TMZ Sports - Page 22

Francis Ngannou is guaranteeing Tyson Fury will "hit the canvas" in their upcoming fight ... telling TMZ Sports that one of his punches will send the heavyweight champ crashing to the ground.

The former UFC star made the proclamation while outside LAX this week ... two months before he steps into the ring against the undefeated Fury (33-0) in Saudi Arabia.

While he stopped short of ensuring it will be a KO -- he told us it wouldn't shock him if that ends up being the case.

"He's good at coming back up," Ngannou said. "We gonna find out how good he is -- but he's gonna hit that canvas."

While it might seem unlikely -- it is, after all, Ngannou's first-ever pro boxing bout and Fury is still at the top of his game -- the MMA fighter has been taking the fight very seriously. He said he's been studying Fury extensively ... and he's also been training with Mike Tyson.

"I'm super ready," Ngannou told us. "I'm very excited about that fight. I'm getting ready. From Saturday, we're 9 weeks out, a good amount of time to get those hands fast [and] strong."

Alexandra Paul, former Canadian Olympic figure skater, died in a horrific car crash.

The multi-vehicle accident occurred near Toronto this past Tuesday. The collision occurred when a semi-truck plowed into a line of cars stopped at a construction zone.

Her baby boy was in the car and taken to a hospital for what was described as non-life-threatening injuries.

Three others were hurt, including one man who was injured seriously enough to be airlifted to a trauma center.

The 31-year-old figure skater was married to her dance partner, Mitchell Islam. They were incredibly successful, winning numerous medals, including 3 for the Canadian Championship.

The pair also competed in the 2014 Olympics. Alexandra retired from skating in 2016 and became a lawyer in 2021.

NASCAR speed demon Ryan Preece is lucky to be alive after his car wildly flipped over nearly a dozen times during a race in Florida.

Preece was zooming around the track in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs stock car race at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night when he ran into some serious trouble.

Check out the video ... with just six laps to go, Preece's car suddenly cuts across the track and goes airborne before tumbling over 10 times and coming to a stop in the infield.

A medical team responded, helping Preece out of his mangled car, which appeared to be on fire. Preece was placed on a stretcher and rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

It's not clear what caused the accident in the 16-car race, which was won by Chris Buescher. As a result of his loss, Preece was eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson doesn't want to fight Ian Machado Garry ... so, who will the rising UFC star's next scrap be against?! Welp, "The Future" says ... Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson!

"No, the 'Wonderboy' fight is gonna happen. I have 100% faith," 25-year-old Garry told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Of course, Ian absolutely decimated Neil Magny at UFC 292 ... beating him from pillar to post, and winning by unanimous decision. In fact, one of the judges scored all three rounds 10-8 for Garry, giving him a 30-24 victory. The other cards were both 30-26. Bottom line, it was pure domination.

After the fight, Rogan asked Garry, who has since moved up to 11th in the rankings, who he wanted next.

"I need to prove myself as the best striker that this division has ever seen," Ian told Joe.

"To be the best striker in the world, you need to beat the best strikers. And everybody has Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson on that list, so give me Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson whenever, wherever, for 5 rounds and I will prove to you that I'm the next generation of striker in the world."

The issue ... Dana White, while doing media after the event, told reporters Stephen wasn't interested in the fight.

FYI, Thompson is ranked 7th ... and recently told us he was interested in a fight against former champ Kamaru Usman, the first-ranked contender.

Unlike with Magny, Garry says he has zero beef with Stephen.

"I love Wonderboy. He's a friend of mine. I get along with him. He knows me. He knows my family. There's no malice towards Wonderboy."

Garry added ... "What I want to do is challenge myself against the best, and when we speak about the greatest strikers of all time, Wonderboy absolutely when it comes to the welterweight division, is that guy."

There's much more with Garry ... including when he wants to fight next, and who he wants after Thompson.

Step aside Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville -- a new crop of stuntmen has arrived ... and the dudes are so crazy, they let UFC fighter Blake Bilder beat the hell out of them on video!!

The Jackass-like guys call themselves "Mad House" -- and for one of their latest exploits ... they hit up a local gym to go toe-to-toe with a man who just fought on the UFC 289 card back in June.

Despite having little to no training whatsoever, four of the men put on boxing gloves and stepped onto the mats to go one, three-minute round with Bilder ... and, yeah, it all went exactly how you'd expect it to go.

Bilder first knocked one of the men out with a massive body shot. He then made another guy bleed after whaling on his face. Later, he put one of the dudes to sleep with a wild choke hold.

