TMZ Sports - Page 10

The Americans were bounced in the Women's World Cup -- and if you can believe it ... there are many here in the States who are celebrating their defeat, all because of politics.

For anyone who wants a true sense of how divided the USA is right now, go ahead and hop on Twitter to see the reactions to Megan Rapinoe and co. being beaten by Sweden in PKs Sunday ... which ends their World Cup run, and sees Rapinoe retire on a down note.

A ton of people -- mostly conservatives, it seems -- are crapping on the USWNT and arguing that the team, at large, is reaping what they've sown here ... citing political stances some have taken, including how they handled the National Anthem at the start of the tournament.

You'll recall ... several starters for Team USA stood in silence during the 'Star-Spangled Banner' during their opening match against Vietnam -- and it pissed a lot of folks off.

Of course, there were also comments Rapinoe made last year about trans athletes in women's sports -- which she unequivocally supported in fiery statements. That, too, rubbed a certain demographic the wrong way -- and now, a victory lap is being had at her expense.

This is a snapshot of where America is right now ... where culture wars dominate pretty much every aspect of pop culture, which are getting uglier and more contentious by the day.

On an objective level ... there are also some saying Team USA just wasn't up for going the distance this year, evidenced by their level of play and lack of effective offense. They squeaked by the early round ... and many felt other teams were simply better than us.

There was also a question about attitude ... something former USWNT star Carli Lloyd tore into the other day after the Americans seemed happy to settle for a 0-0 tie with Portugal.

Some spectators at the Jake Paul/Nate Diaz fight wanted a piece of the action, because not one but several crazy brawls erupted after the match.

It's unclear why people were fighting, although the simple explanation is they were just looking for a brawl. It's kinda like projection ... they all wanted to be Jake, so they took a swing at it.

Doesn't seem anyone was seriously hurt, and they all got their money's worth. Jake won by unanimous decision.

As for the fan fights ... people trashed the brawlers on social, calling it embarrassing.

BTW ... Jake chose to fight Nate over a rematch with Tommy Fury, whom he lost to a few months back by decision.

You may know him as Ashtray from "Euphoria," but Javon "Wanna" Walton is out to make a name for himself in a completely different industry ... telling TMZ Sports his goal is to be a boxing champion!!

The 17-year-old actor recently signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions ... and he told us he's shifting his focus from entertainment to fighting.

"This is something I want to do for the rest of my life," Wanna said. "It's something I've been very passionate for a very long time, and it's something that I care about a lot."

"Boxing to me, is just a release," Wanna added. "I love every minute of it and, I mean, the ultimate goal is world champion and defending my titles for a very long time and becoming a Hall of Famer. That's the real goal for me."

But this isn't something that just came up out of the blue -- Wanna explained his parents would watch boxing all the time when he was a kid ... and naturally, he fell in love with the sport.

In fact, Wanna -- who started training when he was four years old -- now has 80 amateur bouts under his belt, including multiple tournament wins and Georgia state titles ... and went into detail on why he decided to team up with Jake's promotion.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I knew that I was gonna be valued, and a place that I knew that they were going to care about me a lot, and a place with a lot of talent," Wanna added. "Everyone over at MVP is very talented and they've all done such amazing things in their career."

Wanna praised Jake for being a "very sharp" and "super laid back" guy ... and told us he hopes to learn from the YouTuber-turned-boxing star.

We asked Wanna straight-up where he saw himself in 10 years ... and he's confident in his future.

Jake Paul is back in the win column -- the Problem Child just defeated UFC legend Nate Diaz via unanimous decision ... in what was a fun and entertaining fight!

Paul started fast, dominating the first round, landing several significant punches. Diaz looked better in the second, but Jake still controlled the round, as he also did in the third.

Nate had a few nice moments in the 4th, and even landed a hard punch that snapped Jake's head back. The round wasn't as clean, and that benefited Diaz.

Jake regained control in the 5th, landing a left hook to Nate's head, sending him to the canvas. Diaz quickly got up, and didn't only withstand an onslaught of punches from Paul, but actually began to move forward and mount offense.

The 5th featured the lone knockdown of the fight.

The rest of the fight was close.

Nate showed off his famous cardio in the later rounds (why he wanted a 10-round fight, as opposed to the originally scheduled 8), and proved once again it's nearly impossible to stop him.

Jake appeared gassed at times in the later rounds (he went 10 rounds in his 8th pro fight) ... but never looked seriously hurt, and was always throwing punches.

