in the docs that after she told Ruiz to stop, he "told me to 'shut the f*** up,' and then noted that the guns did not have bullets in them and mocked me by telling me I was being dramatic."

Lemus then said beginning around February 2023, Ruiz began to sexually assault her -- forcing himself onto her on at least six occasions.

A temporary restraining order against Ruiz was granted shortly after the application was filed on April 6. It ordered the pugilist to stay at least 100 yards away from Lemus. It also prohibited him from owning any firearms. The court also ordered Lemus to have sole legal and physical custody of the couple's children ... at least until a court hearing scheduled for Monday.

Ruiz, however, filed a response to Lemus' docs in court on Thursday ... saying he "categorically denies that he ever has abused Julia Lemus or his children."

He said in the docs there "is no just reason to separate Ruiz from his" kids -- while adding Lemus is the one who's been violent in the relationship.

The boxer said in February 2020, Lemus stabbed him with a knife -- and attached a photo of the alleged injuries he suffered in the incident. He also said in April 2020, Lemus "entered my hotel room with a loaded gun in her hand, and screamed, 'everybody get the f*** out of here.'" He alleged in the docs Lemus hit one his friends in the head with the gun during the altercation, and then broke furniture in the room.

Ruiz also said in the court docs Lemus slapped, punched, and grabbed him "on multiple occasions."

"Not once did I ever engage in any physical response to Julia's assault," Ruiz said.

Ruiz also accused Lemus of stealing $250,000 worth of jewelry from him last month ... and said in the docs that he had made a report of the theft with police in San Diego.

We've reached out to Ruiz, a 35-2 fighter who's rumored to be Tyson Fury's next opponent, for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Jalen Hurts just GOT PAID ... the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback just became the highest-paid NFL player ever (yearly) after signing a 5-year extension worth over a quarter of a billion dollars!

The blockbuster deal was announced Monday morning, per Adam Schefter ... which will pay Hurts $255M through the 2028 season, with $179.3 million guaranteed.

That means Hurts gets $51 million average annually, making him the highest-paid player ever!

That's more than Patrick Mahomes, who averages $45M annually.

Of course, none of these figures factor in endorsements, etc.

Hurts also has a no-trade clause in the deal, the first in Eagles' history ... and the organization confirmed the deal by tweeting, "QB1 is here to stay."

Hurts had an interesting journey to the NFL. He had an amazing career at Alabama before he was benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the 2018 CFP National Championship game.

Jalen ultimately transferred to Oklahoma for his senior year and was selected by the Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

From them, he's earned the fat contract.

He almost instantly became a star upon being named the starter ... logging 6,845 passing yards, and 38 passing touchdowns the last two seasons. But, he's not just a threat to throw the ball ... he also ran for 1,544 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.

Hurts led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl since 2018 -- and became the youngest QB to ever make it to the big game.

He also made history with the most rushing yards and rushing TDs by a QB in the SB.

Congrats!! 💰💰💰

Russell Westbrook got into a heated confrontation with a fan Sunday night ... and, at one point, told the man, "Watch your mouth, motherf***er," and it was all captured on video.

It all went down during game 1 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix ... Russ, on video, repeatedly told the guy wearing Suns gear to watch his mouth as the two exchanged words.

It's unclear what led to the encounter ... but it happened in the club area during halftime of Game 1 of the Clippers-Suns first-round matchup.

According to a Suns insider, visiting players have been going through the club area where the incident occurred all season to get to the visitor's locker room.

As for the game ... Westbrook struggled to hit shots all night, scoring just nine points on 3 of 19 shooting from the field.

However, the former MVP was a presence on the glass, securing ten rebounds and making the game's defensive play, blocking Devin Booker's shot and sealing the deal for the Clippers.

Shawn Kemp has been charged with first-degree assault ... a charge stemming from that March parking lot altercation where the NBA legend was seen shooting a gun.

The case had been in limbo until this week. Authorities in Washington initially arrested the SuperSonics legend, before deciding they needed more time to investigate. All the while 53-year-old Kemp claimed he acted in self-defense, saying his actions were "reasonable and legally justified."

Unfortunately for Shawn, that's not the way prosecutors ultimately saw it, and they've now hit him with a first-degree assault charge. If convicted, the charge can carry a life sentence.

We broke the story last month, Kemp -- wearing a red vest -- approached a vehicle and pointed his gun, appearing to yell something before firing at least one shot outside a Tacoma, Washington shopping mall around 2:00 PM on March 8.

Kemp claimed he was simply trying to locate his phone, which was previously stolen, when things took a violent turn, and he was forced to defend himself.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

At the time of the confrontation, witnesses told us they heard multiple gunshots before pulling their phones out to record the incident, suggesting SK wasn't the only person shooting.

Moments later, the video also seemingly captured Shawn dumping his firearm in a bush.

Witness footage also showed police locating the weapon minutes later.

Now, barring a plea, Kemp's going to have to fight for his freedom in front of a judge ... and fight is exactly what his attorney says he's going to do, saying he'll plead not guilty to the charge.

Israel Adesanya celebrated his big UFC title victory at a Miami hot spot ... and, needless to say, he pulled out all the stops.

The champ showed up -- belt in hand -- to E11EVEN nightclub after his second-round knockout of Alex Pereira on Saturday night. As you know, Pereira had previously KO'd Adesanya to snag the UFC 281 title at Madison Square Garden last year.

As Israel made his grand entrance into the club, the DJ gave him a shout-out and played his theme music. Everyone went wild, crowding around Israel so they could shoot videos and take selfies with him.

