TMZ Sports - Page 50

It was bedlam on the streets of Chapel Hill Saturday night, after the Tar Heels snagged a spot in the NCAA men's basketball National Championship game.

10 people, and maybe more, were hurt after the game ... 4 were injured badly enough to require hospitalization.

Chapel Hill cops planned for a big celebration -- shutting down streets in advance -- but it got out of hand as it turned into a wild block party. There were around 40,000 fans who were reveling in the Tar Heels 81-77 win over Duke in the Final Four.

It got real when some fans started bonfires in the streets.

So, now the real dead ... North Carolina faces off with the Kansas Jayhawks Monday for the brass ring. Ya gotta wonder who Chapel Hill cops will be routing for!

Logan Paul looked like a total natural in the squared-circle at WrestleMania 38 just now ... dominating his tag team match with The Miz -- and coming away with the win.

Logan and Miz were in control throughout the match against Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ... and the whole thing was filled with action.

The Maverick's performance was a display of his true athletic ability -- he executed some of the most challenging wrestling moves in the book ... including jumping off the top rope.

Worth noting -- at one point, Mysterio tried to pay homage to his friend, Eddie Guerrero, by hitting Miz with Eddie's signature "Three Amigos" move ... but wasn't able to complete the third suplex.

Logan, however, flipped the script -- not only did he hit Mysterio with a "Three Amigos" of his own, he then hit Rey with a "Frog Splash" ... which was also one of Guerrero's moves.

Logan -- who came out wearing a $5.2 million super-rare Pokémon card around his neck -- and Miz rocked matching yellow and black 'fits for the match ... and they looked damn good.

But, in true Heel form, Miz hit Logan with his finisher move -- the Skull-Crushing finale -- after being declared winners ... much to the delight of the crowd, who booed Paul throughout the match.

Sergey Kovalev is the latest pro fighter who wants a piece of Jake Paul ... the ex-boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's down to fight the YouTuber after his next scheduled match.

"Fight with Jake Paul? I'm ready," the 39-year-old former light heavyweight champion said. "And I will knock him out."

Paul has insisted he wants somebody with a name brand for his next bout -- and while Sergey might not have the biggest social media following, he certainly has the resume Paul is looking for.

"Krusher" is 34-4-1 in his 39 career fights -- and has a win over boxing legend Bernard Hopkins on his resume. He's also fought Canelo Alvarez and Andre Ward in his impressive career.

Kovalev says he's all for trying to add Paul to that list of opponents -- saying he'll be happy to try to make the fight after he returns from his long layoff against Tervel Pulev in May.

"Let me make my comeback fight," Kovalev said, "and then we can do any fight."

He added, "Any day."

WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar's grappling looks have been front and center since 2002, and they are Brock solid!

Here's a 30-year-old version of the then 265-pound pro fighter back in 2008, posing at a UFC photo shoot in Minneapolis, Minnesota (left). Brock's 2008 season concluded with two wins, beating Randy Couture and Heath Herring, and one loss to Frank Mir.

"The Beast Incarnate" ... now 44 years old and 286 pounds ... recently shared a selfie of himself in the gym, working on his stacked physique, as he gears up for WrestleMania 38 (right). The current WWE Champion will be going up against Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Brock-n-roll!

The question here is ...

Petra Ecclestone has withdrawn her request to change her kid's last name to hers and drop that of her ex-husband James Stunt ... but not before some angry filings from Stunt.

In Stunt's opposition docs, obtained by TMZ, he opposed the billionaire heiress' request in their bitter divorce to change their children's surnames from Stunt to Ecclestone.

In the docs, James argued it would not be in the kids' best interests to drop their father's name and replace it with their mother's ... claiming it would alienate him from his offspring.

What's more, James says he's concerned the Ecclestone name has been tarnished and could lead to danger for the kids ... pointing to reports their famous grandfather, Formula 1 racing honcho Bernie Ecclestone, recently defended Vladimir Putin as "honorable."

Clearly, for some reason, Petra had a change of heart, because she's dropped the request altogether ... but there's still a chance she could refile.

TMZ broke the story ... Petra filed legal docs trying to change their kids' names, claiming he's an "absentee father who is subject to regular negative media and tabloid articles and criminal investigation."

In his opposition, James says he recently found out Petra was already using Ecclestone for the kids without his permission, and before a court ruling ... claiming Petra recently displayed their daughter's name as Lavinia Ecclestone, instead of Lavinia Stunt, on birthday party flyers.

Somebody got you good on April Fools? There's no way it was worse than what Johnny Knoxville's prank did to WWE superstar Sami Zayn, who tells TMZ Sports the jokester's stunt last month caused his phone to ring nonstop!!!

The wrestler says that after Knoxville put his phone number on a plane for all of Los Angeles to read on March 11 -- he got nearly 300,000 text messages and more than 250,000 calls!!!

"I'm not making these numbers up," Zayn said. "That's insane. That's insane!"

Zayn tells us the phone number prank "ruined my life" -- and now, despite having big beef with Knoxville for a while, he's ready for the shenanigans to end.