In fact, both men were active. Paul threw 491 punches ... landing 174. Diaz uncorked 392 punches, landing 143.

The fight went the full 10 rounds ... and Paul ultimately won by unanimous decision.

Jake's brother, Logan, was present for the bout even after competing at WWE's SummerSlam event in Detroit earlier in the night -- hopping on a private jet in order to make it to see his fam get the dub.

In his post-fight interview, Jake once again reiterated his $10 million MMA offer to Nate ... who seemed to indicate he was down to fight in the PFL.

Paul also made it clear he still wants to avenge his loss to Tommy Fury.

The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox game Saturday night turned into a wild bench clearing melee after two opposing players got into a brawl in the middle of the field.

It all started in the sixth inning when Guardians slugger Jose Ramirez smacked a double, diving headfirst into second base before White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson tagged him.

Ramirez was clearly safe ... yet it didn't stop him from getting up and sticking his finger in Anderson's face. Unclear why Ramirez was so angry ... but things turned ugly after that.

Anderson threw his glove down and put his dukes up ready to fight. Ramirez squared off against him before the two started throwing punches at each other as both teams flooded the field from their dugouts.

Ramirez clocked Anderson in the face, knocking him on his butt. Their teammates jumped in and held them back, putting an end to the brief boxing match.

An umpire ejected both players from the game at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The hometown crowd shouted in support of Ramirez -- the Guardian's third baseman -- as he walked off the field.

It ain't Ja'Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill or Cooper Kupp ... no, Randy Moss tells TMZ Sports the NFL's best wide receiver is none other than Justin Jefferson!!

The NFL legend heaped the praise on the Minnesota Vikings star this week ... calling him straight up, "the No. 1 wide receiver in the National Football League."

Of course, there aren't too many who'd disagree ... Jefferson, after all, has piled up a staggering 4,825 receiving yards and 25 receiving TDs in just 50 career games.

Then again, Chase, Hill, Kupp, Davante Adams and even guys CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown have been pretty good themselves.

Still, Moss made it clear Jefferson's his guy ... though he is at least somewhat concerned about what the loss of Dalvin Cook could do to the receiver's production this year.

"If there's anything that I have in question for the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson moving forward," Moss said, "It's what Dalvin Cook meant to that running game and the play-action passing game for Kirk Cousins and that offense."

"So," he continued, "I think that if they can move past Dalvin Cook still bringing that safety down in that box, it's still going to be just big numbers being put up by Jefferson."

Jermell Charlo says it doesn't bother him that Mike Tyson picked Canelo Alvarez to beat him in their upcoming fight ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to do his own thing in the ring regardless.

Charlo and Canelo are slated to square off on Sept. 30 in a superfight in Las Vegas ... and when Iron Mike was asked to give his prediction on the tilt recently, he said he was taking Canelo.

"I think Canelo should beat him," Tyson said to ES News, "overpower him."

When we asked Charlo about it in the leadup to the Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence fight last week ... he made it clear, the opinion from the boxing GOAT doesn't faze him.

Instead, he said he wants his physique -- and his fists -- to do all the talking for him.

"He can say what he want to say," Charlo said of Tyson. "But I gotta get in there and fight -- Canelo gotta get in there and fight."

Charlo added that he's been training hard since he and Canelo agreed to face off ... even saying that while he was out in Vegas for the Crawford-Charlo matchup, he wasn't "on vacation."

Noah Gragson's getting taken out of the driver's seat after liking a meme that mocked George Floyd -- and he's owning up to the fact that he screwed the pooch.

The race car driver -- who competes professionally for NASAR's Cup Series -- was suspended indefinitely Saturday by his stock car team, Legacy Motor Club, which announced he was being benched just a day before the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway ... in which Gragson was supposed to participate.

That ain't happening now -- Josh Berry is now taking his place. LMC denounced Gragson's social media activity by saying his actions "do not represent the values of our team."

As for Gragson himself, he's apologized ... writing, "I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media. I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."

It's unclear when NG hit the like button for this Instagram meme, but it was pretty offensive. The image shows the live-action version of Sebastian the crab from 'The Little Mermaid,' with Floyd's face superimposed. A caption reads, "Under Da Knee, Under Da Knee."

Buckle up ... Jorge Masvidal's opened the door to a possible UFC return. He also wants to smash Conor McGregor's face ... preferably in the street, not an Octagon.

The 38-year-old MMA superstar sat down with Michael Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when the topic turned to the BMF title.

