TMZ Sports - Page 31

Vicente Luque wants all the smoke after his UFC 260 victory over Tyron Woodley -- telling TMZ Sports he's begging for a shot at the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Leon Edwards!

Luque jumped to #6 in the UFC's welterweight division after his impressive performance last weekend -- and badly wants to put himself in a position for a title fight as soon as possible.

Remember, VL called out Nate Diaz in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan -- but days later, Diaz agreed to take on Edwards at UFC 262, spoiling Luque's plans.

But, he's not losing hope of a possible showdown with Diaz down the line.

"I'm interested in any of those two guys so whatever goes down with that fight, maybe one of them can be my opponent after they fight."

FYI, Luque has fought against Edwards before -- losing by unanimous decision in a 3-round scrap in 2017.

"Since then, I've changed a lot. I know that he has evolved a lot as well. We both have been on a great winning streak and yeah, I think that right now it would make a lot of sense to have that rematch. It would be a hell of a fight."

Luque has ripped off 3 straight wins and Edwards had won 8 straight before an accidental eye poke led to a "no contest" against Belal Muhammad in March.

In the meantime, Luque says he's down to be the backup fighter for Diaz vs. Edwards -- willing to step in if one of the guys has to drop out for some reason.

Anthony Davis quickly responded to a crash scene involving his security guard to see if he could help, and even had a stop-and-chat with cops who arrived ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Lakers star was front and center Saturday on the heels of what we're hearing was a one-vehicle collision that involved a motorcycle ... which our law enforcement sources tell us resulted in one person being transported to the hospital.

It's unclear if the person transported was AD's security guard, but it'd be a safe bet that it was. We're told by people close to AD that he simply showed up to check on his guy -- but we've been assured AD was not involved in the accident himself .. and only showed up after the fact since he was nearby. What we do know for sure ... AD's security is said to be in stable condition.

We also got video and photos of AD on the scene -- in flip-flops, no less -- as he talked to police and also talked on the phone. As for what exactly happened and led up to the crash ... we're not quite sure, but are working on getting more info.

Based on pics from the scene, however, it looks like a flexible delineator post in the middle of the road might've been struck ... as cops were standing over one that was completely bent to one side. The motorcycle in question, meanwhile, was eventually taken away in a tow truck.

It also seems like AD's camp came by to check on him at one point ... we're told AD ended up getting into a Mercedes Maybach that arrived to get him, this after talking to someone in what looked to be a Rolls-Royce not too far from where the motorcycle was parked.

One eyewitness tells us AD looked pissed during the commotion, which is more than understandable. Assuming this is a good pal of his, his emotions running high would make sense.

Michael Strahan may have been joking about "fixing" his iconic gap tooth, but now lots of folks who actually want the real procedure are flocking to Strahan's doc.

Dr. Lee Gause, Strahan's dentist, tells TMZ ... he's been flooded with calls from people from all over the country who don't care if it was an April Fools' prank ... they feel Dr. Gause made Michael look way better, and they want of piece of that action. In all, more than 100 dentally-challenged people have called.

He says some prospective patients have already booked their flights to get the procedure done at his Smile Design Manhattan clinic in NYC.

The cost ain't cheap -- between $5k and $50k ... depending on how wonky the chompers. Now, it's possible people want something temporary like Mike ... the wax used to stage the joke -- a Prenew Preview -- runs a very reasonable $350.

Mark Grudzielanek -- a former MLB All-Star and Gold Glove winner -- has been accused of child abuse ... and he's now under police investigation, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Police documents show Grudzielanek is alleged to have committed the crime at around 10:30 PM on March 16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In the docs, Grudzielanek -- a 50-year-old who played in the MLB from 1995 to 2010 -- is listed as an "offender" ... and the alleged victim is described as a 12-year-old boy.

Details of the alleged incident are unclear ... but a source close to the case tells us the allegations stem from a physical altercation.

We've reached out to Grudzielanek for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Grudzielanek broke into the Big Leagues in 1995 with the Expos ... and he was named an All-Star the following year.

Long before Jason Kidd was an NBA legend, he was a top H.S. hooper recruited by CBB's best coaches ... and now a postcard to the future HOF'er -- hand-written by Roy Williams -- has been discovered in an abandoned storage locker.

... and it's pretty awesome!!

The "Memories of Hawaii" postcard was penned by Williams as he flew to Los Angeles with his Kansas Jayhawks squad after playing a game in Honolulu ... and on January 2, 1990, sent to Kidd's Oakland-area home.

