TMZ Sports - Page 50

If you're gonna steal from Paige VanZant's Jeep -- at least have enough common courtesy to shut the door when you're done!!!

... especially in the middle of a rainstorm!

The MMA fighter says someone tried to ransack her vehicle Tuesday night -- but didn't shut the driver's side door when they finished ... and now the inside of her car is soaked!

"Listen, if you’re going to break in to my car -- please shut the door," Paige said.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star says she didn't leave anything of value in her car -- so no big loss. But, it sucks when someone breaks into your car -- you feel violated.

The good news for Paige ... karma caught up with her while picking up coffee later that day -- when someone picked up her check in a random act of kindness.

Peyton Manning hasn't missed a beat in retirement -- not only does he have abs now, but the 44-year-old's arm is lookin' accurate as ever ... by knocking beer cans off statues with his buddy, David Letterman!!

It may seem pretty random, but here's what we know ... the 2-time Super Bowl champ hit up the late-night legend to shoot a segment for his "Peyton's Places" show with ESPN ... and DL agreed to do it at his alma mater, Ball State University.

So, what's there to do in Muncie, Indiana?? How about throwing perfect dart passes at beer cans on campus statues!!

Of course, Peyton's practically been showing off in recent weeks -- he even flaunted a 6-pack while beachin' it up in Miami!

Peyton kept up the momentum on Tuesday, by showing off his pin-point precision while knocking the can off a statue draped in a custom Letterman Colts jersey.

Ball State football released a statement on their visit, saying, "It was an exciting day for our football program,” athletic director Beth Goetz said. "The team was thrilled to engage with these two Indiana legends for 'Peyton’s Places.'"

"We are grateful for the opportunity to help showcase our campus, as it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our student-athletes and coaches."

Hey ... Peyton's only 44. We sure he's retired for good??

It's been nearly 2 weeks since the Lakers won the 'ship ... but the team clearly ain't ready to stop the party yet -- 'cause some of L.A.'s stars hit Hollywood on Tuesday for another celebration!

TMZ Sports got footage of Dwight Howard, Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Dion Waiters hittin' up Delilah ... and the evening looked awesome.

The guys -- along with their significant others -- all were dressed to the nines ... and YG and Tyga joined the festivities later in the night as well!

No sign of LeBron James or Anthony Davis ... maybe the Dodgers' World Series game kept them glued to their TVs at home?

Or, hell, maybe they're just tired of partying!!

As we previously reported, the Lakers have been spotted raging in the Orlando bubble, at Nobu in Malibu and even in Las Vegas since beating the Miami Heat in 6 games on Oct. 11.

As for the Tuesday night celebration ... Caldwell-Pope's wife, McKenzie, posted some clips from inside the venue -- and the menu looked great to us.

Overreaction much?!

Here's a frustrated Dallas Cowboys fan shooting his 55-inch TV to death after the Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday ... and it's pretty crazy.

The fan lost his mind once he realized the Cowboys were moving to 2-4 after a pretty awful performance against AZ.

So, he threw his beer at the TV, threw a couple of punches ... and then whipped out a .380 handgun and opened fire.

After the murder, the fan took a breath -- and poured out some beer to mourn the loss of his TV.

The Cowboys, however, are still very much alive in the playoff race -- they're in 1st place in the NFC East, the worst division in football.

Next up for Dallas ... they take on the Washington Football Team on Sunday. Washington also has a terrible record -- 1-5.

Well, Cody Bellinger clearly learned his lesson ...

The Dodgers star balled out of his mind, again, in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday ... but instead of celebrating with forearm bashes -- he turned to his feet to dap up teammates!

The scene was hilarious ... just two days after Belli dislocated his shoulder in the chaos following a game-winning HR in the NLCS on Sunday -- Cody hit another huge dinger off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow.

And, as the outfielder rounded 3rd base and headed for home, everyone wondered ... how was he going to celebrate this one?!

Turns out, Belli protected his arms at all costs ... and gave his squadmates love taps with his cleats!!!

The move was so epic ... even LeBron James gave Cody his stamp of approval, writing on social media, "Hahaha!! Leg tap celebrations for him."