When Israel finally sat down at his table, he was treated like a king, getting bottle service. NFL star Odell Beckman Jr. walked over to Israel for a little chat. We're told Odell seemed very animated during their convo. Unclear, though, what the two were actually talking about.

Then Israel took to the stage to show off his dance moves with rapper GASHI, who was the headline performer. But, of course, Israel and his championship belt stole the show.

Israel also hit the dance floor with UFC legends Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Kamaru Usman.

What a night! Congrats, Israel.

Donald Trump is in the building for UFC 287 in Miami ... sitting Octagon-side with close friend, UFC president Dana White, and Kid Rock.

It makes sense ... #45's Mar-a-Lago home is only about an hour from MIA's Kaseya Center -- the location of 287 -- and with supporter Jorge Masvidal fighting on the cards co-main event vs. Gilbert Burns, it makes sense that Trump would attend.

Trump is seated just feet from the Octagon, with Dana to his right, and Kid Rock to his left. Mike Tyson is seated next to the controversial musician.

ESPN+, unlike the last time Trump attended a fight (UFC 264, Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, July 2021) where he was never shown on the television broadcast, was shown ... with a graphic saying "45th President of the United States."

There was also a "U.S.A., U.S.A." chant from a portion of the packed crowd.

After Kevin Holland knocked out SantiagoPonzinibbio in the 3rd round, Big Mouth jumped the Octagon fence, and was talking to Dana as Trump listened on.

Donald, KR, and "Iron Mike" aren't the only celebs in the house ...the event's packed with big stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Logan Paul, Justin Jefferson, Joe Burrow and Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban.

Of course, it's been a hectic week for the former president. On Tuesday, Trump was arraigned in NYC where he was charged with 34 felonies.

A national championship trophy isn't the only shiny, new thing in Angel Reese's life -- the LSU basketball star just copped some new bling -- with over 20 carats of high-quality diamonds!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tigers hooper linked up with celeb jeweler Boo Daddy Diamonds fresh off her NCAA title win over the Iowa Hawkeyes this week.

We're told Bayou Barbie is now the proud owner of several dope pieces ... including an amazing diamond tennis bracelet that's filled with VVS diamonds and 14k white gold.

She also copped two diamond chokers -- one having the initial of her first name -- and we're told the collection totaled out to 20 carats of top-quality bling!

The 6'3" forward deserves to treat herself after the year she just had -- she finished the season with 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game ... and earned a spot on the First Team All-SEC and SEC's All-Defensive Team.

Reese -- who fractured her foot at Maryland before transferring in 2022 -- also made LSU history with the most consecutive double-doubles ... and leading the women's hoop team to their first NCAA title.

LSU hoops star Angel Reese has decided she will attend the White House visit with her team after all ... days after she contemplated skipping the visit because of remarks made by First Lady Jill Biden.

Remember, Reese took issue with FLOTUS saying Iowa should attend the White House, too -- a tradition usually reserved for championship winners -- calling Jill's suggestion "a joke."

"In the beginning, we were hurt -- it was emotional because we know how hard we worked all year for everything," Reese said Friday.

"You don't get that experience [to go to the White House] ever ... and I know my team probably wants to go for sure, and my coaches are supportive of that, so I'm going to do what's best for the team and we've decided we're going to go."

"I'm a team player. I'm going to do what's best for the team. I'm the captain."

LSU said Thursday they would be "excited" to celebrate the program's first NCAA women's basketball national championship, leaving many to speculate whether Reese would join them.

LSU will not let a small squabble between its star player and Jill Biden get in the way of a championship party at the White House ... the school just revealed it'd "certainly" accept an invitation despite the tiff.

In fact, according to a university spokesperson, the Tigers would be "excited" to continue the celebration of their women's NCAA tournament title at 1600 Penn Ave. later this year.

Of course, many were wondering if the team would, indeed, go ... after LSU forward Angel Reese said she was peeved over the way Biden invited both the Tigers and Iowa following their championship game on Sunday night.

Reese said on "I Am Athlete" this week that "if the roles were reversed, they wouldn’t be the same. If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House."

She then insinuated she'd prefer it if she could go party with the Obamas instead." They can have that spotlight," she said of the Hawkeyes. "We'll go to the Obamas'. We'll go see Michelle. We'll see Barack."

Biden had attempted to walk back the double invite, with her press secretary saying Tuesday Biden's comments "were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House."

But, in response, Reese said, "I don't accept the apology because you said what you said .. You can't go back on certain things that you say."

Forget LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard ... Odell Beckham Jr. might have been the biggest star at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night -- at least, that's based on the reaction he got outside of the stadium, where he was mobbed by a throng of fans!!

The NFL superstar could hardly move as he attempted to make his way inside the downtown L.A. venue for the pivotal Lakers vs. Clippers game ... as people tried to get photos with him -- and recruit him to their favorite team.

To his credit, Odell handled the situation super well -- posing for a few selfies ... and even joking with our photog about his next NFL team!!

Seems the L.A. crowd wanted to see him in Las Vegas next season for some reason -- as multiple fans pled with the free-agent wide receiver to sign with the Raiders.

Once inside, Odell had a killer spot for the big game ... sitting just a few feet away from the Clippers' bench.

Unclear which team he was rooting for -- he was dressed in neutral colors -- but hopefully for him it was the Clippers ... 'cause the Lakers got smacked pretty good, 125-118.

Beckham wasn't the only celeb in the building taking in the action ... Michael B. Jordan was courtside too -- but no word if the guys ended up rubbin' elbows.