TMZ Sports - Page 50

How good is #5 ranked UFC Lightweight, Islam Makhachev? His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes he could be one of the most dominant fighters of all time.

"I think [Islam's] gonna be one of the greatest fights ever. I think he's a better version than Khabib. I truly believe he is. He's not now, but he can be. He's a future world champion, for sure," Ali tells TMZ Sports.

Obviously, Nurmagomedov (literally) NEVER lost ... finishing his legendary career with a 29-0 record. He beat Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor.

If you're not familiar with 30-year-old Makhachev ... he's a beast. Islam's 20-1 ... with his sole defeat coming in his 2nd UFC fight way back in 2015.

Ever since ... he's dominated.

Next on the agenda is #6 ranked Dan Hooker at UFC 267 on October 30 ... a fight Abdelaziz says Hangman can only win with a fluke punch.

"Dan Hooker, great fighter, great guy, he's showing up for a paycheck. The only way he can win is a lucky punch."

Ali says he's personally witnessed Makhachev beat much bigger UFC stars in the gym.

"Let me tell you something, Islam Makhachev, I see him in the gym beating D.C. (Cormier), beating Luke Rockhold, beating some of my guys who's top 5 middleweight. Beating guys in the top 5 at welterweight."

Playoff baseball is in full swing!

Famous Los Angeles Dodgers fans -- such as Cheech Marin, Rob Lowe, Joseph Baena, Nick Jonas and Thomas Rhett -- are celebrating their favorite team as they face-off against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLCS!

Emily Osment, Jenna Fischer, and Joe Jonas are just a few other sporty stars visiting the stadium, chomping down on Dodger dogs, and cheering from the bleachers with high hopes they will take home the World Series title for a second year in a row!

You won't strike out as you scroll through this gallery of these celebrity fanatics!

Vanessa Bryant will submit to a physician-ran test on her mental state see if she's actually tormented over the Kobe crash site photos being shared ... that is, if L.A. County get its way.

The late Lakers star's widow is being asked to undergo a psychiatric evaluation -- by force via a judge's ruling if need be -- by County attorneys who want her (and others) suing them to prove she's going through the emotional anguish and distress she claims in her lawsuit.

According to court docs, obtained by USA Today, the County's rationale here is ... Vanessa and co. say they've suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the crash site photos allegedly being spread around among L.A. County Sheriff's deputies, firefighters and others.

But ... how do we know their ongoing agony isn't simply because of the the crash/deaths of their loved ones, as opposed to the photos being disseminated among a relatively small group of people??? That's the County's position -- and they wanna get to the bottom of it.

The County's legal filing reportedly reads, "Despite putting their mental condition front and center in this case, Plaintiffs refuse to submit to independent medical examinations (IMEs)."

They add ... "The County brings this motion to compel IMEs of the Plaintiffs, which are necessary to evaluate the existence, extent and nature of Plaintiffs’ alleged emotional injuries. Plaintiffs cannot claim that they are suffering from ongoing depression, anxiety and severe emotional distress and then balk at having to support their claims."

Vanessa's legal team fired back, saying this was nothing more than a "scorched earth" approach, and a slimy one at that ... where the County is overreaching in their discovery process and going to extreme ends to defend what her attorney calls indefensible conduct.

L.A. County notes ... the photos (which apparently showed off the remains of some of the bodies that day) were allegedly only shared among other County employees, and a bartender -- saying they were never publicly disseminated.

A high school football game abruptly ended Friday night after gunfire erupted and 4 people were shot.

Players from Williamson High School were on the field against rival Vigor High School at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, when gunfire rang through the stadium, just before 10 PM.

Two of the 4 people shot were minors ... one person is in critical condition.

It's unclear where the shots came from, but it appears the shooter was not on the field or in the stands. As you see from the video, the players dropped to the ground and people in the stands fled ... leaving the stadium in a panic.

The shooter was not apprehended and it's unclear if police have any leads. A witness told cops 2 people and possibly more fled the stadium in a white sedan after the shooting, but it's unclear if they had anything to do with the shooting.

Andre Rison is going to bat for Jon Gruden ... telling TMZ Sports he knows the former NFL head coach is definitely "not a racist."

Rison -- who played for Gruden and the Raiders in the 2000 NFL season -- said despite the vile, racist, homophobic and misogynistic words Jon wrote in emails from 2011 to 2018 ... he still believes the guy is a good man.

"We all say some things behind closed doors that we regret or we wouldn't say in public," said Rison, who's remained close to Gruden even after the '00 season ended. "We've all made mistakes."

"I believe who he said and what he said and who he intended it for, it was intended for that person and nobody else."

Rison did admit Gruden did mean what he said in his messages to a Washington Football Team exec and others ... and offered to apologize on the coach's behalf.

But, Rison added in all the years he's been around the 58-year-old, he's never seen anything that would suggest Gruden is a bad person.

Rison also told us he believes if this is the end of Gruden's time in the NFL, the former Raiders head man should hold his head high.

"You've already given this game some of the best tutelage and best leadership that you could possibly give," Rison said in a message to Gruden. "So if you don't ever touch the game again, don't feel any type of way."