As for Bellinger's take on the HR celly switch-up ... he told reporters after the game, "I said it today before the game: 'If I hit one, I’m not touching anybody’s arm.'"

He added with a laugh, "I think I’ll continue to do that, maybe my whole career."

Bellinger also had an insane catch later in the game ... helping the Dodgers seal the 8-3 victory over Tampa Bay.

Looks like pregame advice from Dad really paid off, huh?!

Sorry, Loma -- kiss your hopes for a rematch goodbye!

... because Teofimo Lopez tells TMZ Sports he has no interest in running it back with Vasyl Lomachenko after kicking his ass on Saturday.

"For what? F*ck him," Lopez tells us ... "I won fair and square."

He certainly did -- Lopez dominated the first half of the fight and ended things with a stellar 12th round, despite a furious comeback attempt from Loma.

After the fight, Lopez says Loma and his camp weren't exactly gracious in defeat.

"I went up to him and I said good fight. I grabbed his father, I said safe travels … pretty much saying goodbye to them because I knew I won."

"But he didn’t want to give me back that same gesture -- instead he just started laughing like, 'What am I doing here?' So, I was like whatever, I did my part. The fighting's done, I whooped your ass … you cut me, head-butted me and sh*t but it's fine."

Lopez says Loma blew off the post-fight press conference and refused to talk with media -- telling us, "That just shows what kind of champion he really is."

So, what's next for the 23-year-old champion?

"I'm the king now," Lopez said ... "I've always been the king. I was just the underground king. Now, I've been crowned."

We asked Teofimo if he has any interest in fighting rising stars like Ryan Garcia and others now that he's in the driver's seat -- and ya gotta hear his answer.

The man who slashed a footlong wound into MLB star Tommy Pham's back is still on the loose ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The San Diego Police Dept. tells us NO arrests have been made in the case ... this nearly 2 weeks after the Padres outfielder was stabbed outside Pacer’s Gentlemen’s Club on Oct. 11.

As we previously reported, cops say Pham headed out of the venue at around 10:37 p.m. and confronted a group of people who were quarreling near his car.

Police say things ultimately turned violent between Pham and the men ... adding the 32-year-old MLB player was attacked and cut with a blade.

In footage of the aftermath of the incident, the back of Pham's shirt was clearly soaked in blood. Later in the clip, you can see emergency responders worked feverishly to get him medical help.

Fortunately, Pham is expected to make a full recovery ... and Pham himself said in a statement after the incident, "I know I’ll be back to my offseason training routine in no time."

Troy Aikman is speaking out about his "hot mic" comments about a military flyover at an NFL game over the weekend ... saying he was NOT trying to disparage the armed forces.

Aikman and his broadcasting partner, Joe Buck, were critical of the flyover before the Bucs vs. Packers game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bat on Sunday ... and the audio later was posted by Defector.com.

"That’s a lot of jet fuel just to do a little flyover,” Aikman said.

“That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work!” Buck added.

Aikman followed up -- "That stuff ain’t happening with [a] Kamala-Biden ticket. I’ll tell you that right now, partner."

Aikman and Buck took some heat on social media for the comments -- but Troy broke his silence Tuesday afternoon.

"I love a flyover but It was odd to see one over a mostly empty stadium," Aikman said.

"But I am an unwavering patriot that loves this country, has always respected our flag, supported the men and women in the armed forces as well as those in uniform who serve & protect and for anyone to suggest otherwise doesn’t know me, my beliefs or what I have stood for my entire life."

The biggest boy band on the planet will have the best seats in the house during the World Series ... with uber-popular K-Pop group BTS getting the cardboard cutout treatment!!

And, get this -- the guys got better seats than Tom freakin' Brady!!!

For those oblivious to the music industry, BTS has become the hottest thing in recent years ... with huge hits like "Dynamite," "Boy With Luv" and "DNA."

Their success is evident in the pic snapped of their seat location inside Globe Life Field on Tuesday ... with the band's cutouts placed in front row seats over the 6-time Super Bowl champ and his Buccaneers teammate, Rob Gronkowski.

While Jungkook, Jimin and the boys won't actually be present for the series between the LA Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, there WILL be some real-life fans in attendance Tuesday night ... so maybe someone can snap a selfie with the fake members?!

