TMZ Sports - Page 50

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME!!

UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou has returned to his native Cameroon for the first time since winning the belt -- and EVERYONE came out to celebrate!!!

Check out Ngannou being paraded through the streets with a military escort while the locals cheer him on like the conquering hero he is.

Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March -- and after the fight, he talked about how proud he was to win for the people of Cameroon.

And when he returned home, the people flooded the streets to show love to the champ!

"This moment is something I have been waiting for," Ngannou posted on Twitter.

"It is hard to put this feeling into words. The belt is back home where it belongs."

The 34-year-old knockout artist was born and raised in the village of Batie -- where he worked in a sand quarry when he was 10-years-old.

He later got into combat sports -- realized he had legit talent -- and moved to France at the age of 26 to focus on training full time.

Ngannou began his pro MMA career in 2013 and clearly, it's working out well for him!

Francis is currently on a 5-fight win streak with victories over stars like Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Curtis Blaydes and of course, Stipe.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love just poured his heart out about his bizarre inbound play on Monday night ... admitting he knows he "f***ed up" and apologizing for his outburst.

32-year-old Love went viral for swatting away an inbound pass late in the 3rd quarter against the Toronto Raptors ... easily turning the ball over to the Raptors for a wide-open 3-pointer.

It appeared as if Love -- who's posting career-low numbers this season for the 21-40 Cavs -- had become fed up with the losing and just snapped.

But, the 2016 champ says that's simply not the case.

Love started off his media availability Wednesday morning with an emotional, 15-minute speech ... saying, "My intent wasn't to disrespect the game. My intent wasn't even for the damn ball to go inbounds. It was a moment that I got caught up in."

"I didn't even understand what really happened as the possession even played out. I think I was a little bit dumbfounded."

He added ... "I didn't realize how bad it looked, really, until after the game. I truly didn't ... After that, I just completely shut down. I never want that to be who I am. I don't want to have to be here and defend my character."

Love says he has apologized to his teammates for the outburst ... calling it a "moment of sheer frustration."

So, what caused the disastrous turnover?? Love says it stemmed from blown calls throughout the 112 to 96 loss.

"Not to say too much that could get me fined, but it was the officiating," Love told USA Today.

It's gotta be tough for Love -- he's averaging 11.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 games this season -- and the glory days of the LeBron James-era are long gone.

Love says the moment was blown way out of proportion by the media ... and he really only cares about the opinions of his teammates.

"I take this one on the chin, naturally. I'll do that as a man, I'll do that as a teammate and continue to get better. That's really all I can do."

As for his relationship status with Cleveland?? Love makes it clear he's still their guy.

Scary moment on the MLB diamond Tuesday night ... umpire Kerwin Danley was hit in the face by a foul ball -- and appeared to be knocked out cold behind home plate.

The tense moments all went down in the 6th inning of the Giants vs. Rockies game in San Francisco ... when Sam Hilliard foul-tipped a pitch right into Danley's facemask.

You can see in footage from the broadcast of the game, Danley immediately fell backward and laid motionless for several seconds.

Really scary moment.

Trainers rushed to tend to the 59-year-old ... and, fortunately, he was able to get up minutes later and leave the field under his own power.

The Giants said after the game that Danley was "doing well" ... though he was experiencing a "slight headache."

This is not the first time Danley -- who's had a history of concussions -- has had a scare behind home plate ... back in 2008, he was hit in the jaw by a fastball, and a year later, he was hit in the head by a broken bat.

Joe Rogan's suggestion that young people don't need to get the vaccine isn't sitting well with Dr. Anthony Fauci, who says that's a totally selfish approach to battling a pandemic.

The Spotify podcaster got a lot of backlash this week for saying folks in their 20s aren't susceptible to serious illness if they get infected ... and adding that he'd tell them not to get vaccinated.

Fauci was on NBC Today and fired back at Rogan's remarks ... saying the guy is simply wrong. He notes that while, yes, younger people aren't as likely to get deathly ill from COVID ... that's not really the point.

He says those people can still contract it -- even without showing symptoms -- and give it to someone else, who might be more prone to getting sick ... and possibly even dying. So, in other words, Fauci says it's a me vs. the world mentality -- and a selfish notion to avoid getting vaccinated just because you think you're healthy and would be fine without it.

JR, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have been down with a lot of the COVID protocols that were rolled out over the last year, and has often questioned the legitimacy of CDC guidelines. He's also entertained conspiracy theories and speculation over COVID ... without any expertise on the matter.