Bilder said afterward he couldn't believe any of them had the gall to actually try to fight him.

Spain's soccer honcho Luis Rubiales was just temporarily barred from participating in football events around the globe ... this after he planted an unwanted kiss on a player after his country won the World Cup last weekend.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee issued a statement Saturday, saying Rubiales was provisionally suspended from "all football-related activities at national and international level." His initial suspension is for 90 days, pending the results of an investigation launched on August 24.

Rubiales' troubles stem from an incident that occurred last Sunday after Spain beat England 1-0 to snag the FIFA Women's World Cup.

During the ensuing medal ceremony, Rubiales approached one of Spain's players, Jenni Hermoso, and gave her an unsolicited kiss, which was caught on camera.

He was also photographed carrying another player over his shoulder and grabbing his own crotch.

FIFA says Rubiales -- president of the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation -- might have violated rules pertaining to "offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play."

As for Rubiales' response, he initially apologized for his actions, but, after that didn't work, he turned defiant, refusing to step down from his post despite calls for him to do so. In fact, the women's soccer team threatened to go on strike if FIFA failed to suspend him.

Bray Wyatt is being remembered as an incredible wrestler and an even better person -- the late WWE Superstar's close friend, Mojo Muhtadi, says the community lost a truly special individual this week.

Mojo -- who wrestled alongside Bray (real name Windham Rotunda) in WWE for years -- poured his heart out in an emotional tribute on the "TMZ Sports" TV show ... praising the guy for being the utmost professional and caring coworker.

"Bray was just a very close personal friend of mine," Mojo said. "Someone that I traveled city to city, country to country with for years on the road, some of the best times of my entire career."

"You talk about Bray Wyatt the performer, and he is absolutely the most creative, original performer I have met in my entire life. The things that he did in the ring were the things that only Windham could have pulled off. No one else could have done that. He was just incredible in every single way. Even Bray Wyatt just didn't hold a candle to who Windham Rotunda was as a person."

Mojo -- who got his start in wrestling thanks to Bray's dad, Mike -- said Bray was someone who brought all the wrestlers together -- never putting anyone down and taking newbies under his wing.

In fact, he said many of today's Superstars owe their careers to Bray ... as he shared so much of his knowledge with the talent.

"Kid, you have no idea how much money you're gonna make."

That's what UFC president Dana White told "Suga" Sean O'Malley as the newly crowned champion stood in the Octagon with the UFC honcho after defeating the great Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

28-year-old O'Malley joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on Friday ... and chopped it up about all things Aljo, how life's changed since becoming champ, reaching Conor McGregor levels of fame, his offer to train Henry Cejudo in wrestling, and what he wants next!

"Chito was acting like he earned a title shot. I think he even tweeted he was the most exciting bantamweight which is just bonkers. I don't know how he sees that. He needs to settle down a little bit, cause I do have options.

"Henry, I pretend like is an option, realistically it's not. He lost his last fight. Alexandre Pantoja, the 125 lb. champ, throwing my name out there a little bit. That's an option. Merab's an option. I might just wait for Cory [Sandhagen] if Chito's gonna act like he earned a title shot."

FYI, Sean and Chito have history. The men fought in 2020, and Vera won. It's O'Malley's lone career loss.

(We also talked to Chito about his win over Pedro, and a possible fight with Suga.)

Sean says there's a way for Vera to lock down the fight, but it'll involve eating a little crow first and saying something along the lines of ... "Ya know what Suga, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I didn't deserve it. I didn't earn it, but I appreciate you.

"If he came at it like that I would think about it more. But the fact that he's tweeting, 'I earned that' and stuff, it's throwing me off a bit. I got options. I'm not too worried about it."

Of course, Sean dropped Aljamain with a perfectly placed straight right about 30 seconds into the second round, and after some effective ground and pound, the fight was stopped by ref Marc Goddard ... and just like that, O'Malley was Bantamweight champion.

As for how life has changed ... Sean says while he was a star before winning the title, he's now more than just a big deal amongst MMA fans.

"I kind of had everything-ish before 'champ status,' but definitely getting recognized way more in public by random people you wouldn't think were fight fans. The casuals that don't watch the fight, watched that fight," Suga said.

Speaking of fame and making money ... we also talked to Sean about acting (he's received movie offers) and whether he believes he will ever fight Aljo again.

Natan Levy says his recent beatdown of an internet troll could have been much, much more violent ... but he tells TMZ Sports he let his foot off the gas just a little bit so the guy still had "some brain left to take the lesson in."