Williams -- a HOF coach who retired this week -- wrote, "Jason, We're on the plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles & we had a great trip to Hawaii. Our players really enjoyed it & worked hard while we were there also. We're going again in two years & I hope you're with us."

Williams later continued ... "Jason -- I hope Kansas will be an option for you. I know I would love to be your coach."

But, KU wasn't the only top program recruiting Jason ... there are also letters from current Chicago Bulls head coach, Billy Donovan -- at the time, an assistant for the legendary Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky.

"Jason, this past week was the Kentucky Derby which was the 2nd largest sporting event in the state next to a Kentucky basketball game. Sincerely, Billy Donovan"

There's more ... UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian and UCLA head coach Jim Harrick -- and others -- also vied for Kidd's talents.

They wanted J. Kidd for good reason ... he was Parade and USA Today's H.S. Player of the Year -- averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals as a senior, according to ESPN.

All of the postcards were recently discovered with a load of other memorabilia in an abandoned storage locker in Calabasas, CA.

It's unclear how or why the postcards got into the locker ... or why the valuable items were seemingly just left.

The locker was purchased by a collector ... who is now selling the items on eBay.

As for Williams, Donovan & Pitino, Tarkanian, Harrick and the other big time college coaches ... they all struck out.

MMA fighter Johnny Case -- who once fought on a Conor McGregor undercard -- was arrested in Las Vegas on Thursday for domestic battery, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 31-year-old fighter is still in custody in Clark County, Nevada according to online records.

Details surrounding his arrest have not been released -- but we're told the alleged victim is a female MMA fighter.

Case -- who goes by the nickname "Johnny Hollywood" -- is currently signed with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) and has a fight scheduled for the end of the month.

Case is 27-7-1 as a pro fighter and has had stints with some of the top MMA organizations in the world ... including the UFC, where he fought from 2014 to 2017.

In fact, Case fought Frankie Perez on the undercard of the Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver card back in 2015 ... and he won.

We reached out to Case's camp for comment but so far nothing.

The Houston Police Department says it's now launched a criminal investigation into Deshaun Watson ... this after a complainant formally filed a report against the NFL star on Friday.

Cops did NOT say the nature of the allegations against the QB ... and it's unclear if they're related to the claims of sexual assault that Watson is facing in a multitude of civil lawsuits.

In a statement Friday, though, Watson's attorney implied they may be.

"We welcome this long overdue development," Rusty Hardin said. "Now we will learn the identity of at least one accuser. We will fully cooperate with the Houston Police Department."

A police investigation into Watson does NOT mean he's facing criminal charges at the moment.

The HPD will investigate the allegations and likely then turn over its findings to prosecutors, who will then need to make a charging decision. That all could take weeks, if not months.

The interesting part is now that law enforcement is involved ... will the NFL step in and put the Houston Texans star on the commissioner's exempt list and bar him from playing games until the probe concludes?

The league had previously said it was already investigating the QB over the allegations made against the 25-year-old in the civil cases.

As we reported ... Watson is accused of being sexually inappropriate with at least 21 female masseuses in at least four different states over the past few years.

The NBA has finally decided to take action against Kevin Durant for the homophobic and misogynistic insults he used in a private Instagram conversation with Michael Rapaport -- fining the guy $50,000.

"Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media," the NBA announced on Friday.

"Durant has acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate."

As we previously reported, Rapaport posted screenshots of recent DM conversations with Durant which the actor felt crossed a line.

"I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Durant] would be among them," Rap said.

In the messages, Durant used crude homophobic and misogynistic slurs to attack Rapaport.

KD has said the messages were not supposed to see the light of day -- and said he was "sorry that people seen the language that I used."

"That’s not what I want people to see from me. Hopefully I can move past it."

Durant has yet to publicly acknowledge that what he said is offensive -- or apologize specifically for the words he used.

The Midsummer Classic will no longer go down in Atlanta this year ... MLB announced Friday it's relocating its 2021 All-Star Game after Georgia passed its new voting law this week.

League commish Rob Manfred just made the surprising announcement ... explaining he and the MLB do not agree with GA's new law that many believe suppresses the voting rights of minorities in the Peach State.

"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views," Manfred said.

"I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft."

Manfred continued, "Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box."