Zayn -- who initially started a feud with Johnny when the comedian made an appearance in the WWE several months ago -- said he's going to beat Knoxville to a pulp when the two throw hands in an "anything goes" match at WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium today.

"If you've enjoyed Jackass over the years," Zayn said, "and you've enjoyed watching Johnny Knoxville getting hurt, boy have I got something for you."

For Knoxville's part, he's insisted he's going to beat up Zayn so badly -- the wrestler is going to have to retire after the match.

Aaron Jones will now certainly never forget how he made it to the NFL -- 'cause the Packers star just got memories of his football journey tattooed right on the front of his leg!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 27-year-old hit up his go-to guy, Bobby Ortiz, in El Paso, Texas to get a new leg tat representing his high school football career, his college one (at UTEP) and his time in the NFL.

The ink was put on his left shin ... featuring his old Burges High mascot, El Paso mountains, and the 915 area code with a mariachi -- a hat tip to his time at UTEP.

The tat also includes the NFL logo and Jones' nickname, "Showtyme" ... which he also named the restaurant that he opened up last year in El Paso.

We're told Jones also got two other tattoos on his left and right thighs ... featuring the words "Relentless" and "Grit," which Ortiz tells us Jones wanted to always remember for motivational purposes.

Ortiz -- who's been tatting the Green Bay running back since he was 18 -- says he got the job done in two different sessions ... with each taking about two and a half hours to get done.

We're told the Pro Bowler -- who's UTEP's all-time leading rusher (4,114 yards) -- left some room on his shin so he can add another accolade down the road.

"He plans to add a Super Bowl trophy," Ortiz tells us, "when he wins it."

Aljamain Sterling says he'll employ a special move during his rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 273 ... the Will Smith slap!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 32-year-old UFC bantamweight champ about a week before his second fight with heated rival, 29-year-old Yan, the interim champ.

"I am a certified weapon right now, and ready for battle, and I can't wait to go out there and unleash these tools, and put a little beatdown on this guy that he's been deserving for well over a year at this point, and move on to the victim," Aljamain told us.

Of course, the men fought in March 2021 ... a fight that Aljo was losing, but ultimately won when Petr blasted Sterling with a blatantly illegal knee. But, because Aljamain was losing on the cards and fading in the fight, he's dealt with endless crap online, and as you'd expect, that's bothered the starfighter.

"That's the most frustrating part of this whole thing. It's not being able to compete to shut these guys up," Aljo said.

He even compared himself to a caged animal who isn't able to retaliate because he's chained ... but Sterling says the cage door opens at UFC 273.

"Those chains come free April 9 and I get an opportunity to finally put my hands on this guy, and it's gonna be so rewarding to see the shock in people's eyes when I'm out there and I finally get to put my hands on him and see who is really who."

Sterling, the champ, is a big underdog against Yan ... something Aljamain has taken notice of.

"I know the Vegas oddsmakers got me as a big underdog. This is what everyone wants to go out of their way to tell me. I don't give a s***, at the end of the day, I bet on me. And, I know that betting on me is right. I bet on me the last 6 times and I've won every single time," Sterling said.

Lastly, we asked Aljamain if he had a message for Yan ... and he dropped the A-list actor's name while threatening violence against Petr.

"When they lock that door he's gonna get 'Will Smith'd.' I can tell you that. He's gonna get Will Smith'd. And, after that, it's gonna be a lot worse than what Will did to Chris Rock. It's gonna be a beatdown."

The high school track runner who was punched by another athlete mid-race wants to press charges ... and he could even end up filing a lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office claimed neither side wanted to move forward with pressing charges after the incident.

But, the Florida Firm's Nathan Carter, attorney for the punched runner, says that's not the case.

"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges," Carter said in a statement. "This is false."

"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery."

"Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges."

Carter adds the runner suffered a concussion as a result of the incident ... and is "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."

"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter added. "They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him."

Jake and Logan Paul might have a lot of haters, but that's not the case with WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns ... who says he respects the YouTubers/boxers and what they've been able to accomplish.

Reigns joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" ahead of WrestleMania 38 ... and the heavyweight couldn't say enough good things about the Paul bros.

"These guys from everything that I've ever seen or heard, they put in the work," Reigns said. "They live a full-time boxing schedule. They train. They eat. They do everything that a professional boxer would do to prepare for a fight."

Of course, the reason we're talkin' about the Pauls is that Logan is set to take the ring at WM38 on Saturday in a tag team match with The Miz.

Roman says its essential performers in the sports entertainment world be multi-layered -- something he firmly believes the former-YouTube superstars-turned boxers are.

"I think as performers, you got to be multi-layered," Roman said. "In performing arts, you have to have multiple lanes of a skill set."

The former member of "The Shield" said he thinks it's crazy anyone would try to dismiss their legitimacy as fighters -- especially since their work ethic and audience make them mega draws.

"I think it would be crazy to say they're not boxers," the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble winner said. "You got to have people tuned into what you're doing."

"And, they've done that, but they've also put in the work. Kudos to them."

