TMZ Sports - Page 9

Drake is $2 million lighter this morning after betting on the loser in Saturday night's UFC title fight, but for a good part of the fight he looked like he was gonna win big.

The iconic rapper -- known for his love of high-stakes gambling -- plunked down the INSANE amount of cash on middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Adesanya seemed to have the upper hand until the 5th round. Then, Pereira unleashed a series of brutal body blows that staggered Adesanya, although he didn't drop to the canvas. But, the referee decided to step in anyway and stop the fight.

Pereira's victory marked the third time he defeated Adesanya ... their other two clashes were kickboxing matches.

As for Drake, he captioned his ticket on Instagram with "been focused on the album gotta get back to stacking up" before the fight ... so stacking will have to be an even bigger priority now that Izzy lost.

The Commanders will be in amazing hands if Daniel Snyder does end up selling the team to Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z ... so says Mark Cuban, who tells TMZ Sports the duo would be "great" NFL owners.

Snyder revealed earlier this month he has hired Bank of America to explore a potential sale of the Washington franchise ... and it didn't take long for Jay and Jeff to express interest in putting in a bid.

In fact, the duo had a secret dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to discuss it all ... breaking bread at a closed restaurant near the Sunset Strip for over two hours.

When we got Cuban -- arguably the most famous celeb owner in sports -- out in D.C. on Thursday ... he assured us the two titans would make for great honchos of the Commanders.

The Dallas Mavericks boss didn't elaborate further -- he had to jet quickly -- but he made it clear he's got full faith in the guys to turn the NFL org. around.

Jake Paul might have to get ready for a rematch ... but we're not talking Tyron Woodley or Anderson Silva -- his first-ever opponent tells TMZ Sports he'd love to have another shot at the Problem Child!!

Internet superstar Deji goes up against the one and only Floyd Mayweather Sunday in an exhibition in Saudi Arabia ... and he spoke with us about his preparations for The Best Ever -- as well as potential future matchups.

Deji says he's treating the fight 100% seriously as he gears up for the bout ... but at the same time, he doesn't want to psyche himself out before stepping in the ring.

As far as his boxing game goes, Deji tells us he isn't just in it for a huge paycheck -- he wants the viewers to see how much he's improved his game since going up against Jake in 2018.

Remember, Jake ended up beating Deji via stoppage in his first boxing match ... and Paul went on to beat NBAer Nate Robinson and a number of UFC stars.

Deji says he'd love to avenge his loss to Jake in due time ... telling us it's something he'll always want to do, but he may need to add a bit more to his record before going up against Jake again.

For Sunday's fight, Deji knows there'll be a ton of big names -- including Jake -- who would be checking out how much he's improved over the years.

Wanna ride like a 30-year-old Dwyane Wade? Now ya can ... if you've got some DEEEEEP pockets!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the custom black McLaren MP4 that the Hall of Famer was gifted for his big 3-0 is up for sale -- and the price tag has been set at a staggering $132,900.

The dark-purple car is sweet ... it was specially built for Wade for his cake day and features a 3.8-liter engine with an automatic 7-speed transmission. It also has a label on the doors that reads, "WADE" and "Hand-Assembled In The U.K."

And, according to The Barn, which is selling the ride, it only has 8,131 miles on it!

Wade, now 40, had the whip for a while, but sold it a few years back. We're told the buyer at the time, a car collector, had fun with it ... but is now ready to move on from it.

"It's the same as it was wrestling for me. I just wrestle against able-bodied people, and I beat able-bodied people. Now I'm fighting able-bodied people, and I'm gonna knock out able-bodied people. It's as simple as that. I'm a fighter."

Zion Clark is once again proving there's absolutely NOTHING he can't do -- despite being born without legs -- the former All-American wrestler tells us his next crazy accomplishment ... is taking an MMA fight!

"I'm trying to run this s**t up! It's not just a rinky-dink fight. This s**t's going on pay-per-view. This shit is a legit sanctioned fight," Zion told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), adding, "It's gonna be big!"

There's a good chance you've seen or heard about the 25-year-old's incredible story.

Clark was born in Ohio in 1997 with a rare birth defect called Cadual Regression Syndrome which caused him to be born without legs. Zion was put up for adoption after he was born. He bounced around the foster care system.

In elementary school Clark was introduced to wrestling ... but he wasn't very good at first. In fact, he didn't win a single match for years. But, after meeting his H.S. wrestling coach, Zion and the man developed a bond, and ZC's wrestling ability improved dramatically.

As a senior, he finished 33-15 ... wrestling against kids who had four limbs. Clark then went to Kent State, where he continued his successful wrestling career.

Zion's now training for the 2024 Olympics ... where he'd like to wrestle. He's also gunning to compete in the Paralympics in wheelchair racing ... where he's one of the most elite racers in the world.