Tommy Fury says it's a wrap for Jake Paul's boxing career -- telling TMZ Sports he's going to knock the YouTuber-turned-fighter into retirement when they face off in the ring.

Fury -- lil' bro of boxing champ Tyson Fury -- finally agreed to be Paul's next opponent last week ... after initially saying the offer wasn't worth getting out of bed for.

We caught up with the 22-year-old earlier this week at LAX and had to ask what made him change his mind ... and he tells us the negotiations started to make sense.

"Things are looking up now between that fight," Fury says, "so hopefully we should get it closed in the next few weeks so we'll see."

Of course, Fury believes he's gonna win this bout -- he's a 7-0 light heavyweight going up against Paul, who's also undefeated, but hasn't gone against an actual boxer.

"This is an easy fight for me. A real easy fight," Fury tells us, "I've been doing this job since I was 7."

"He's not a boxer. He's gonna see that when we fight."

Fury added, "I will end his boxing career. There’s no more Jake Paul after we fight. That’s it."

In fact, Fury believes he's doin' Paul a favor ... 'cause at the end of the day, winning this fight doesn't get him anywhere "in boxing terms."

"Beating Jake Paul doesn't get me a world title shot," Fury says, "It doesn't get me any respect to any of the fighters because everyone knows what the fighters think of him."

"All it is, is a good payday, an easy fight."

S.F. fans might be hurting right now, but there's something to look forward to for next season ... 'cause UFC star Nate Diaz says he wants to throw out the first pitch at a Giants game -- and put Conor McGregor's toss to shame!!

Of course, Diaz's nemesis had one of the worst ceremonial first pitches EVER back in September ... chucking the ball wide right of the plate, but claiming it was actually great.

So, when we spoke with the 36-year-old at the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight last weekend -- before the Giants' heartbreaking exit from the postseason -- we asked if he was gonna try to get the same honor at Oracle Park.

Diaz disses McGregor with his response -- saying if he does get the opportunity, he's gonna hit the target!!

When we asked if his pitch will be better than Conor's, Diaz made it clear he'd look like Logan Webb out there on the mound.

The NFL's General Counsel Jeff Pash & then-Washington Football Team Prez Bruce Allen took a cheap shot at NFL players -- claiming almost none of them bother to vote.

Allen fired off the diss to his buddy Pash in an email TMZ Sports has obtained. Sources confirm the email exchange is among the more than 650,000 emails presented to the league during its 2020 investigation of the WFT organization -- and it says a lot about how the 2 high-ranking league officials felt about players.

In the 2018 email, Allen says, "I just got a phone call reminding me to vote in the Virginia primary before 7pm today (which I'm going to do). If NFL rules permitted NFL employees to gamble, I would bet $20.00 that less than 1% of NFL players voted in primaries this year."

Pash, who's been described as Commissioner Roger Goodell's right-hand man, replied, "Maybe even take the under" ... meaning, he'd bet even less than 1% of players votes.

Couple things to keep in mind -- this was the summer of 2018, less than 2 years after Colin Kaepernick and several other players were kneeling during the National Anthem to stand against police brutality and social injustice. So, suggesting players weren't interested in politics seems, at the very least, tone-deaf and misguided.

And, here's the bigger point ... according to our sources, the NFL had this email -- and the thousands of others -- more than a year ago, and yet took no action to discipline anyone involved. As you might know, in the wake of Jon Gruden's racist and homophobic emails (sent to Allen, BTW) ... there are calls for Goodell to release all of the emails. As of now, he has not.

The fact the league's own lead attorney and a team exec are on the record making distasteful remarks about players certainly isn't a good look -- and, perhaps, speaks to why the league's sitting on that mountain of emails.

Chuck Liddell has filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years ... just days after the UFC legend was arrested for domestic violence in Los Angeles, TMZ Sports has learned.

51-year-old Liddell filed for "dissolution w/ minor children" from his wife Heidi on Friday at a courthouse in L.A.

We broke the story ... Chuck was arrested early Monday morning at his Hidden Hills home after police responded to a call for a domestic disturbance.

When cops arrived, they spoke to Chuck and Heidi ... and determined a verbal argument turned physical.

While Chuck was taken to jail ... he's adamant he was actually the victim, and volunteered to go with cops so Heidi could remain at their home with a minor child who was in the house.

"I was the victim of the incident last night at our family home, as details of the case will reveal," Liddell said in a statement the day after the arrest.

"The deputies informed me that my wife would be arrested, as I did not respond to her assault while I sustained bruising and lacerations. I volunteered to go in her place."

Heidi was cited on the scene, but not taken into custody.

Conor McGregor found a fan in Italy this week who had tatted the UFC star's face on his arm -- and he absolutely bro'd down with the guy to celebrate!!!

The clip -- which McGregor filmed himself -- is awesome ... the fighter looked the ink over up-and-down and praised it relentlessly.

"This is probably the best version, the best version of me," McGregor said, adding, "My man! Thank you, brother!"

The artwork featured a bearded McGregor surrounded by money signs ... and Conor loved it so much, he then threw his arm around the dude and took a selfie video.

