TMZ Sports

Mark Zuckerberg may be worth $160+ billion, but he's not above working a weekend side gig ... the Facebook founder spent Saturday night cornering Alex Volkanovski for his title fight at UFC 298!

Well, at least until the punches started flying.

Zuck and Volk's relationship isn't a secret -- they're buddies -- the guys have hung out/trained together multiple times since MZ got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a couple of years ago.

So, when the 35-year-old featherweight walked to the Octagon at the Honda Center in Anaheim for his main event scrap vs. Ilia Topuria, Zuckerberg, in full coach's kit, was standing with Alex's team waiting for the fighter.

AV and MZ even shared a hug before Volk stepped in the cage.

It then appeared Zuckerberg took an Octagon-side seat ... and watched as a spectator, no doubt rooting for his friend.

Unfortunately for the pair, the night ended with an "and new" after Volkanovski was stopped by KO in the second round of the 145 lb title fight ... and Topuria was crowned the featherweight champion.

Mark watched the stoppage from just feet away.

Zuckerberg was also front and center earlier in the night when Merab Dvalishvili threw opponent Henry Cejudo down in front of the FB CEO ... and had a mid-round conversation with him, much to the amusement of Mark.

Saturday marks the closest Zuckerberg's gotten to a cage since negotiations with rival Elon Musk broke down ... a battle that at one time looked like it would take place at The Colosseum.

Lily Gladstone's not happy with the Super Bowl champs' name ... and she says the NFL runner-ups' mascot ain't much better.

The actress and activist spoke during a Santa Barbara International Film Festival panel last weekend, before the Chiefs defeated the 49ers ... and ripped Chiefs fans' use of the tomahawk chop -- a hand gesture and chant used by fans of teams with Native American mascots.

LG said the gesture is a reminder of what Hollywood has done to Native Americans ... pointing out the chant was used in old Westerns before indigenous actors were given the opportunity to play major roles in the movie.

Gladstone said she gets upset when people say the chant is meant as a sign of "honor" ... calling it the "commodification" of her people as well.

These arguments are pretty common among activists and groups ... but, Lily also mentioned the San Francisco 49ers as another example of an offensive mascot.

Lily pointed out settlers -- called 49ers -- who went West looking for gold harkened "an incredibly brutal time for California Indians" ... so an NFL team using that moniker's not totally blameless either.

BTW ... protests against the Chiefs' name take place from time to time -- with one kicking off before their Super Bowl LVII victory last year over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Other pro sports franchises -- like the Cleveland Guardians in MLB and Washington Commanders -- have already changed their names in the face of criticism ... though their original names were pretty clear red flags for activists.

New video from the Kansas City shooting appears to show the exact moments before shots started to ring out -- and as the cops have indicated, there are teenagers in the mix here.

TMZ has obtained footage that depicts the KC rally Wednesday at 1:48 PM CT -- right around the time the first reports of a shooting came in -- and eyewitnesses tell us that the young guys you see in the background got into a heated exchange with someone off camera.

There are a few key players to focus on -- a teen in red, who you can see get angry and throw his bag down as he argues with someone who's not in clear view. There's also another teen in all black with a satchel-like bag hanging from his side, who walks toward the action.

These 2, in particular, were recorded walking away from the shooting just moments later -- also seen in the footage we got -- and the young man in black looks to have been shot.

We're told by eyewitnesses who saw this that he appeared to have been shot in the face. If you look closely, his buddy in red is trailing close behind him as they beelined it outta there.

Going back to the main video ... there are a couple other dudes who were pointed out to us who also seem to have been involved -- one young guy in a brown jacket (who looks to be the same guy who got tackled in that now-viral video) and another guy in a black jacket and red beanie ... whom we're told appeared to be reaching for something in his coat.

Our sources tell us all the young guys you can see on camera here all looked to be rolling together as a group -- and that they were bickering with a much taller and possibly older man off camera ... who our eyewitnesses say definitely fired the first shots at them.

It's not entirely clear if the young guys fired back, but we're told people there believe they might have ... although, you don't see them pull out or use a gun at all in these videos.

Of course, in the aftermath of this ... cops have only charged 2 individuals -- juveniles as they've been described -- with gun-related offenses, although more charges are likely to come.

