TMZ Sports - Page 22

BKFC just celebrated their 5-year anniversary -- and for a promotion that was once a pariah -- President David Feldman says they've got big things coming, including a reality show, setting them up to become the second biggest combat sports org. in the world.

"We're in talks with two major networks right now. I think we're going to get a network deal, and I think that's going to really blow us up. We already have four or five buyers on it," the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship CEO told us.

"We're going to have a reality show end of '23, beginning of '24, and a major TV deal," Feldman said, adding ... "I really certainly think in three to four years from now, we're in the number two spot in combat sports. I really mean that."

BKFC has recently put on some big fights ... namely Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold (that's when Conor McGregor came into the ring afterward) and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes.

Like the early days of MMA, bare knuckle boxing was once shunned by many states, accused of being too brutal. But, the sport has been much more widely accepted over the last couple of years, with BKFC having put on more than 50 events in 12 different states, and 4 countries.

"A lot of people ask what's my toughest obstacle that I had to overcome with BKFC, and it was just changing people's perception on it. The perception on it was, a backyard street fight, a bar fight. Anything but that. We have the best combat sports athletes in the world," Feldman told us.

As for the smoothest part, David says ... "it's just relatable to everybody. Everybody in the world has either watched at some point or another or been in a bare-knuckle fight in their life. Everybody kind of knows what it is. So because of that, it helped us transition, I believe."

Feldman says they now have their eyes on several big boxing stars who they'd like to lure to BKFC. David believes bare-knuckle boxing is a true "middle ground" between boxing and MMA ... potentially setting up fights that'd draw massive fan interest.

Broncos defensive back P.J. Locke is one helluva teammate ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he gifted Justin Simmons some custom cleats to help the star honor his late dad.

If you weren't aware, Simmons tragically lost his father in April ... and he said he was absolutely heartbroken over the passing, writing on his social media page that the two were super close.

We're told Locke, one of Simmons' best buds on the Broncos, immediately looked for a way to cheer up the 29-year-old after hearing the devastating news ... and hit up local Denver artist Breanna Berry about possibly making some tribute spikes for Simmons.

Turns out, Berry was all-in on the idea, and got to work right away.

The cleat artist spent five hours painstakingly designing the shoes ... putting a portrait of Simmons' dad, Victor, on one of them ... while wrapping them both in Broncos blue and orange colors.

She also made sure to paint on the cleats the phrases "I love you" ... and, "Any man can be a father but it takes some special to be a dad" -- a line that Simmons wrote in his emotional Instagram post to his father in April.

The finished product came out great ... and we're told Simmons was able to get his hands on them earlier this week.

Conor McGregor punched the Miami Heat's mascot last night, and while it all seemed to be in good (planned) fun ... it actually ended up hurting the dude inside, per a new report.

According to The Athletic ... the man who was playing "Burnie" during Friday's game was sent to the ER after taking a couple of closed-fist dings to the dome ... courtesy of Conor, who was playing along in a clearly orchestrated sketch.

You see, the whole thing was designed to plug CMG's new pain relief spray -- TIDL Sport --which he actually used during the comedy bit. The mascot got socked, went down ... and then got socked again before being dragged away by staffers. Conor was spraying it on the way out.

Unfortunately ... while Conor might've thought Burnie was just hamming it up for the crowd -- the person wearing the costume was legitimately injured. The Athletic says the Burnie dude was treated at the hospital, and then released with pain medication ... and was OK.

So, no real harm or foul all things considered ... and it certainly doesn't sound like anyone in the league or with the Heat is mad at Conor. It's just one of those things -- a battle wound if you will.

Tom Brady's feeling the need for speed and getting plenty of it in France at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ... where a ton of celebs are on hand for the action.

The legendary endurance race recruited none other than LeBron James for the honor of waving the starting flag for this year's event.

Famous racing fan, and sometimes driver, Patrick Dempsey is also there ... as is Ferrari's F1 driver Charles LeClerc. He's not driving this weekend, LeClerc's just there to support the Italian automaker, which is returning to the Le Mans grid for the first time in 50 years.

But, all eyes were on Brady before the race, because he's not just a spectator this weekend ... dude's got skin in the game.

His Brady Brand clothing line is a sponsor on the Hertz Team car. He stopped to take a bunch of selfies with fans as he walked the grid before the race went green.

Tom joked on social media, he wanted to "see what it feels like to pass someone." Speed was never his thing, but he did alright without it.

The Miami Heat are on the ropes in the NBA Finals, but their celeb turnout is still top-seeded in the league ... right up there with legendary LA Lakers Showtime.

Lil Wayne, Conor McGregor, G-Eazy, Chris Tucker and J. Balvin filed into the primo seats at Miami's Kaseya Center.