The Dodgers acknowledged the gesture ... and even gave a shout-out to Yoon-gi (AKA Suga), who has attended games at Dodger Stadium to cheer on his guy, pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu.

"We already know who (BTS) is rooting for," the team said on Twitter. "Who’s your bias? Ours is Yoongi. #WorldSeries"

Listen up, Daniel Cormier -- The Miz is handing out some free advice about making the switch to WWE ... telling TMZ Sports the retired UFC champ better be ready to work his ass off!!!

Remember, the MMA legend is a HUGE pro wrestling fan ... and recently revealed he is in talks with Vince McMahon to possibly join the org. as a commentator.

We spoke to The Miz about the potential road ahead for DC ... and he ain't sugarcoating anything.

"It's very difficult," he tells us. "Not many people are able to do it. Not many people can be as successful as Ronda Rousey was, which she came in and really did a tremendous job just acclimating to our style of professional wrestling."

Of course, DC said his role with WWE would be on the mic ... but let's be real. This dude *has* to get in the ring at some point, right?!

Miz says it'll be "fantastic" if DC follows Ronda's success into WWE ... but makes it clear he wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't work out, saying, "some people just can't get it."

"Honestly, it's one of the hardest jobs I've ever seen in entertainment because it's life, it's in your face, it's athleticism, it's entertainment."

"You have to have all these different realms and bring them all into one."

As for WWE, there's clear interest on their side as well -- honcho Triple H has praised DC in the past ... and even told us, "we'd love to do something with him if the time is right."

Good news, bad news for Dodgers fans ... Cody Bellinger says he was still in pain on Monday after dislocating his shoulder Sunday night -- but insists he's "good to go" for the World Series.

... this according to Cody's dad, Clay Bellinger.

"I talked to him a little bit after the game, he said it was really really sore," Clay tells TMZ Sports ... "It was sore yesterday."

"I just texted him a little bit ago, and he said he was good to go. [The pain] is there a little bit, but he's going to play and he's going to swing."

Cody popped out his shoulder Sunday night while celebrating his game-winning home run against the Atlanta Braves with a jumping forearm bash with teammate Kike Hernandez.

Bellinger later told reporters that a member of the Dodgers training staff popped his shoulder back in between innings and he continued to play in Game 7 of the NLCS, even catching the final out.

There are concerns about how the injury will affect his performance in the World Series, which kicks off Tuesday night -- but Clay tells us Cody is confident he'll be able to play at a high level.

Clay admits it was "kinda scary" to see the shoulder come out since Cody has dislocated it multiple times in the past ... but Cody assured his dad he'll be fine.

Clay says he told his son "No more celebrations -- at least with Kike!"

As for Clay's advice to his son heading into the big games against the Tampa Bay Rays ... Dad (who won 2 World Series titles with the Yankees in his career) says it's all simple: "Just go out and play your game."

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje is tracking to be the biggest fight in UFC history ... bigger than any Conor McGregor fight ... so says Dana White.

We just spoke with the UFC honcho who tells us the data he's looked at shows massive interest in UFC 254 -- and he's expecting to break the 2.4 million PPV buys that Conor vs. Khabib did in 2018.

"Yeah, it's trending bigger than that right now," Dana says.

White says the data doesn't always hold up -- but right now, he's pretty confident.

For the record, 2.4 million buys at $65 a pop is $156 MILLION in PPV money alone ... so yeah, this is a big deal.

We also asked Dana about Khabib's comments to ESPN on Tuesday morning -- when the Dagestani said he's very interested in a fight with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre after he gets through Justin.

White says he's interested in exploring a possible deal -- but he's not making any promises.

"I'd be interested in talking about it. Just because that's what Khabib wants doesn't mean that fight can be made. I mean there's just so many things that have to come into play for that fight to happen."

As for Conor McGregor ... Dana tells us the contract to fight Dustin Poirier in January is NOT officially done at this point, but he's expecting it to happen soon.

"No, the deals not signed yet but in the history of dealing with Conor McGregor, Conor McGregor has never come out publicly and said 'I accept this fight' and not fought," White says ... "I expect the fight to go on."