The pieces of the puzzle are still falling into place ... and there are more questions than answers right now. From the looks of it -- this may have been an argument gone wrong.

Donald Trump is taking a swing at social media users with his nine iron for posting "fake" A.I. pics of him with a massive beer gut on the golf course.

On Friday, the 45th U.S. President posted a message on Truth Social, blasting everyone who uploaded to their accounts what he claims are Artificial Intelligence-generated photos portraying him as a fatso as he hits a golf ball on the links.

The pic, BTW, appears to be a photoshopped version of golfer John Daly.

Regardless, an infuriated DT wrote, "The Fake News used Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to create the picture. These are despicable people, but everyone knows that."

He continued, "The other pictures are me hitting Golf balls today to show the difference. Sadly, in our Country, Fake News is all you get!"

Alongside his bloated "A.I." image, DT posted three snaps of a skinnier version of himself supposedly playing golf Friday afternoon.

As you know, the insult could not have come on a worse day for Trump as a New York judge ordered him to pay $355 million in fines after he was found liable in his civil business fraud trial.

Victoria Beckham had a very spicy reaction when she was confronted with the prospect of becoming a grandmother during a recent Vogue interview.

The former "Spice Girls" pop star sat down Friday with 'The Run Through' co-host Chloe Malle and was totally gob-smacked when she was hit with the "Gramma" question from the Vogue contributing editor.

Here's how it unfolded ... Halfway through their chat, Malle brought up Victoria's son, Brooklyn, and his 2022 marriage to wife Nicola Peltz.

Malle asked Victoria if she had any relationship advice for the young couple who has no children ... yet. Victoria replied that she'll always offer them support, but she's not down with giving advice.

Then Malle smacked Victoria -- AKA "Posh Spice" -- right across the face with the geriatric stuff, asking, "Are you excited to be a grandmother?"

Check out the video ... Victoria was absolutely floored by the suggestion Brooklyn was having a baby with Nicola -- and she delivered an extremely animated response, "Oh. Jesus. What? Woo. Hang on."

The fashion designer even used her hand to fan her face before turning to the audience and insisting, "I don't think it's happening just yet unless you guys know something I don't."

Victoria finally regained her composure and, on a more serious note, stated, "If I am blessed, then that would be wonderful."

Then she returned to her funny routine, fanning her face again and reiterating that "we are not there yet."

True, but Brooklyn has made no secret of the fact that he wants to start a family with Nicola, posting about it on Instagram.

Tom Brady and a craps table in Florida apparently have something in common ... neither stands a chance against Eli Manning!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the New York Giants legend rolled dice at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL for hours on Thursday night -- and he appeared to win BIG.

One witness tells us ... Manning showed up before 9:30 PM and stayed past 2:30 AM -- albeit with a short break for food at some point -- seemingly raking in cash throughout the evening.

In fact, in video we obtained, you can see that after one run in particular ... he celebrated like a madman, high-fiving his tablemates before sharing a huge embrace with one of his pals.

We're told Eli seemed to have around $40,000 in chips in front of him ... while some of the guys he was playing with had over $100K.

Of course, it ain't like Eli exactly needs the dough ... after all, the former signal-caller made over $250 MILLION in his NFL career alone.

NBA Slam Dunk champion Mac McClung says he has two opportunities to do something truly historic this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he's ready to reveal a pair of moves that have never been done before!!

The G League star -- who wowed the entire basketball world with his top performance in 2023 -- peeled back the curtain on this year's contest ... and it sounds like fans can expect nothing short of fireworks.

"I think I have three dunks that haven't been done in a contest before, but I think two of them haven't been done by anybody before," McClung said. "So I hope I can make them -- if I make them, I'll be happy and I do them right."

"But we put a lot of effort into it and hope it goes well."

Mac -- who currently plays for the Osceola Magic -- says there are about six different dunks he's got ready to go ... and the only real issue is figuring out which ones he'll pick.

But it's not just the dunks that have him excited -- he hinted there could be some cameo appearances featured in his routine as well.

McClung is going up against some fellow high-flying athletes -- Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jaquez and Jacob Toppin -- and he admitted he'll be just like the fans as he watches them perform.