The UFC fighter, who's Jewish, sparred the smack-talking social media user, Ben, a few days ago ... after the guy defended noted antisemite Nick Fuentes in an exchange on X.

Ben met up with Levy at his gym in Las Vegas ... and after Levy had explained why he was so furious at Ben for supporting Fuentes -- a man who the Anti-Defamation League has called "a white supremacist leader" -- the two threw on gear and stepped into the cage.

Not long after, Levy destroyed the guy.

But, Levy said it could've been worse ... explaining to us he could've sent the dude home in an ambulance -- but he held back.

"It wasn't easy," Levy said of holding back, "but again, great power comes with great responsibility and I wanted to teach him a lesson."

Seems it was effective nonetheless ... as Ben went on camera following the sparring sesh and acknowledged that six million people were murdered in the Holocaust.

Doctors have gotten to the bottom of Bronny James' cardiac arrest, saying after extensive testing they've discovered a congenital heart defect that CAN be treated ... and the James family hopes he can continue his basketball career.

After consultations with some of the top heart doctors around the country, physicians believe they've identified the cause of Bronny's cardiac arrest.

"It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated," a statement released by the family said.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 18-year-old Bronny's heart stopped on July 24 during a workout on USC's campus in L.A.

James spent the weeks after getting evaluated at the Mayo Clinic and other medical institutions ... all in an effort to find out why he went into cardiac arrest.

Bronny appears to be doing much better. He's been spotted out around Los Angeles, most recently attending a Dodgers game and Drake concert with his dad.

As for his basketball future, the family is optimistic he can return to the court.

Gorilla Nems isn't feeling appreciated by the New York Knicks after lending them his trusty catchphrase ... and he's flipping them the bird as a staff, organization, and entire crew!!!

Bootleg Kev struck an apparent nerve with Nems when he asked if he gets free Knicks tickets since flipping his "Bing Bong" track into a remix for the team, and the Coney Island rapper went off.

Nems claims the NYK have "disgusting" business tactics, and are snakes in the grass ... and he says they make him jump through hoops to catch any hoops action at MSG.

He claims the team tried to offer him crappy seats after he participated in a celebrity b-ball game, but Nems says he wants courtside or nothing.

We gotta say, that's a pretty tall order -- everyone knows those Garden seats are always filled with A-listers -- and yet, Nems feels the team owes him a Spike Lee-adjacent seat.

Knicks fans know the "Bing Bong" soundbite well ... it plays in MSG every time the team makes a 3-pointer. You'd think that would make Nems a life-long Knicks fan, but that relationship's clearly soured.

Spain's Women's World Cup team is now refusing to suit up again ... until Luis Rubiales resigns over the kiss he planted on Jennifer Hermoso following the squad's big victory last Sunday.

The entire championship team issued the ultimatum on Friday morning ... saying in addition to Rubiales, it wants other team officials ousted as well.

The squad added that the kiss after Spain's World Cup win was "unacceptable" ... while condemning "behaviors that have violated the dignity of women."

The statement came just a couple hours after Rubiales emphatically told reporters that he had no plans to resign over the scandal. During his impassioned speech about staying in his place, he also insisted the kiss was consensual.

Hermoso, however, said in the team's statement Friday that she "at no time" consented to the full-lip kiss.

Several soccer stars have thrown their support behind Hermoso and the Spanish players amid all the drama ... including USA striker Alex Morgan, who said she was "disgusted" by Rubiales' actions.

"Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players' lives," Morgan tweeted, "but instead it's overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation."

Huge bummer for Daniel Ricciardo -- the AlphaTauri driver will not compete in the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend ... after breaking his wrist in practice.

The accident went down during the second round of laps on Friday ... when McLaren's Oscar Piastri crashed into a barrier, which led to Ricciardo wrecking his car as well.

The 34-year-old -- who was visibly in pain -- was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment ... and it was later revealed he busted his wrist in the crash, forcing him to back out of this weekend's race.

Liam Lawson will take Ricciardo's seat for AlphaTauri ... which elected against bringing back Nyck de Vries, who started the season on the grid for the organization.

Ricciardo was slated to make his third start of the season ... and has yet to score a point for AlphaTauri.

DR is beloved in the sport ... and many fans were thrilled when he returned to competition in July. He's racked up eight wins and 32 podiums throughout his career.

Forget game-worn memorabilia ... how about a leather outfit rocked by an NBA legend?!