He's also known as the "fastest man on two hands" ... Zion was a track champ in high school, too.

Clark also recently set two Guinness World Records ... for highest box jump (record was 24 inches. Zion jumped 33) with the hands and most diamond push-ups (248 in under 3 minutes).

As for Clark's MMA fight ... it's scheduled to go down December 17. Zion says he doesn't even know his opponent's name ... that's how unbothered he is about the fight.

It's not that he isn't taking the fight seriously ... in fact, it's just the opposite. Zion says he's beating his ass in the training room, sparring with MMA stars like Rampage Jackson and AJ McKee.

Check out the clip ... Zion talks about training with those legends, and what we can expect when he steps in the cage for the first time in just a few weeks.

Leonardo DiCaprio turned 48 this week -- and anyone who's anyone swung by to party.

The A-lister threw a massive bash Friday to celebrate his birthday at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, where a lot of famous faces were seen coming and going throughout the night. Truly, it was a classic who's-who of Hollywood ... something only a select few can pull off.

Among the high-profile guests ... LeBron James, Bradley Cooper, Sir Mick Jagger, Tobey Maguire, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Wesley Snipes, Stella Maxwell, Nicky Hilton, Sommer Ray, Jennifer Meyer, Caylee Cowan and many, many more.

This shindig was pretty private -- Leo reportedly had folks throw their phones into secure bags before entering, so you might not be seeing many photos posted on anyone's Story.

Definitely on par with the type of pomp and circumstance we'd expect from LDC -- after all, the guy played the Great Gatsby ... so he knows how to throw a good rager, it seems.

Alex Pereira says he's open to squashing the beef with Israel Adesanya after their UFC title fight in NYC this weekend ... but tells us he's not so sure Izzy feels the same way.

The 35-year-old, #4 contender and Izzy have some serious bad blood ... they previously kickboxed twice several years back. Since Pereira joined the UFC in 2021, many fans pinpointed this matchup as a future megafight -- and now it's here, and the beef is real.

"On my end, no problem but I don't think on his side everything that happened it's possible," AP said through a translator.

And, it sounds like Alex is right. The champ joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) last week and said he wanted to turn the scrap into a "horror movie."

As for the previous fights, Pereira twice defeated Adesanya (decision, KO) ... however, the fights were very close. In fact, many people believe Izzy won the first fight. In the rematch, Israel had Alex in trouble in the early rounds ... but was knocked out in the third round.

It should be noted ... the previous fights were in kickboxing, NOT MMA.

Despite this fight being in a different sport, Pereira says he's ready for everything.

"I'm ready for five rounds. Wherever the fight goes, it's hard to predict but I'm ready for everything."

Adesanya vs. Pereira is at the top of the 281 card ... but there is a bunch of other super compelling fights slated for tonight, including Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier.

Mike and Dustin, much like Izzy and Alex, don't exactly love each other.

We recently asked Michael about the bad blood.

"I think there were some words exchanged, but ultimately bad blood, I think there's bad blood in every single fight whether we like to admit it or not because you got two guys or gals trying to climb the same mountain, heading to the same destination. This one's no different."

But, there's more.

We also chatted with strawweight champion Carla Esparza ... who despite holding the belt, is a big-time underdog to Zhang Weili.

Esparza says she's drawing inspiration from a very famous, albeit fictional movie character from Philly who was once counted out against a physically superior opponent from Russia!

"I feel a little bit like Rocky going into this fight versus Drago. Big strong, verse the little one with a lot of heart. Whatever. I'm going in there to do my thing and I'm excited!"

Former NBA big man Marcin Gortat is inviting Kyrie Irving to come with him to his home country of Poland ... explaining to TMZ Sports he believes the trip would help educate the Nets star on Jewish history.

Gortat, who is not Jewish, was born and raised in Poland ... a country that experienced the terrors of World War II, Nazi Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust.

He told us out in LA this week that he found Kyrie's promotion of the antisemitic film "Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" to be "completely wrong" ... and he then extended the 30-year-old an invite to Poland to help him learn why he feels so strongly about it all.

"If he wants to learn something about the stuff he was talking about," Gortat said of Irving, "I can invite him to Poland and he will learn more about the whole situation."

Irving has issued an apology for his controversial tweet ... and after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Nets owner Joe Tsai this week -- both men said they truly believe the basketball player is not antisemitic.

Irving's indefinite suspension, however, has still remained in place -- and it's unclear when the Nets will lift the ban.

Gortat, who played against Irving multiple times during his 12-year NBA career, wouldn't say whether or not he believed the punishment was fitting ... noting it was a team decision.

Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira is going down tonight at UFC 281 ... and not a damn person knows who's going to win.