There will be a lot more than a shiny trophy on the line for McClung -- the hooper recently partnered with hi-tech insoles company, VKTRY ... and if he repeats as champion, he's giving out $ 500k worth of product to a number of lucky fans who register for the giveaway.

McClung raved about the insoles ... claiming they give him a big advantage on the court.

Dude better be careful, or he's gonna need a helmet when his head hits the roof.

Maxx Crosby might be bummed he didn't win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors this season ... but the Raiders star tells TMZ Sports he's planning on using the snub as motivation to whoop some ass next season.

ICYMI, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett edged out Crosby -- and other finalists T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland -- for the big award at the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 8 ... which many felt Crosby deserved.

After all, Myles had 14 sacks and four forced fumbles on the year ... while Crosby totaled 14.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

So, when we got the Las Vegas pass rusher out at Super Bowl week, we had to ask the three-time Pro Bowler how he was taking it ... and it's clear, he's using it as fuel for this offseason's workouts.

"I mean, it's exactly what I needed," he said. "I know I'm going in the right direction. I know what I'm capable of. It's just the beginning."

"People haven't seen anything yet," he added.

Before he embarks on the road to dominance in '24, though, Crosby had a little fun in Vegas ahead of Super Bowl LVIII ... horsin' around on a red carpet with none other than Tom Brady.

Ian Machado Garry hasn't forgotten what Sean Strickland and Colby Covington said about his family last year ... and the welterweight star has revenge on his mind!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 26-year-old fighter as he prepares to return to the Octagon against Geoff Neal at UFC 298 for the first time since finding himself in the middle of one of the biggest and most controversial storylines in all MMA last year.

While he's focused on Geoff, Ian isn't trying to hide who he wants next.

"It's Colby Covington. I'm not looking for anyone else. I'm getting him. I'm gonna get him. I'm gonna retire him from the UFC. I'm gonna rid him and his f***ing nonsense from the organization and the whole world will be a better place because of it."

We followed up, asking if Machado wanted Covington even more so than Sean Strickland.

"I'll get both of them eventually, but right now the goal is to go for Colby. Sean Strickland, I'll get in time. God will give me that. I believe God will place that very firmly in my path, 'Off you go kid, enjoy!'"

As for how he handled the drama -- which saw his relationship with his wife put under a microscope -- Ian told us the following.

"I mean the truth is I didn't handle it well at the start. The truth is I didn't, it was very emotional. Very stressful, because I've never had a vicious onslaught of violent attacks on my family or my wife, and it was all based on absolute bulls*** and lies."

Ian went on to explain why he's still upset to this day, saying he doesn't "think that most people know the truth, and that's annoying, that's irritating."

Garry added ... ["Strickland] had no f***ing clue what he was talking about, didn't have any facts or any knowledge on the situation at all. Hears someone's opinion on it which is completely false and then elevates it to a point at which now everyone is attacking my wife, and it's just absolute utter nonsense."

Drama aside, we also talked to Ian about his matchup with Geoff, and his desire to co-main event a Conor McGregor card.

We also talked to UFC star Mackenzie Dern (#7), who is fighting #3 ranked strawweight Amanda Lemos on the UFC 298 card ... as she looks to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of Jéssica Andrade in November.

Dern is getting in the Octagon with another killer ... but if she gets a dub, she believes she could be next in line for a much-coveted title fight!

We finished the week strong at TMZ -- and the same goes for the topics we covered on TV.

Starting out with 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles continued to discuss the fallout from the Kansas City shooting at the victory rally Wednesday ... particularly as it pertains to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, who've been catching some flak for what they did afterward.

Of course, we're referring to the dinner party they attended hours after the shooting -- which we're learning more about even now ... and yes, it did look quite celebratory in nature.

On 'TMZ on TV,' the gang dove into Kim K's new list of qualifications for a potential long-term partner -- and from the sounds of it, pearly whites (among other things) are pretty important.

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports' ... Mike and Mojo discussed Jayden Daniels and where his Heisman currently is.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Travis Kelce followed his girlfriend's lead in the donation department -- he just donated the exact same amount Taylor Swift gave to victims of the Kansas City shooting.