McGregor actually got some playing time -- not in the game, which the Denver Nuggets won -- but he was part of the center court entertainment. The UFC legend squared off with the Heat mascot Burnie ... and earned a one-punch W.

Some other famous fans in the crowd included Odell Beckham Jr., Flo Rida, Forest Whitaker, Neymar, Ozuna and Paul Pogba.

The man who turned his son into the "Baby Gronk" social media sensation wants all his critics to take a seat ... telling TMZ Sports they're just jealous because his kid's going to be set for life -- with or without football.

10-year-old Baby Gronk's rise to fame as a youth athlete has been polarizing to say the least -- some find it entertaining, while others view it as Todd Marinovich 2.0.

In fact, future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt voiced his displeasure over the Baby Gronk craze ... saying he believes "no kid should be training 'like a pro' until at least HS."

We spoke with Jake San Miguel about the negativity he's received as a result of the internet success ... and he believes anyone who has a problem with it is living in the past.

"It's a new era, it's a new generation," San Miguel tells us. "The people that are normally jealous of us is kinda older. They just don't get it. The times have changed -- Elon Musk about to move us to Mars."

"The internet is where it's at. All I did was made him a platform so if he tears an ACL or he doesn't make it in football -- which it's hard to make the NFL -- at least he has all this other money to start up a company or be a part of several companies by the time he's a senior."

Baby Gronk -- who boasts hundreds of thousands of followers -- has been trending all week ... after a TikTok showcased his meetup with massive LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, in which it hilariously claimed Livvy "rizzed up" the kid (she even hugged him).

We also spoke to Baby Gronk -- real name Madden (yes, because of John) -- and Jake about their big week ... and they both said it's just the beginning.

"The goal is to be a millionaire by senior year, with football or without football," San Miguel said.

Broncos fans are going to love this ...

Terrell Davis tells TMZ Sports Sean Payton has made such a huge impact since taking over the Denver reins this offseason ... it actually reminds him of the way Mike Shanahan turned around the team in the 1990s.

"It's different already," the former Broncos tailback said. "In terms of just the energy and the vibe around the building."

"This reminds me of Mike Shanahan when he first came to Denver," added Davis, who played for the legendary Denver coach from 1995 through 2001, winning two Super Bowls. "A lot of things that Mike did, it sounds like Sean Payton is the same type of coach."

One of the biggest positive changes Davis has noticed already with the team is the workman-like mentality the players have adopted.

He tells us he's not seeing nearly as much activity on social media from the guys  -- and it appears everyone is far more focused on winning games than they were last year, when they piled up an abysmal 5-12 record.

"They're just working," Davis said. "He's changing the culture there. He's putting his own stamp on things behind the scenes."

Davis, though, tells us he's not necessarily expecting immediate results in Year One ... explaining he's anticipating some growing pains in Payton's first season with a new franchise.

But, he is predicting a huge jump for Russell Wilson nonetheless ... telling us "this is exactly what Russ needs."

Zoey Stark has been making a name for herself since being drafted to "Monday Night Raw" ... but the former NXT star is ready to become a champ on the main roster -- and wants to go through WWE Smackdown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley to make it happen!

TMZ Sports spoke with Stark just days after she defeated Natalya to qualify for the Money in the Bank Women's ladder match with help from her friend, Trish Stratus ... and she's already envisioning going toe-to-toe with the Judgement Day member in the squared circle.

"I really want Rhea Ripley," Stark said. "I feel like we can have an amazing match. I feel like we'll have great chemistry inside of a ring together. And we'll have a fun time doing it, and honestly, we'll beat the crap out of each other. And I think that would be fun to watch."

Stark's on-camera relationship with Trish blossomed after she helped Stratus defeat Becky Lynch at "Night of Champions" ... and Zoey told us she attributes her early success on RAW to Trish's mentorship.

"Trish has been very big in helping me," Stark said. "Every week, we sit down, and we talk about what could have been better, what do I need to fix. She's been an amazing mentor. So being able to work alongside her is so fun, and I'm truly blessed to be able to do that."

Before Stark can get her hands on Rhea, she'll have to defeat several competitors at the Money in the Bank Ladder match, slated to go down Saturday, July 1, at the O2 Arena in London ... but she assured us she's going to emerge from that match victorious.

She also gave Haley & Hanna Cavinder some advice after the twins recently made their first WWE appearance on NXT ... reminding the former college hoopers that becoming a WWE Superstar requires sacrifice and commitment.

Despite all the negativity surrounding Zion Williamson and his personal life, his stepfather is offering a public show of support for his son, saying he stands by the NBA star ... while reminding people to "believe half of what you see and nothing you hear."