The Boston Celtics held a touching tribute and a moment of silence for Terrence Clarke on Tuesday -- honoring the Boston-born NBA prospect less than a week after he was killed in a car crash.

Right before the Celtics took the floor against the OKC Thunder at TD Garden, the P.A. announcer took a moment to reflect on the 19-year-old's life and what he meant to the city.

FYI, Clarke grew up in Boston, where he developed into one of the best high school players in the country -- ultimately leading the Brewster Academy to the 2019 National Prep championship.

In fact, he brought the school back to the Finals in 2020 -- but the COVID pandemic forced the tourney to shut down.

As the P.A. announcer points out, Clarke went to the University of Kentucky where he "quickly became a favorite of teammates and fans alike."

"His work ethic, commitment and talent had him on the path to achieving his dream of playing in the NBA."

Sadly, Clarke was involved in a bad car crash on April 22 during a trip to Los Angeles. He was raced to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

During the on-court tribute, the Celtics displayed photos of Clarke with stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

"His larger-than-life personality always lit up a room and made him loved by everyone he touched," the Celtics P.A. announcer said.

"His goal was to inspire and be a role model for a generation of youth basketball players across Boston. Quite simply, Terrence was the pride of the entire city."

Evander is out, LENNOX IS IN!!

Mike Tyson tells TMZ Sports ... his next boxing opponent is all lined up and it's a rematch with former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis!!

"I'm gonna fight Lennox Lewis," Tyson told us Tuesday night on the way out of Catch in L.A. ... "September."

YES!!!

Mike is 54 years old. Lennox is 55.

Remember, Tyson was in talks to rematch Evander Holyfield on May 29 in Miami but the deal fell apart in March because the two sides couldn't agree on money.

So, Tyson's camp continued the search for a big-name opponent -- and according to Mike, Lennox is in!

The two have fought before -- Lewis famously KO'd Tyson in the 8th round when they clashed in June 2002.

In the buildup to the fight, Tyson making some wild threats ... famously saying he wanted to "eat" Lennox's children!

We spoke with Lennox back in February about the possibility of fighting Tyson and he told us he was open to it ... but only "if the public wanted it."

Well, clearly enough people made it clear they'd love to see Lennox get back in the ring!

FYI, Lewis is one of the greatest heavyweight fighters ever -- he finished his pro career in 2003 with a 41-2-1 record ... defeating legends like Vitali Klitschko, Evander Holyfield, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, Frank Bruno and, of course, Mike Tyson.

Tyson was 50-6 in his pro career -- but looked AWESOME in his exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in Nov. 2020.

"As many as you guys know, I've struggled with depression and anxiety for some time."

That's undefeated boxing superstar Ryan Garcia bravely choosing to talk about the reason he withdrew from his July 9 fight against Javier Fortuna ... revealing he's in need of a mental health break.

Over the weekend, the undefeated 22-year-old posted the fight news on IG -- saying he wanted to focus on managing his "health and wellbeing" ... but didn't really expand on what that meant.

"I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself," Garcia has posted.

But on Tuesday, Garcia expanded on his health situation -- saying he's often "pushed through" some difficult moments ... but feels it's important to slow down and get some professional help.

"I pushed thru so many times but I need some time off and I'm choosing to finally get some help with my mental health," Garcia said.

Garcia is currently in Hawaii with his girlfriend, Drea Celina, and their 4-month-old daughter ... and from the looks of things, they're focusing on health and relaxation.

Caleb Farley -- a former Va. Tech star who's expected to be a top 20 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday -- has tested positive for COVID and has now been barred from the league's official party.

The DB's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, made the announcement in a statement to Pro Football Talk on Wednesday ... saying the 22-year-old is feeling fine, but will now not attend the NFL's in-person draft event in Cleveland this week.

"Caleb Farley tested positive for Covid 19 yesterday on a test administered by the NFL," Rosenhaus said.

"He is totally asymptomatic and feels completely normal. However, he won’t be allowed to attend the draft in Cleveland."

Farley had been just 1 of 13 former college football stars scheduled to be in Ohio for the annual selection process ... so it's obviously a big bummer for the CB.

But, Farley's draft night should still be a memorable one nonetheless -- he's been projected by draft experts to possibly go as high as #9 overall to the Denver Broncos.

Farley -- who opted to sit out the 2020 season over COVID concerns -- played in 23 games in his 2-year career at Virginia Tech, logging six total interceptions.