The Chiefs tight end shelled out $100,000 to two children who were shot during Wednesday's incident -- specifically, two young daughters of the Reyes family ... who'd started a GoFundMe of their own in recent days to help cover costs for their severe injuries.

He made the donations very similarly to how Taylor did it ... two different installments of $50k, which came from his charity, 87 and Running.

The two girls -- whose identities haven't been publicly revealed -- were shot in the legs ... and they're still recovering in the hospital. Their family set a goal of $100,000 -- which they said would go toward their medical costs, plus future college tuition -- and TK helped them reach that and beyond. With his $100k donation ... the family is now at more than $175k.

Travis' donation -- which was first reported by Page Six -- matches Taylor's own $100k contribution to the family of the lone woman who died after Wednesday's shooting ... and, of course, it comes on the heels of Patrick Mahomes donating earlier in the day as well.

Patrick and Brittany even visited one of the hospitals to meet with some of the young victims who are still recuperating.

It goes without saying ... the charitable moves by Travis and Patrick also follow some backlash they faced this week after it was revealed they went out to continue celebrating after the shooting ... hitting up a restaurant and keeping the good time going.

Some have said they're being unfairly criticized -- but others say ... the optics weren't great.

C.J. Stroud had a notable passenger riding shotgun with him on Thursday night -- Amber Rose -- and it's got many wonderin' ... are the two an item?!?

The superstar quarterback and the model competed in the 2024 Cactus Jack Foundation HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic at Minute Maid Park ... and shortly after it ended, they were seen walking toward the same car together.

There were no signs of PDA as they made their way through a gaggle of photogs and fans ... but they sure didn't seem awkward around each other -- sparking dating rumors all over the internet.

Our sources tell us Rose -- who's dated Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa in the past -- is not formally seeing anyone at the moment ... and Stroud is reportedly single too -- so it's all entirely possible.

The one potential hang-up, though ... Rose is 40 years old, and C.J. is just 22 -- but if you've ever seen him play in an NFL game, he's shown plenty of signs that he's mature beyond his years.

D.L. Hughley's moving on from his feud with Mo'Nique ... saying he's a grown-ass man who doesn't think every argument needs a resolution, and this one definitely will NOT!

We got the comedian/actor out in New York City, where we asked about his very public beef with the Oscar winner ... and wondered if he'd be interested in a sit down with her on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast.

You gotta see how D.L. immediately shot down any notion of that happening ... because it sounds like he's not too thrilled with Shannon, either.

Hughley said he'd never go on "Club Shay Shay," and he's definitely not reaching out to Mo'Nique 'cause he's convinced they've both said all they need to say.

Remember ... Mo'Nique went after a bunch of entertainment industry folks on Sharpe's podcast, and specifically said D.L. offended her on his radio show during an interview.

She demanded the segment not air -- a request D.L. said he agreed to in the same social media rant where he called her a "liar" earlier this month.

D.L. told us he's not backing down on a single word he said about Mo'Nique ... saying he's got zero regrets and doesn't need to reconcile with her because they're both adults who said what they said.

Basically, Hughley says they "don't have to be in the same space," and he adds, it's a "fallacy" to believe folks who don't see eye to eye have to reconcile.

BTW ... this isn't the first time Hughley and Mo'Nique have had beef. Back in 2022, a contract dispute over who was supposed to headline a comedy show resulted in Mo'Nique calling out D.L. for saying he didn't believe his daughter at first when she said she was sexually assaulted.

Mo'Nique apologized for bringing up his daughter, but Hughley told us at the time arguments like the one with her just weren't worth his time -- pretty much exactly how he still feels today.

4:02 PM PT -- Tiger Woods' manager just told reporters at the event that the golfer began suffering from flu-like symptoms Thursday night, but decided to try to push through it all on Friday.

However, he became dizzy on the course ... and withdrew from the event.

Woods' manager, though, said that after an IV, the 48-year-old is now feeling "much, much better."

Tiger Woods' return to the PGA Tour was shortlived ... he just withdrew from The Genesis Invitational after suffering from an illness.

The Big Cat -- who shot a 1-over 73 at the tourney on Thursday in his first action since last April -- made it through six holes on Friday afternoon ... before he decided he just couldn't go anymore.