Finally, we asked Roman if a match between him and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at next year's WrestleMania (set to take place at SoFi Stadium) was in the works, and the champ's response was interesting.

"I don't care who you are and what you been doing on the movie set and what kind of fight scenes you been putting together on the big screen."

"When it comes to a WWE ring, when it comes to the Universal championship, and the WWE championship for that matter -- I think I'm the safe bet to put your money on."

Even though these WWE wrestlers have been workin' on their fitness ... it's imperative to prepare for the ultimate showdown at WrestleMania 2022.

From gym-mirror selfies to post-match pics, the stars of WrestleMania have been teasing us with their fighting physiques. Yes, this is THE sporting event of the weekend and the wrestlers of all shapes and sizes -- men and women -- will unveil their beefcakes and peachy buns as they hit the AT&T stage.

Got plans tonight that don't involve Duke vs. UNC? Chris Duhon clearly thinks you're going to regret that -- telling TMZ Sports the Final Four game could be one of the biggest contests in sports history.

The Blue Devils are slated to play the Tar Heels in an NCAA Tournament semifinal game for the first time in the two rivals' history ... and Duhon -- a Duke legend -- says it's going to be can't-miss TV.

The two schools hate each other, it could be Coach K's last-ever game ... and there are future NBA players all over the court -- making it, according to Duhon, an event worth clearing the calendar for.

"It's going to be epic," Duhon tells us. "I think everybody is going to be there, everybody is going be watching. I think there's a possibility of being the most-watched event in sports history."

In fact, the game is so big, country music star Eric Church has actually already canceled a concert so he can watch his beloved Tar Heels.

As for Duhon's message to the Blue Devils to calm the nerves before the huge game -- watch the clip, Chris seems to have some great advice for his former squad ahead of the big matchup.

The U.S. Men's National Soccer Team just got a stamp of approval from Alexi Lalas ... who tells TMZ Sports he's so pumped for the squad after it qualified for the World Cup this week, he's imploring Americans to take note.

"This is definitely a team that is worth your time," the U.S. soccer legend said, "and worth your belief!"

After missing out on the 2018 World Cup ... the USMNT qualified for the 2022 event despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday.

And, the result has Lalas fired up for soccer's future in America ... telling us outside of LAX this week, "It's a fun team to watch and it's only going to get better as the years go by."

The World Cup is slated to begin in November ... and it was announced the Americans will have a pretty good shot at getting out of the initial stage as they got a relatively favorable draw when the tourney's groups were announced Friday.

Lalas tells us he thinks there are certainly other countries who will be listed as the favorites to win the championship -- but he ain't counting out the U.S. just yet.

Don't let these two similar shots of 2 Chainz and Stephen Jackson flossing courtside distract you from the task at hand .... Take a (free throw) shot and guess the differences in these similar snaps of the famous rapper and former NBA player.

The hitmaker and b-baller sat in the stands as fans for the sporting event ... but might have stolen the show with these top-notch looks ... can you look past the fashion-forward friends to find the different little looks?

Yes, the photo is a vibe, but can you pass the check and spot the differences?

Johnny Manziel and his new girl are damn near inseparable at this point -- the couple was spotted holding hands in Miami on Friday ... fresh off their steamy night of clubbing.

The former Heisman winner and Kenzie Werner have been living it up in Florida this week ... including a VERY hands-on night on the town on Thursday.

The two got in even more quality time on Friday ... with Manziel holding onto Werner, who was wearing a sheer outfit with a bikini underneath.

As we previously reported, Manziel and Werner have been seeing each other a lot recently ... partying in Scottsdale and South Beach.

The couple even went Instagram official, too -- Manziel posted several pictures with Werner, captioning the post, "So much for a sneaky link 🤷🏻‍♂️."

Manziel is seemingly spending as much time as possible with Werner before stepping foot on the field for Fan Controlled Football ... with the season starting later this spring.

They hit up the beach in Miami earlier this week ... playing catch with a football and packing on the PDA.

More heinous allegations against former MLB star Milton Bradley ... his wife, Rachel Bradley, is now accusing the ex-baseball player of threatening to kill her in front of their 5-year-old son.

Rachel made the claim in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which she's asking a judge for a temporary restraining order from the 43-year-old.

In the documents, Rachel -- who got married to Milton in 2015 -- says the former Los Angeles Dodger told her on Feb. 6, 2022, that he was going to kill her while her mother and their son were in the room.

She also claimed in the documents that Milton has terrorized her on a daily basis.

"Every day, I am living in fear," she said in the documents. "I am Mr. Bradley's punching bag that receives his erratic behavior and attacks. I am walking on eggshells daily."

In her docs, Rachel is asking for full legal and physical custody of their 5-year-old and child support ... in addition to the restraining order.

This is not the first time Milton has been accused of brutalizing his significant others -- in 2018, he pled no contest to domestic battery after Rachel claimed he roughed her up and then fled their home.

He was ultimately sentenced to 36 months of probation in the case.

Bradley was also accused of choking his previous wife, Monique, in the early 2010s ... and spent 15 months behind bars in that case.