Antonio Brown is officially returning to Tampa ... the star receiver re-signed with the Buccaneers on Wednesday morning, just 1 week after settling his sexual assault case.

Brown was a key part of Tampa's Super Bowl-winning team in 2020 -- he caught a TD in the title game against the Chiefs -- and he had been campaigning for a 2021 return.

And, after AB struck a settlement last week with the woman who had accused him of a 2018 rape, the Bucs clearly felt comfortable bringing the 32-year-old back.

The deal is a one-year contract worth up to $6.25 million, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. The agreement also includes a $2 million signing bonus, Pelissero added.

Brown -- who released a joint statement with his accuser, Britney Taylor, last week saying "Their dispute is resolved and they wish each other great continued success" -- played in 8 games for the Bucs last season.

Marty McFly may be a fictional character with a prop that serves as a cool hoverboard but soon your average (wealthy) Joe may have the chance to actually own one ... 'cause they're ready to hit the market this summer.

Alexandru Duru and Philippe Maalouf, co-founders of Omni Hoverboards, tell TMZ ... their company is very close to bringing a new hoverboard model to market.

That means ... the public will soon be able to buy a limited supply that will be made available summer or late 2021. But, hoverboard riders will have to plunk down a small fortune for the craft. We are told pricing is still a work in progress, but the 10-propellor model is expected to fetch around $36k.

We're told Omni wants to eventually sell an 8-propellor model that could retail for around $27k.

Hoverboards are all the rage right now. As we reported ... some dude was seen zipping through the streets over the weekend. And, for the record, that hoverboard does NOT belong to Omni. But, it sure created tons of buzz that the technology's there to make Michael J. Fox's dream a reality.

Truth is ... Omni's past models and most hoverboard competitors last about 1 to 3 minutes in the air, which is why most hoverboard clips on social media are short. The new model could stay airborne for 30 minutes.

Omni has been at it for some time now trying to get its hoverboards off the ground. In 2015, its mark-1 prototype earned a Guinness record by traveling a total distance of 905 feet.

Kamaru Usman vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov?!!? How awesome would that be?!

Kamaru says it would "absolutely" be the biggest fight in UFC history -- but the champ isn't holding his breath that it'll happen.

Remember, Khabib (29-0) announced his retirement back in October 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje -- but later told Dana White he would consider a comeback if one of the top fighters showed him something "spectacular."

Well, enter Usman ... who's been destroying the best fighters in the UFC's welterweight division including wins over Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns and more.

The question -- is Khabib impressed enough to consider a comeback against the reigning welterweight champ?! Usman isn't counting on it.

"I’ve lost faith in this one," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "I think you have more of a chance at making Kamaru Usman and Georges St Pierre happen before Kamaru Usman and Khabib."

We also asked about a possible matchup with Nick Diaz down the line ... and Usman seems interested!

Floyd Mayweather is zeroing in on a date and location to fight Logan Paul -- and multiple sources tell us the target is Sunday, June 6 in Miami.

We're told the date is not set in stone -- but Floyd's camp is really pushing for the Sunday date.

So, why not shoot for Saturday night like most major Pay-Per-View boxing events?

We're told the hope of having a bunch of live fans at the venue for the fight is playing a key role.

One source tells us the Sunday date works better with the intended venue in Miami -- a venue that would be able to hold a large crowd, which is very important to Floyd.

Floyd and Logan Paul were originally scheduled to fight on February 20th -- but the event was postponed due to "COVID and other things."

Since then, there have been questions about if the fight was ever going to happen -- but we're told Floyd is 100% in and can't wait to get it on.

The fight would technically be considered an exhibition -- which means it would not count on either fighters' professional record.

26-year-old Logan is 0-1 record as a pro -- but he's full of confidence ... especially after his brother Jake Paul obliterated MMA star Ben Askren.

Plus, the Paul brothers have proven to be legitimate PPV draws -- which we're certain is appealing to Floyd.

44-year-old Mayweather is 50-0 and widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time with wins over legends like Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao.

And we all remember what he did to Conor McGregor ...

This is gonna be stomach-churning for some ... video of NRA exec Wayne LaPierre and his wife hunting elephants in Africa, and his lack of marksmanship at crunch time made the brutal event even more inhumane.

The disturbing footage shows the LaPierres in Botswana during a 2013 trip, and as they trek through the bush with guides and a couple of friends, they find what they came to kill -- an adult elephant grazing nearby.