Wilt Chamberlain's two-piece disco suit, worn by oner of the coolest athletes of all time, is on the block at SCP Auctions ... and is expected to sell for a pretty penny (bids start at $20k)!

SCP described the suit as one of the "most unique" items from the Big Dipper ... a fit he not only wore on multiple occasions including during a visit to the Playboy Mansion, but he was also photographed in the threads over the years.

The blazer and pants are in "wearable condition" and come with horse hair and feather tassels attached. Instead of buttons, the designer used stones and leather.

"This suit certainly aligns with Chamberlain's larger-than-life attitude," SCP said, "and can be photo-matched to multiple images of Wilt enjoying the nightlife in the 70s."

SCP got its hands on the rare fit from a private owner who obtained it at auction in the early 2000s.

Of course, anything worn by Wilt is gonna cost you ... the Philadelphia-born baller, a 4x league MVP, is considered one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.

Wilt earned many accolades during his 14-year career. He made 13 All-Star teams, was a 7x scoring champion and 11x rebounding champion. He won 2 NBA titles and was the Rookie of the Year. Chamberlain could do whatever he wanted on the court.

Off the court, Wilt was known for his alleged exploits with the opposite sex ... claiming to have slept with over 20,000 women. With the disco suit, we're inclined to believe him.

More financial woes for Kim Zolciak, a credit card company is going after her for more than $150,000 ... filing a lawsuit the same day Kroy Biermann filed for divorce.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, SAKS/CAPITAL ONE claims Kim was issued a card with a $115,000 limit. The company says her last payment was back in September 2022 for $4,179.

The documents state Kim owes $156,080.64 in total on the card -- in both charges and credit that have all added up over the last several months.

Of course, Kim's facing a bunch of other money problems, including the more than $1 million the IRS claims she and estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, owe. The couple also had their Georgia home foreclosed on, though that issue seems to be resolved ... at least for now.

Kim was also sued back in June for a Target credit card she allegedly had with a $2,482.24 balance.

Tributes are pouring in for WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt after his untimely death ... with the biggest names in the wrestling community sharing heartfelt condolences on social media.

John Cena -- who had a longstanding feud with Wyatt throughout his WWE career -- shared a post early Friday morning paying respects to the former champ.

"Devastated by the news of the passing of Windham Rotunda," Cena said. "My heart goes out to the entire Rotunda family. Windham brought the best out of me in so many ways. I’m forever grateful for the moments we shared. A sad day for all those he reached around the world. RIP."

Braun Strowman -- who debuted as a member of the "Wyatt Family" and is a godfather to Rotunda's son -- also addressed the passing ... saying, "8 years ago today I joined you as your black sheep. If I knew only an 8 short years later I would have to say good by I sure as hell wouldn’t have taken so much for granted."

Braun continued, ... "You were my best friend my mentor my big little brother my brother of destruction. You were there for all my highs and my lows as I was for yours. You taught me so many things in the business that we shared and loved and you taught me so much in life. You truly made me a better person. I was so honored the day I found out you were haveing (sic) Knash boy and you asked me to be his Godfather ... I LOVE YOU HOOT!!!"

Mick Foley also weighed in, saying, ... "RIP BRAY WYATT. This is awful news, just terribly sad for his family, friends and fans. I thought so highly of Bray Wyatt, and was so flattered when he started using the mandible claw for his finisher. He was a true visionary; one of the most compelling presences that wrestling…"

Matt Hardy won the Raw Tag Team Champion alongside Wyatt and shared ... "Absolutely shattered to learn that my friend, Windham Rotunda, has passed away. It’s devastating to think he left us at only 36 years young. My condolences go out to his family, wife & children. I’m so sorry, my compeer. Miss you already."

TMZ Sports cohost Mojo Muhtadi -- who wrestled in WWE as Mojo Rawley -- also paid respects to his friend Thursday night.

"Everyone knows that Bray Wyatt was one of the greatest, most original, creative, and captivating performers this business has ever seen. But even Bray Wyatt couldn’t hold a candle to Windham Rotunda. Windham united us when the competition tried to tear us apart. Windham built us up when the business tried to bring us down. Windham made us laugh when the road didn’t seem funny anymore."

He continued, ... "You always had my back, believed in me, and brought out a better me. Those long car rides, the tours, and definitely the shenanigans will forever be the things I miss most about wrestling, and the things I miss most about you ... I’ll see you again so we can go dip our toes in the creek!!!!! I love you brother."

WWE's Bayley, The Miz, Big E, Sami Zayn and others also shared touching tributes to their fallen friend.

Rotunda was just 36 years old.