But, there's one fighter who not only faced the men (others have), he beat them both (something no one else has done) ... Jason Wilnis, former Glory middleweight champion. Wilnis is 1-0 against Israel (decision win, 2017) ... and 2-1 against Alex (decision win in 2015, TKO win in 2012).

TMZ Sports talked to Wilnis ... and we asked him to compare the two world-class fighters.

First, who hits harder?

"I can say, from my experience, that Alex Pereira hits harder, man. His punches aren't normal, man."

And, Wilnis says it isn't just punching power where AP has the edge ... he's got the overall strength advantage, too.

"The last time I fought [Pereira], he was so strong. You can see he put in work in the last years. He was too strong, too quick, so yeah, I think Pereira gives me bigger problems right now."

As for who's going to win, fans and experts alike are torn, and so is Wilnis.

"It's hard to say, man, but if I go for the experience, you know, Adesanya got the experience. He got the smarter moves but if I go for the hunger, the beast, it's Pereira. He's very hungry, so it's difficult to say," Jason told us.

But, when push comes to shove, he's going with Pereira, because Adesanya has already reached the MMA mountaintop, but Alex hasn't.

"I would say Pereira, man, for the hunger."

Of course, Adesanya, despite being the undisputed middleweight champ and a bonafide superstar, he isn't exactly lacking hunger ... and with teammate Alex Volkanovski, he may well be the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter on the planet.

Vin Scully's massive mansion has a HEFTY price tag attached to it ... but TMZ has learned his estate already has a buyer for the incredible property.

We're told Vin's estate accepted an offer Wednesday for the Hidden Hills home ... there are still contingencies, but we're told it looks solid.

As we reported, thr 7-bedroom, 9-bathroom palace -- where Vin passed away -- hit the market last month, with an asking price of $15 mil.

The 2-acre lot has a ton of bells and whistles ... including a pool, spa, putting green, oversized chef's kitchen, game room, marble wet bar and outdoor kitchen.

The pad also comes with a guest house and 6-car garage.

Takeoff's memorial service in Atlanta just ended, and his sendoff was marked by several emotional moments ... especially speeches from his Migos family and Drake.

The service started shortly after noon, and lasted several hours Friday from State Farm Arena ... which was packed with mourning fans, as well as the celebs who worked with Takeoff and loved him.

Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey and Yolanda Adams all performed during the ceremony, and Takeoff's family members -- including his mother, brother and sister -- addressed the crowd.

His close friend Drake spoke about the great times he and Migos all shared while touring together. He compared their brotherhood to the famed Rat Pack -- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford -- which he grew up watching on TV.

Of course, Offset and Quavo spoke not only about Takeoff as their groupmate, but as family. Their speeches, especially Offset's, really had the audience in tears.

All the free tickets to the event were gone almost instantly, and folks in attendance weren't allowed to use their phones -- ushers locked them in pouches during the service.

The venue, where the NBA's Atlanta Hawks play, lit up a big sign out front that read "Celebrating the life of Takeoff."

As we reported ... Cardi B and Offset were dressed in all black Thursday evening in Atlanta, looking somber during a gathering with close friends.

Shannon Sharpe says it's time to get past the latest Kyrie Irving controversy ... telling TMZ Sports that the Nets star's mea culpa is enough for him to be ready "move on" from it all.

Sharpe explained his stance on the matter to us out at LAX on Friday ... saying now that Irving's apologized -- and both NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai have deemed him to be not antisemitic -- he's down to put the whole saga in the past.

"He's done what they asked him to do," the Hall of Famer said. "He's apologized."

Sharpe did acknowledge that Irving's apology may not have been as prompt as some people would have liked -- but he went on to say it's still enough in his eyes.

"Hopefully, he meets with some of the people that were offended by the link he posted," Sharpe said, "and then, yeah, I agree, I'm ready to move on."

As we reported, after Irving tweeted out a link to the antisemitic film "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" and then refused to apologize for it ... he was hit with an indefinite suspension by the Nets.

But, since that time, Irving has said he's sorry ... and apparently had productive meetings and conversations with both Silver and Tsai about it all this week.

Clearly, Sharpe -- who has been critical of Irving on FS1's "Undisputed" in the past -- believes that's all enough.

Malik Beasley and Montana Yao's family is growing -- the NBA player just announced they welcomed their second child after getting back together.

The Utah Jazz guard broke the news that his daughter, Mia Love Beasley, was born on Friday ... sharing special photos alongside Yao in the hospital bed shortly after the baby arrived.

"11/11 and my wish came true 💫" Beasley said in the caption.

Their new bundle of joy definitely indicates all is well between the two -- remember, Yao filed for divorce in 2020 after Beasley was linked to Scottie Pippen's ex-wife, Larsa.

The 6'4" hooper made a public apology via IG months later -- asking his wife of 9 months to forgive him for everything.

"I wana say sorry for putting you in the situation you were put in the last few months.. my head wasn’t were it was supposed to be," Beasley said last May.