Conor has said he wants the fight to take place at AT&T Stadium in Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones has said he's open to hosting a McGregor fight.

So, we asked Dana if there's a realistic chance that could happen.

White says the UFC has been trying to book a fight there for years but it just hasn't come to fruition -- and it definitely won't until Texas allows full capacity for fans.

Lindsey Vonn came up with the perfect way to celebrate her birthday ... by throwing on her favorite bikinis and posting up on the beach in the Bahamas!!

The retired ski superstar and her closest friends took in all the sunny vibes for her 36th birthday ... but Vonn was the one handing out gifts via fire pics on her Instagram.

"36 and still in the mix!" Vonn said while sporting a sparkly brown 2-piece. "Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. 🙏🏻❤️"

The Olympian and NHL star hockey player P.K. Subban also posed for cute couple pics together ... with the 31-year-old saying he can't wait to "grow old" together.

As for the trip -- it looked fun as hell. Vonn and the crew went swimming with sharks, scuba diving and even caught their own lobster dinner!!

But, all vacations must come to an end ... and Vonn bookended the trip with one last shot on the beach.

"Until next time Bahamas... 👋🏻 #sadtoleave #nofilter."

Happy belated birthday, Lindsey ... we're already looking forward to next year's trip!!

"Platinum" Mike Perry's mother told 911 dispatchers she was "scared for (her) life" during an alleged violent incident involving the UFC fighter back in February ... in which his ex-wife claims he cracked her ribs.

Important to note -- 29-year-old Perry is denying the allegations ... saying he NEVER put his hands on her during their "short-term marriage."

Danielle Nickerson went public with the allegations to MMA Junkie on Tuesday ... claiming Perry assaulted and injured her during a Feb. 10, 2020 incident in Orlando, FL -- forcing her to seek safety at her mother-in-law's home.

Perry's mother, Sabra Young, then called 911 ... saying she was fearful he would lash out against them.

"My son is out in the driveway, and he’s violent right now, and I’m scared for my life, and I don’t know what he’s going to do," Young says in the call.

"He’s revving his engine right now. His wife is inside my house, and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt her."

When asked if Perry was involved in a fight with his ex, his mother responded, "yes, he has a temper."

Police arrived at the scene a short time later, but Perry was already gone ... so no arrests were made, according to the news report.

Nickerson says she later filed for a protective order against Perry back in March ... but the request was denied after she "omitted certain details from her request," according to MMA Junkie.

They officially became divorced in July, according to the news report.

Perry addressed Nickerson's allegations on Twitter Monday night ... saying, "I did not put hands on my ex at any point in our short term marriage."

"I realize that I have said some things in the past that do not put me and what I stand for in the best of light and for that I apologize."

"I’m hopeful my ex can move on and find peace as I have.”

Perry recently completed an anger management course after knocking out an old man at a Texas restaurant in July ... and is set to fight Robbie Lawler at UFC 255 next month.

Incredible news ... UCF quarterback McKenize Milton has been cleared to play football again -- this just roughly 2 years after he almost had to have his leg amputated due to a severe injury.

You'll recall ... the on-field incident was gruesome -- McKenzie dislocated his right knee after taking a vicious shot in a Nov. 2018 game against USF.

Milton's injuries were devastating ... he tore ligaments and an artery, stretched a nerve and had his entire kneecap dislodged.

Things got so dire ... some feared Milton was going to have to lose the lower part of his leg.

But, docs were able to repair the damage ... and now, nearly 2 years after the incident, Milton is back practicing with the team.

McKenzie was cleared for work with UCF in August ... and ESPN reports he's now been practicing as the Golden Knights' scout-team QB.

"This is the most fun I've had in two years, being out there with the guys, going up against some good competition and lighting a fire under their butt," Milton said. "I'm making throws on the move, I'm changing direction not thinking twice about it. I feel normal."

Milton says he looked to NFL stars like Alex Smith, Teddy Bridgewater and Jaylon Smith for comeback inspiration (since they all resumed their careers after catastrophic injuries) ... and added he actually received a message of encouragement from Alex recently.

While it's unclear if Milton will ever get into another official game for UCF ... he said he's super happy to just be to the point where he's finally healthy and with his teammates again.