The golfing legend hit his tee shot on hole No. 7, then hopped in a cart and headed back to the clubhouse.

It's unclear the severity of his ailment ... although fans in attendance at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles have grown concerned for the 48-year-old after an ambulance showed up at the venue a short time after he officially called it quits.

It seems, however, a bug is going around the course ... as fellow PGA Tour star Jordan Spieth is reportedly dealing with some uneasy symptoms too.

This weekend's rounds were the first PGA Tour ones Woods has logged since he underwent surgery on his ankle following the 2023 Masters. He looked solid throughout Thursday -- although he did have one shank on the 18th hole that went viral.

Following the round, he seemed normal ... though he did tell Golf Channel he had "some treatment ahead of" him to get ready for Friday's 18.

Jason Kelce is serious about getting a Chiefs luchador mask back to the Texas teenager who let him borrow it at the Super Bowl ... because he reached out to the teen's family.

As many people saw during the SB celebrations ... Jason famously wore a Chiefs luchador mask to Super Bowl LVIII after-parties in Las Vegas after his brother Travis Kelce won the big game.

As it turns out ... the mask actually belongs to Elijah Smith, an 8th grader from Dallas who gave Jason the mask for a photo op -- but who never got it back amid all the post-game chaos. JK himself had recently said he found it on the floor ... in any case, it's the kid's.

Anyway ... Jason had already pledged to get Elijah his mask back in a social media post Friday morning, and we've since learned the NFL player has contacted Elijah's parents.

Sarah Smith, Elijah's mom, tells TMZ … Jason personally reached out to them Friday while Elijah was at school, and he plans on calling back so he can talk to Elijah on the phone later at some point this weekend.

The Smiths tell us Jason came off as very thoughtful, kind, and apologetic ... and they told him there was no rush in returning the luchador mask, especially given the Super Bowl parade shooting tragedy in Kansas City.

Sarah explains that Elijah's a pretty superstitious teen -- as lots of sports fans are -- and believes the mask is a lucky charm of sorts, which is why he wants it back.

In his post on X, Jason agreed ... "Your mask indeed brings great fortune, I owe you big time, sorry it was commandeered."

Worth noting -- the family isn't upset Jason got to wear it after the Super Bowl instead of Elijah ... they say all the videos and photos of Jason in Vegas with the mask are absolutely "epic." Once Jason returns the mask, Elijah's mom predicts her son will wear it to Chiefs games next season ... unless he frames it, of course.

Sharon Stone claims LAPD officers came to her home during the O.J. Simpson chase and whisked her away -- but cops who were on the force back then don't have any such memory.

David Gascon -- who was a commander at the LAPD's Media Relations department during the O.J. years -- tells TMZ ... he's never heard of cops showing up to Sharon's crib on June 17, 1994, when officers were in hot pursuit of Simpson during that infamous televised low-speed chase.

Not only is Gascon personally unaware of it happening ... he says he'd never heard a single report of Sharon's involvement, at least not until she talked about it this past week.

Ditto for Tom Lange ... the lead LAPD detective on the O.J. case tells us he hadn't heard a peep about Sharon's claim cops ushered her to a hotel for safety reasons. In fact, Lange asks the obvious question ... why would O.J. go after Sharon at the time?

Lange insists, if Sharon's Simpson saga happened, he would've heard of it. As for Sharon's M.O. in telling it ... he suspects it might have to do with the 30th anniversary coming up in June.

Last, but not least, we spoke to a retired former LAPD officer -- who worked in the South L.A. division back in 1994 -- and he also says any Sharon-O.J. connection is news to him!

This retired officer questions how or why O.J. would have any reason to go to Sharon's house at the time ... especially with 20 patrol cars chasing him down the freeway.

The way Sharon put it in her new interview, her "Basic Instinct" fame from '92 is what supposedly spurred a bunch of officers to show up to her house to hide her at a hotel. Although, as many here have noted, she had no apparent connection to O.J. in those days.

Sharon has previously talked about how crazy it was for her in the '90s after her then-viral movie skyrocketed her to A-list status ... not to mention making her a bona fide sex symbol.

Again, the fact these former officers are taking her story with a grain of salt does not mean what Sharon is saying didn't occur -- but as far as they're concerned, it was never on their radar.