"I think I'm going to have to come back and snatch that belt up real quick. Something like that. But not at [155 lbs.], they gotta come up to [170 lbs.]," Masvidal said.

Gamebred continued ... "A UFC fight. Not now, but at some point, I think I gotta come back."

Of course, Jorge was the OG BMF belt holder ... he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 244, and took home the belt, which was presented to him by The Rock.

Last weekend, Masvidal, who retired after his April fight with Gilbert Burns, was on hand in Salt Lake City ... and presented the belt to Justin Gaethje after he defeated Dustin Poirier.

We asked Jorge ... who would you want to fight in your return?

"Whoever's got the BMF belt," Masvidal started answering ... and that's when McGregor came up.

"Really I would like to fight Conor because he's such a bitch. I can't stand that dude. But him on the street for free, 'cause he'll never fight me in the ring."

"He never mentions my f***ing name in a comment," Jorge said, adding ... "[Conor's] calling out Dustin and Justin. Shut the f*** up, and do the due process. You f***ing bitch!"

If you're a fan of Masvidal, you know before Strikeforce, Bellator, or the UFC, he got his start fighting in the streets ... alongside the great Kimbo Slice.

"Conor doesn't want [a fight with me]. He's shut it down like 3 or 4 times and he's told people that I'm too big for him, yet he's at my weight class, 170," Masvidal said, explaining why he doesn't believe the fight would ever happen anywhere besides the street.

"He knows that the way that I'd beat him is the way that he wins fights. Stand up, f***ing punching his teeth in and kicking his ribs in, so I know it's just not good for his brand."

Even though Jorge hasn't been fighting, it doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

Since retiring, Masvidal's launched his very own fight promotion, Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA ... and he's proceeded to book big fights with combat sports superstars.

In fact, former UFC heavyweight champions Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum are fighting on September 8 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL ... a rematch of their UFC 90 scrap (2008), which FW won by KO.

There's much more with Jorge ... including his plans for his promotion, who he'd like to sign next (Derrick Lewis, anyone?), his renewed beef with Ben Askren, and of course, that coveted return to the cage!

Sorry, Jets fans ... Randy Moss says despite New York's huge offseason, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC.

But, the NFL legend tells TMZ Sports he's stoked for the year NY is about to have regardless ... saying he can feel a completely different energy emanating from the Big Apple after the arrival of Aaron Rodgers.

"I felt the buzz when the Jets were down," said Moss, who works in New York for his role as an ESPN analyst, "and now I'm feeling the buzz when they're ready to look forward to some big things from this organization."

Moss says he's totally impressed with the way Rodgers has integrated himself into his new team and community ... noting he's seen a far different body language from the QB from what he's witnessed in the past.

Now, he thinks it'll all spell out "an MVP-type-caliber season" for the 39-year-old signal-caller

"I just think the sky's the limit for the New York Jets," he said.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer, though, would apparently still put his money on Mahomes to take the AFC title this year ... telling us the favorite in the conference "is still Kansas City."

Drake is picking sides in the upcoming Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight ... placing a bet on The Problem Child to fall short ... and judging by the massive wager, Champagne Papi's feeling confident.

Drizzy posted the Stake betting slip on social media Friday night ... and he's risking $250,000 to win $1 million. In order for Drake to cash out, Nate has to win his fight with Paul.

Here's how Drake's explaining his bet ... "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake's switching up when it comes to the YouTuber-turned-boxer ... remember, he bet $400k on Jake to knock out Tommy Fury back in February, but Jake didn't make it happen and Drake lost.

But, Jake says Drake has won tons of money on him in the past ... though that doesn't appear to be influencing Drake's bet this time around.

The fight's going down Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas ... and Jake's a heavy favorite, though Drake is going for the underdog here.

Jake and Nate are chomping at the bit to fight ... their Thursday press conference spiraled into a massive brawl.

Tyron Woodley isn't done with the Paul brothers just yet -- the former UFC champion tells TMZ Sports that after two fights with Jake, he now wants Logan!!

"The Chosen One" was giving us his take on Jake's upcoming bout against Nate Diaz on Saturday ... when the conversation turned to his own boxing career.

We asked Woodley whether he would volunteer to be Logan's opponent for his event with KSI and Tommy Fury on Oct. 14 ... and a lightbulb went off in his head.

"I would love to fight Logan Paul," Woodley -- who lost to Jake in August and December 2021 -- told us.

Of course, the two have a bit of history ... and Woodley remembers the older Paul bro running his mouth back when he was feuding with Jake.