Williamson's stepfather, Anderson Lee, indirectly addressed the swirling rumors which started when porn star and OnlyFans model Moriah Mills blasted the Pels star this week, while at a Zion Williamson Foundation event in Louisiana.

"And I wanna say this," Lee said at the end of his speech ... "and I wanna be politically correct when I say it. That’s my son and I love him."

He continued ... "Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear. That’s all I want to say. I stand by my son one hundred percent. I wasn’t always where I am today."

ICYMI, Mills, 32, went on a Twitter rant this week, saying she has a romantic fling with the NBA superstar. She says she exposed their relationship, and alleged screenshots of their intimate text messages because she claims Zion did not tell her he had a girlfriend, nor that they were expecting a baby.

Williamson and his girlfriend, Ahkeema, announced on Tuesday they're expecting a baby girl.

"I was with you last week in New Orleans and you couldn’t tell me you had a random thot pregnant after all I’ve done for you @Zionwilliamson," Mills wrote on Twitter.

"Better pray I’m not pregnant too because I’m definitely late."

Mills claims this is not for clout or money ... it's about her getting "emotionally played."

Williamson -- who signed a 5-year, $193 million rookie extension with the New Orleans Pelicans -- has yet to comment on the allegations.

Amanda Nunes believes she is the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time... but if you don't, that's cool with "The Lioness."

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Nunes, who is returning to the Octagon in the main event at UFC 289, and asked her who she believed was the greatest ever.

Amanda didn't mince her words ... "Me."

Of course, it's a subjective question ... it can't be definitively answered. In the wake of Jon Jones going up to heavyweight and dominating Ciryl Gane with ease, a lot of fight fans, including Dana White, have declared "Bones" Jones the greatest.

Others in the conversation are Khabib Nurmagomedov, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Georges St-Pierre, in addition to Nunes.

Amanda, who won back her belt vs. Julianna Pena in July, will fight 35-year-old Irene Aldana Saturday night in Vancouver. We asked Nunes, who has done everything in the sport (double champ, beaten "Cyborg", Ronda Rousey, V. Shevchenko), if retirement has entered her mind.

The short answer is no ... 'cause Amanda says she still enjoys the "feeling" of a fight, and "process" of preparing.

"I wanna keep doing this because this is what makes me alive, keeping me fresh, keeping me on my toes. I love the competitions and I don't see anything after this fight so I guess I'm gonna go through this, get my belt back home, and get right back to the next."

We also talked to Irena, who is on a mission to stop the belt from going back to Florida with Nunes, and she made it clear she isn't content with simply sharing the Octagon with Amanda. She wants to win.

And since her teammate, fellow Mexican fighter Alexa Grasso, won the belt by beating another dominant champ in Valentina Shevchenko, Aldana has faith that it's possible.

"I learned a lot from [Alexa] and I love the way she handled all these things. She had the world against her and nobody gave her a chance and she showed the world."

FYI, Grasso was a huge underdog ... and so is Aldana.

But, Alexa won ... and that's Irene's plan, too.

The insane celebrations on UConn's campus following the school's basketball team's championship win in April have now cost several students dearly ... TMZ Sports has confirmed a few have been expelled over it all.

UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz says while some investigations into the postgame incidents in Storrs, Conn. remain ongoing ... some have closed -- and they've resulted in students being perma-banned from the university.

Others could suffer similar fates soon -- Reitz tells us there are further hearings still on the school's agenda.

"We'll likely have a better picture later in the summer of the totality of the outcomes," Reitz said ... adding, "since students have the opportunity for an appeals process if they disagree with the proposed outcome, and in those circumstances, the case remains open until that takes place and a final decision is made."

The school initially launched investigations into the partying on April 3 ... just hours after students were seen wildly celebrating the Huskies' 76-59 win over San Diego State.

Video shot by bystanders shows students smashed windows ... while others ripped down light poles and lit fires in the streets.

Some were even accused of flipping a car on its side.

After nearly a year of dating, LaMelo Ball and his girlfriend, Ana Montana, went Instagram official on Friday ... and things appear to be serious -- 'cause the model says she's in love!!

The Charlotte Hornets star and influencer certainly haven't been hiding their romance ... exchanging mushy social media messages and featuring each other on their stories over the past few months.

While everyone assumed they were the real deal, the two never really came out and confirmed they were "official" until Friday ... when Melo and Montana shared each other on their IG grids.

Montana -- real name Analicia Chaves -- captioned her pics "The ONE😍🥰💕" and ... Melo wrote "1 of 1's 😘🛸💕" on his post.

Montana left a sweet comment on Melo's page ... saying, "I love you baby 💕😍🥰" ... and their fans went crazy.

"Happy looks so good on you 😍😍," one fan said ... while another said they look like a great couple.