Georgia's new law imposes more red tape for those looking to vote absentee, it cuts the number of drop boxes for ballots, and it reportedly will allow government officials more power to intervene in elections.

The law also makes it illegal for members of the public to hand out food and water to people waiting in line to vote.

Opposers of the law have claimed all of the new rules and regulations are designed to make it more difficult for minorities to vote in the state ... and President Joe Biden made it clear this week he shares the same opinion.

Biden spoke with ESPN on Wednesday night and ripped the new law ... calling it "Jim Crow on steroids." Biden also said he'd support MLB officials if they decided to move the ASG out of the state over it all.

Manfred said Friday it's unclear where the game's new location will be ... but he added, "We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities."

"In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward."

Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self just signed a "lifetime" contract with the school -- guaranteeing him MILLIONS of dollars and protection from being fired over the current NCAA probe into KU.

Pretty good deal for Self, huh!?

58-year-old Self -- who's been at Kansas since 2003 -- was entering the final year of a 10 year deal with Kansas that guaranteed him more than $50 MILLION. That deal was set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 season.

But, Self has crushed it during his time at Kansas -- racking up a 522–118 record with an NCAA title in 2008 -- so the school decided to make him a "lifetime" offer he just couldn't refuse.

Here's the deal ... Self will make roughly $5.4 million every year with an annual $200,000 raise.

The contract is technically a 5-year deal which will automatically renew a 1-year extension at the end of each season ... for as long as he wants to stay at Kansas.

Kansas is currently being investigated by the NCAA for alleged unauthorized payments to star players. The NCAA has charged the school with a handful of Level 1 violations -- but the org. has not formally punished the University.

But, get this, Self negotiated a clause in which he can not be fired for cause based on the findings or punishment from the current probe -- but he could take a salary hit if he's suspended.

Per the contract, if the NCAA suspends Self  -- he'll take a 50% reduction in salary for the time missed.

In other words, if he's out for a month -- he'll make 50% for that month before returning to his full salary.

The school can fire Self for cause if they determine he violates the law or NCAA rules moving forward -- but he's protected in the scope of the current investigation.

Self issued a statement about his new deal thanking KU leadership "for their belief and faith in me to provide this lifetime contract."

"I said, 'Wait a second, where the f*** is his finger?' They were all like, 'I don't know.'"

That's how one witness described seeing an MMA fighter LOSE A FINGER mid-match Thursday night ... and, yeah, the injury was just as horrific as it sounds.

During Khetag Pliev's bout with Devin Goodale at Cage Fury Fighting Championship in Philadelphia, officials had to stop the fight when they noticed Pliev was missing a freakin' finger.

The images were INSANE ... video of 37-year-old Pliev in his corner showed the ring finger on his left hand had been completely severed at some point during his match.

The problem? For several minutes, nobody could find the missing digit!

Event promoter Rob Haydak told ESPN there was a mad scramble to try to help locate it ... with the PA announcer even having to ask fans in the 2300 Arena stands if they'd seen it!

"It was a surreal moment," Haydak said.

Eventually, Pliev's finger was found tucked away in his glove -- where it had been the entire time -- but, here's the crazy part ... Pliev did NOT immediately go to the hospital to have it reattached!!!

Haydak says Pliev actually begged to continue the match ... and even though officials wouldn't let him, he still stayed in the ring for the post-fight announcement, where Goodale was rewarded with a TKO decision.

"It was crazy," Haydak said. "He didn't even flinch. He was getting ready to do the [official] decision and I was like, 'Uh, guys, get him out of the cage and go put his finger back on.'"

Pliev -- who did ultimately go to the emergency room to have his finger attached -- says he believes he suffered the injury after Goodale had grabbed at his glove early in the fight.

"In the second round, he caught my glove with one hand and held it," Pliev said. "I felt my finger snapped. He kept pulling my glove and my finger snapped. We kept fighting."

"When the second round was finished, I see my [bone] was out in the open. I wanted to keep fighting, because I felt like I had this guy. But, the doctor saw that and stopped the fight. "

Pliev -- a wrestler who competed for Canada in the 2012 Olympics -- came into the fight with a 5-1 record. He said he plans on appealing Thursday night's fight result.

You've seen birdies and eagles on a golf course before ... but ever seen an eagle EAT a birdie on the links?!!?!

That's exactly what happened during some guy's round in Canada on Thursday ... when a bald eagle straight up hunted down a seagull and then ate it right next to a fairway!!!