"Logan, what's crackin'? You was talkin' mad s*** while I was fighting your brother and I almost kicked your Polaroid off the boxing ring because he was distracting the fight, talking and hitting the canvas and taking pictures."

Woodley also claims Logan was supposed to be on the same card as his scrapped fight with KSI ... saying Paul was going to fight Dillon Danis until he injured himself in WWE.

"So, if y'all wanna do it again and flip the coin, let's get it cracking ... I was about to get to training anyway, let's get it in."

Stars have ditched the chlorine pools and watered down Summer 2023 with some action-packed adventure while living out their H2O fantasies! From wakeboarding at the lake to scuba diving in the tropics, come explore the open waters with the stars who aren't shying away from sporting wetness!

Ride the wave with Kaitlyn Bristowe who was a total baddie sippin' wine while wakeboarding, "Riverdale"s Ross Buttler rode the rapids with his raft and crew ... and Hailey Bieber took a timeout from her boarding to pose with her precious paddle!

Geno Smith went back and forth with cops during his arrest last year, arguing he was too big to fit in the squad car, video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

Smith, who was cleared in the case on Thursday, was pulled over in King County in January 2022 after Wash. State Patrol said he was driving his Rolls Royce erratically (96 MPH in a 60 MPH zone), switching lanes without signaling, and claiming he smelled like booze.

The video shows Smith outside of his car as the officer attempted to explain why he was stopped. The cop requested Smith take a sobriety test, but the signal caller refused, so he was put in cuffs.

Smith, who's now 32, was led back to the police car, and he sat down halfway, before he became agitated with officers who asked him to scoot in.

"Are you guys being serious right now or what?" Smith asked. "How am I gonna fit in this car? Explain to me how I'm gonna fit in this car?"

Smith then began to ague the merit of his arrest ... questioning how cops determined he was driving under the influence. The officer explained ... his driving.

Smith laughed it off and then seemingly attempted, unsuccessfully, to fit his body inside the car.

"I can't fit in here. I don't know what you want me to tell you, I'm 6'4"," Smith argued. "If y'all can't get a car that can fit me, I don't know understand what y'all telling me."

"I don't know how y'all fit people in here. Other Black males that look like myself at 6'4" but I don't know what you guys do but I can't fit back here."

Smith -- who signed a 3-year, $105 million deal with Seattle in March -- eventually figured it out and remained quiet for the remainder of the video.

However, according to a police report, Smith allegedly told an officer he had a "little d**k", made threats, and had to be restrained at the hospital while his blood was drawn. Those instances were not captured on the video we obtained.

The Kings County Prosecuting Attorney's Office confirmed on Friday his BAC was .038, which is below the legal limit of .08. His THC levels were also below the legal limit.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was found not guilty on rape and kidnapping charges on Friday ... and he is now expected to rejoin his team.

As we previously reported, the 25-year-old was indicted less than two weeks before Super Bowl LVII last year ... following a three-year investigation into the allegations made by a former high school classmate.

Sills, who was in Ohio at the time, was accused of forcing the woman to perform oral sex on him for approximately 20 minutes while he drove her home in his truck, according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Following four days of testimony and three hours of deliberation in an Ohio court ... Sills was acquitted of both charges.

"I'd like to thank you for everything you’ve done," Sills said after the acquittal, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I'd like to thank my family for supporting me from day one. I've done nothing wrong, and am glad that was proven today."

As a rookie, Sills appeared in just one game for the Eagles last season.

Tom Brady ain't the only quarterback staying in great shape in retirement -- 'cause Eli Manning is lookin' like he's ready to make a comeback ... showing off his solid physique while on vacation with his friends!!

The 42-year-old former signal-caller was aboard a yacht in Portofino, Italy this week ... and he was joined by his old center, Shaun O'Hara, Capital Partners CEO Ben Weprin, and their spouses and friends.

Manning unleashed his inner child as he played with pool noodles, sea scooters, and, of course, a football ... but what really caught our attention -- dude looks GOOD!!!

Now, Manning was never really out of shape during his 16 seasons with the Giants, but the guy hasn't snapped the ball in nearly half a decade ... but it's clear he's making sure he's keeping up with his fitness.

Manning and O'Hara even piggybacked on a jet ski ... proving they're just as close as they were during their playing days.

Of course, Brady doesn't play games when it comes to fitness and health, either ... and we recently caught him on his own vacation in Greece lookin' lean and well.