"I ain’t looking to be judged. I’m looking for forgiveness. To forgive me for hurting my family the way I did."

"I’m telling the world and you that there’s no body like you for me."

Eventually, the two decided to work things out ... and Montana has been spotted at a bunch of Malik's games this season.

The NFL is paying tribute to the late John Madden once again ... this time, it announced it's starting a huge Thanksgiving Day tradition to honor the legendary coach and broadcaster.

The inaugural "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration" will kick off on the Thursday holiday later this month ... with the NFL saying it has several tributes planned in Madden's memory.

Before each of the three games slated for Turkey Day -- the Bills vs. Lions, the Giants vs. Cowboys, and the Patriots vs. Vikings -- a recording of Madden talking about football and the holiday will be played.

The league also said in its announcement Friday that each network broadcasting the trio of games will pick a "Madden Player of the Game" following the contests, and the NFL Foundation will give each recipient a $10,000 check in their name to a youth or high school football program of their choice.

In addition, the NFL said each player participating in Thanksgiving Day games will have a Madden sticker on the back of their helmet ... while a Madden logo will be painted on the 25-yard line of all three fields.

"No one cared more or contributed more to our game than John Madden," league commish Roger Goodell said Friday. "Honoring his memory and impact on the NFL is important, and Thanksgiving Day brings all of the elements significant to John to life -- family, football, food, and fun."

John, who initially gained fame for his role as Raiders head coach and later became the face of the most popular football video game ever, passed away last December.

Former Cleveland Browns star Joe Thomas just went scorched earth on Jim Irsay ... blasting the Colts owner for hiring "drinking buddy" Jeff Saturday as Indy's next head coach.

Thomas, who played 11 years in the league, didn't hold back a thing while appearing on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Friday ... calling the Saturday hire "the most egregious thing I can ever remember happening in the NFL."

"It is one of the most disrespectful things I have ever seen in my entire life," the ex-offensive lineman said.

Thomas' main issue is Saturday's experience. The former Colts center never coached at the NFL or collegiate level -- and had been working as an ESPN analyst at the time of the hiring.

Thomas called it a complete slap to the face of all of the other coaches in the league who have worked tirelessly at their crafts for years.

Thomas then said Saturday's introductory press conference earlier this week -- one in which Irsay said he was actually glad Jeff didn't have prior head coaching experience -- was also disrespectful to those around the NFL.

"I was in France with my kids earlier in the week, but when I saw this, I thought it was a joke," he said. "I thought maybe I had a little Google translate and all the sudden I'm in the wrong calendar and it's April 1st or something going on."

Thomas threw some shade Saturday's way too ... seemingly implying the 47-year-old should have simply rejected Irsay's job offer.

Pete Rose is making a last-ditch effort in hopes of getting his Baseball Hall of Fame ban lifted ... sending an incredibly emotional letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred this week to plead his case.

Charlie Hustle has been public enemy #1 in Cooperstown ever since his infamous betting scandal came to light ... and hasn't been able to even sniff the voter's ballot as a result.

But, now that he's 81 years old, Rose is pulling out all the stops in hopes of someday knowing what it feels like to be called a "Hall of Famer."

TMZ Sports has obtained a copy of the Hit King's message (which was sent to MLB offices on Monday) ... and it's powerful stuff.

"I am writing today for three reasons," Rose said in the letter. "First, because at my age I want to be 100% sure that you understand how much I mean it when I say that I'm sorry. Second, to ask for your forgiveness. And third, because I still think every day about what it would mean to be considered for the Hall of Fame."

Rose acknowledges the hurt he caused the people he loves and respects, as well as Cincinnati Reds fans ... saying it's one of his biggest regrets.

"Besides spending time with my kids and my partner, there's nothing that made me happier than playing baseball in front of fans. That I let them down and brought shame to the sport we all love is something I think about every single day."

Of course, if it weren't for the betting scandal, Rose would be a shoo-in for the Hall -- he has the most hits in MLB history and has three World Series wins, three MVPs and 17 All-Star selections.

In his letter, Rose even apologized to the athletes he played alongside during his incredible career ... admitting it hurts to watch them grow old without having to deal with any sort of controversy.

"You can't imagine how painful it is when I see my teammates from all the great teams I played on and players I played against go about their lives in ways I wanted to. I want to be a part of that too and I know I probably never will. I am so grateful for the time I shared with them on and off the field. Nothing replaces it."

"I am asking for your forgiveness," Rose concluded. "Despite my many mistakes, I am so proud of what I accomplished as a baseball player -- I Am the Hit King and it is my dream to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Like all of us, I believe in accountability.  I am 81 years old and know that I have been held accountable and that I hold myself accountable. I write now to ask for another chance."

We're told Rose has not heard back from commish or the league yet.