The wild scene all went down out at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver ... where a golfer decided to whip out his camera as an eagle was flying by.

What happened next was INSANE ... the eagle stalked a seagull -- tailing it at full speed, before it finally latched on to the bird with its razor-sharp talons.

The eagle took the 'gull to the ground ... then began eating it -- and eventually took off with the carcass like it was a small purse!!

The guys on the course were shocked by what they had just seen... with one of the guys saying, "That was crazy!"

By the way ... in case you were wondering, seagulls ARE actually a part of bald eagles' diets.

According to the National Eagle Center, the majestic beasts normally munch on fish, but smaller birds like seagulls and other mammals are often on the menu too.

The G.O.A.T.'s knee is healing up just fine ... Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says Tom Brady's recovering "very well" from offseason surgery.

The 43-year-old Tampa Bay QB had to go under the knife shortly after winning his 7th Super Bowl ... with Licht saying TB12 needed a "minor surgical procedure" to clean up some things in his leg.

But, Licht says there are no worries as of now that Brady might have to miss regular-season action in 2021 ... explaining, "I know things are going well."

"I talked to him last week," Licht told reporters Thursday ... "I know that things are going very well."

Brady had reportedly been dealing with pain in his knee throughout the 2020 season ... and had planned to get surgery once the Bucs' year concluded.

Licht said Brady is now in the rehab stage ... but he added he did not want to place an official timetable on a return to action for his team's superstar.

"I don't want to put an exact timeline on it right now because I don't want to set expectations one way or the other," Licht said.

Wanna own a piece of Cristiano Ronaldo history AND potentially save a child's life???

Good news ... the armband thrown by the soccer legend in a fit of rage last weekend is hitting the auction block, and the cash it nets will go to helping a 6-month-old who's battling a serious illness.

You'll recall ... Ronaldo threw a temper tantrum last Saturday after his apparent game-winning goal in Portugal's World Cup qualifying match with Serbia was disallowed.

The 36-year-old lost his mind ... he stormed off the field before the game had officially been called -- and spiked his captain's armband to the ground in disgust before he hit the showers.

Well, turns out a stadium worker at Rajko Mitic stadium in Belgrade picked up the piece, gave it to a charity group in Serbia ... and it now can be all yours for the right price.

Bidding on the piece is about $10,000 at the moment ... but the charity group behind the sale is hoping to raise far more than that.

The group says it's trying to come up with $3 million to help a 6-month-old baby get the treatment it needs to battle spinal muscular atrophy.

Here's the caption from the auction site (translated into English)

"The funds are intended for the treatment of a 6-month-old baby Gavrilo Djurdjevic from Kragujevac, Serbia, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy and needs 2,500,000 euros for the treatment that can save his life."

With the sports memorabilia market still ON FIRE combined with the fact the item was involved in a high-profile incident, don't rule out a 7-figure haul for the armband!

There are three days left to lock in bids ... good luck!!!

WNBA star Angel McCoughtry is insulted by Draymond Green's claim that female athletes have only "complained" about the pay gap and haven't taken any real meaningful action ... and she's ready to educate him.

The 5-time WNBA All-Star says she's personally been in the trenches trying to get powerful sports leagues, production companies and sponsors to spotlight more women's sports ... but she keeps getting shut down.

McCoughtry even called out Lebron James and Steph Curry -- saying she's brought female athlete-centric projects to their production companies, but no one is pulling the trigger.

The 34-year-old -- 2-time Olympic gold medalist -- even invested in the PlayersTV network with the hopes of bringing more female athlete stories to the masses.

So, when she saw Draymond saying he's "really tired of seeing [female athletes] complain about the lack of pay" and suggesting they take more action ... it really rubbed her the wrong way.

"Draymond, have you done your research?! Have you asked us questions," Angel said Thursday during a USA Basketball training camp news conference.

"Don't you think we've tried to do that kind of stuff?! No, he hasn't done his research! That's my only thing with Draymond!"

Angel continued, "We want to get our stories out. I created a TV show about these kinds of issues, its a dramatic comedy called 'Fair Game.' I've gone to Springhill Entertainment, I've gone to Sony where Steph Curry's people are. We got turned down! 'Oh, we don't want a show about the WNBA.'"

McCoughtry says she's happy Draymond is keeping the women's pay issue in the headlines -- but suggests he "talk more to the women before just thinking he had a bright idea."