The New Yorker and The Trace obtained this video of Wayne taking aim at the animal and taking it down with a single rifle shot -- but one of the guides said the bull wasn't dead, and instructed Wayne on where to aim for the kill shot. The National Rifle Association's Executive VP took 3 more shots -- from about 20 feet away -- but couldn't put the poor elephant out of its misery.

The guide finally asked someone else in the group to make the shot.

Later that day, it was Wayne's wife, Susan's turn, and she killed an even bigger elephant from closer range ... as it seemed to be staring right at her. It's hard to see any "sport" in what happens in this video.

According to the New Yorker, the video was supposed to be used for a TV show called "Under Wild Skies," but never saw the light of day ... due to the NRA's concerns about a PR blowback. Both Wayne and his wife celebrated with smiles, hugs and high fives after their kills. Susan is seen cutting off the elephant's tail and shouting, "Victory!"

Welp, this is a way to bruise Conor McGregor's ego ...

Kamaru Usman tells TMZ Sports he's more interested in "beating the s**t" out of Jake Paul than taking on Conor ... explaining he's been looking for an excuse to punish one of these "Internet guys."

Usman is fresh off of a VIOLENT performance against Jorge Masvidal -- where he basically sent Gamebred to the shadow realm with one of the most devastating knockout punches in UFC history.

Before that, Usman went on a run dominating the best the UFC's welterweight division had to offer ... from Gilbert Burns to Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley and more.

So, in the immortal words of Bill Goldberg ... WHO'S NEXT!?

Usman says he's down to fight TWO more times before the end of the year -- but admits there's no one in his division that's tickling his fancy at the moment.

Sure, he's been trading Twitter trash talk with Conor McGregor -- but Usman says when push comes to shove, Conor doesn't want the smoke.

"He's fought once in the last year and a half and that didn’t end well for him," Usman says.

"Imagine what I would do to him. I would take his life in there."

Which brings us to Jake Paul ...

"If these guys don't show me anything, maybe I'll put out one of these guys who think 'I can box' and beat the sh*t out of them."

Kamaru even referenced the back and forth between Daniel Cormier and Jake Paul in the stands at UFC 261 ... and begged DC to stand down so he could teach the guy a lesson.

"DC, sit down, let me take care of that for you," Usman said.

Usman says he's sick and tired of Paul dissing legends like Cormier -- and believes it would be his duty to beat some respect into him.

Hey, Jake's looking for a fight too ... so, never say never.

Kenny Chesney is hoping to get back to performing massive stadium concerts in the near future ... and says he's looking to the NFL to come up with a COVID-conscious blueprint.

"We're watching really closely what the NFL is going to do this year," Chesney told Brett Favre on the Hall of Famer's "Bolling With Favre" podcast this month.

"We're watching really closely to what the NFL does and how many people they allow in there and I think that's going to allow us to see what we're going to do in 2022."

Chesney says he and his band have no plans to tour this summer ... but he's anticipating putting together shows that'll stop at plenty of NFL stadiums in '22.

He explained to Favre that he's going to watch how the NFL handles attendance ... and could potentially mimic the same regulations when he's ready to return to the big stage.

"We all got our fingers crossed that we're going to be able to go with no restrictions -- with a lot of people in there," Chesney says.

Chesney added he's foaming at the mouth to get back to playing, telling Favre, "I can tell you that I have really missed it. I missed the energy."

As for how the conversation with Favre all came about ... it turns out, Brett is actually a HUGE country music fan who's been buds with KC for a long time.

In fact, Favre told a funny Chesney story about how he was once on the singer's tour bus with Vince Vaughn when the thing caught on fire!

Police body cam footage shows Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown bleeding profusely from his head in the moments after he was attacked outside a strip club in Miami ... and the footage is tough to watch.

As we previously reported, Brown was hospitalized with serious injuries on April 19 after he was reportedly attacked with a liquor bottle outside the Booby Trap strip club.

Brown suffered major lacerations on his face and head, according to The Athletic, which also claims there was a serious concern for his life.

Now, reporter Andy Slater has obtained police body cam footage showing the moment officers arrived at the scene ... and you can clearly see Brown covered in blood.

The footage, which does not include audio, also shows Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter, Jr., apparently trying to explain the situation to officers and paramedics.

The whole incident was over a vehicle mix-up -- Brown accidentally got into the wrong sprinter van on his way out of the club ... and the people inside decided to beat the hell out of him.

Brown is reportedly out of the hospital ... but it sounds like it could be a while before he returns to the court.