Ball has made a splash in the NBA so far in his short career ... but his 2022-23 campaign was cut short due to a bad ankle injury. It's safe to say Ana did her part in helping him recover off the court.

Grab tissues ... Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris just reunited with the little boy he rescued from drowning last month, getting a big hug from the 3-year-old child whose life he saved!

The special moment came two weeks after young Wyatt was rescued by Morris and fellow good samaritan, Dr. Andrew Oleksyn, after he was found blue at the bottom of the Encore hotel swimming pool in Las Vegas.

"Good Morning America" captured the reunion on video ... showing Wyatt, and his mother Kelseigh Stanley, giving Morris a huge hug.

"It's truly a miracle, truly," Stanley said.

Dr. Oleksyn -- an ER physician -- also met with Wyatt, visiting him at the hospital, and describing it as a very emotional moment.

Both Morris and Dr. Oleksyn spoke about what happened that day ... with Raheem saying he heard a parent scream and then saw Wyatt unconscious poolside.

The Rams coach continued, saying he could feel the "panic of it all," jumping into action, asking the on-duty lifeguard for the location of the automatic external defibrillator (AED), something Morris learned at a recent training with the Rams (in light of the Damar Hamlin incident).

Dr. Oleksyn performed CPR while Morris retrieved the AED ... and shortly after, Wyatt started to come back, spitting water from his lungs, and developing a pulse -- thanks to the effort of Coach Morris and Dr. Oleksyn.

Kim Zolciak knows how to promote herself, teasing a comeback to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" on the heels of her divorce, but fans aren't gonna get the tea on her split ... TMZ has learned.

Kim shared a group pic Thursday with 'RHOA' OG cast members Sheree Whitfield, Lisa Wu and DeShawn Snow. "See you soon 🎥 @bravotv #RHOA". Of course, fans immediately began to speculate Kim was brought back on the show because of her divorce with Kroy Biermann.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us … Kim's got a cameo on the upcoming season 15 of the series, which is currently airing on Bravo. We're told Kim will appear on the show in a small capacity and when she filmed with the other ATL ladies, it was several months ago before the divorce.

Sources connected to the show tell us 'RHOA' is not currently in production and there are currently no conversations being had between Kim and producers to bring her on full-time or to cover the fallout between her and Kroy.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim and Kroy filed for divorce after 11 years and 4 kids.

As we reported, the former NFL star accused Kim of having a gambling problem and she's accused him of being a pothead who needs to take a drug test. Remember, Kroy has asked for sole physical and legal custody of their kids while Kim is asking for primary physical custody.

On top of that, the estranged couple is dealing with financial issues ... deep in the hole, owing more than $1 million to the IRS.

Brooks Koepka's wife brought a plus-one to the runway for her modeling gig on Thursday ... but it wasn't the star golfer -- she showed off her growing baby bump while rocking bikinis!!

Jena Sims was one of many beautiful ladies to walk in ONEONE's Miami Swim Week event ... and she stole the show as she put her tummy on display.

"Two hearts beating for @oneoneswim 💕," Sims said on Instagram. "Thank you for letting us 😉 represent your amazing brand [Valentina Suescun.]"

Sims -- who announced last month she was expecting her first child with her hubby -- leaned into the special moment ... drawing a pink heart on her tummy and putting her hands on the bump as she posed in numerous 'fits.

Jena's appearance is getting a ton of love ... with users flooding the comments with support.

Brooks was there to show love to his lady ... and we're sure he was enjoying every second of it.

Bam Margera getting treatment at Lamar Odom's wellness center can't come fast enough for his estranged wife, who says she got some very aggressive texts after he was released from a psych hold.

Nikki Margera's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... "Bam has started texting since his release from the 5150 hold, but the content quickly turned abusive, calling Nikki awful names, saying she is the cause of all his problems, even saying she’s a 'gold digger.'"

David says Nikki's still hopeful Bam's upcoming treatment will help him learn to take responsibility for himself -- adding she also hopes he'll learn how to communicate without being abusive.

Bam's attorney, Peter Thompson, says Bam was pissed after finding out Nikki's filed docs asking for $15,377 in child support, spousal support and $50K in attorney's fees.

Thompson tells us, "Bam continues to support her and Phoenix even though she won’t even allow a phone call or FaceTime with Phoenix. He just wants to see his son and continues to come up against a brick wall on that. Contact would go a long way in getting this resolved."

TMZ broke the story, Bam's been detoxing as of Wednesday's release and went with Lamar to one of his treatment centers. The former NBA star even checked in on Bam earlier in the week while he was under the psych hold.

The "Jackass" star posted a pic Thursday of himself with Lamar, saying he's starting his rehab journey.