The guys cheered and smiled ... and it seems like it was a blast for all involved.

Of course, Conor is a huge fan of body ink ... he's got some of the most recognizable tats in the world -- but as far as we know, there are no portraits of himself on the bod yet.

David Ortiz has a message for all of the Yankees' fans blaming Aaron Boone for their disappointing season -- STOP IT.

TMZ Sports got the Boston Red Sox legend out in Beverly Hills this week to talk about his old rival's team ... and he made it clear, Boone is not to blame for New York's early playoff exit this year.

"Managers don't play, man," Ortiz said. "Managers just make moves."

Instead, Ortiz said if the Yankees want to be successful, they just need to work on "chemistry."

"If you don't have chemistry, it doesn't matter if you have talent," Ortiz said. "They have the talent, they just need to work on their chemistry. I think they'll be all right."

Many New York fans would disagree ... Pinstripes supporters have been clamoring for the team's brass to fire Boone ever since the Yanks disappointingly dropped the AL Wild Card Game to the Red Sox.

Boone has been safe for now ... which Ortiz appears to think is the right call in New York, despite what fans may believe.

This is one of the most brutal head kick knockouts you'll ever see -- courtesy of combat sports star Superbon Banchamek -- who starched opponent Giorgio Petrosyan with a perfectly placed strike, to win the ONE Championship title.

31-year-old, #2 ranked Superbon fought 35-year-old, #1 ranked Petrosyan Friday in Singapore for the inaugural ONE Championship Featherweight Kickboxing Championship.

The knockout happened in the 2nd round of a scheduled 5-round fight ... with 2:35 minutes remaining.

Just beating Petrosyan, one of the best kickboxers in the world, is an awesome accomplishment ... he's got a pro kickboxing record of 104-3-2.

If you're not familiar with Superbon ... he signed with ONE in 2020. He made his debut with the promotion last July, beating Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

Eli Manning letting his birds fly on national TV was hilarious, but it turns out the Giants legend truly regretted the mishap ... this according to his bro, Peyton, who says he really felt bad afterward.

Remember, Eli was telling an anecdote about playing in front of Eagles fans in Philadelphia on "Monday Night Football" a few weeks back ... and got a bit too into it when talking about how 9-year-old kids would flip him off in the stands -- giving a visible demonstration on camera.

Peyton is now giving his take on the whole incident ... saying he's heard Eli share that story 100 times, but NEVER thought in a million years he would actually do the gesture.

"Out of all times to actually do it, I was in real shock about it," Manning said this week.

"But, he felt bad and he apologized. It was not intentional but it was just funny that was the one time he picked to do it."

We also talked about the Manning Bros' successful 'MNF' broadcast ... and Peyton says he's loved his time talkin' football with Eli -- and their star-studded guests have been having a blast, too!!

It's officially spooky season at Myles Garrett's house ... 'cause the Cleveland Browns superstar has decorated his home for Halloween -- with gravestones of NFL QBs!!!

The 25-year-old put out the set up at his Ohio pad just a few days ago ... laying headstones on his front lawn with seven quarterbacks' last names, numbers and helmets on them.

The list of signal-callers features opposing players on the Browns' schedule this season ... including AFC North rivals Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Burrow.

The other four names include Bears' Justin Fields, Patriots' Mac Jones, Cardinals' Kyler Murray and Chargers' Justin Herbert.

Unclear why other QBs on the Browns' schedule like Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers missed the cut ... but you can see in photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, it's all hilarious nonetheless.

Each "grave" has it's own light fixed on it ... and on Jackson's and Jones', the words "RIP" and "Here lies" are written on the top.

There's also two giant skeletons, a scarecrow, pumpkins and more on the property!!

Of course, some could perceive these as possible bulletin board material for Myles' opponents ... but even all the motivation in the world ain't going to help tackles block Garrett better.

Because, after all, have you seen the dude?!?

The Predators vs. Kraken game Thursday looked more like a Mike Tyson fight -- at least in the stands -- 'cause fans of the two teams got in a wild brawl where they threw HEAVY uppercuts at each other.

The scrap all went down at some point during Seattle's 4-3 win over the Preds in Nashville ... when two guys kicked off an insane melee by throwing hands.

Two separate witnesses filmed the fight ... and you can see in the clips, it appeared to begin when a Kraken fan began throwing right hands at a Predators' fan's face.

At some point, though, the Preds supporter was able to break free ... and he threw some huge uppercuts of his own that appeared to land flush.

Another man came into the scrum several seconds later and landed a big punch on the Predators fan ... but, eventually -- and thankfully -- everyone was held back before more damage could be done.

Unclear if the guys were injured, or if they were arrested. We've reached out to cops, but no word back yet.

Jonathan Goodwin, a daredevil stuntman on the new "America's Got Talent: Extreme" suffered brutal injuries after a stunt he attempted went horribly wrong, and it was so bad people on the set thought he was dead.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Goodwin was suspended 70 feet in the air in a straitjacket hanging by his feet from a wire. Two cars were suspended on either side of him ... swinging back and forth. The stunt was for Goodwin to free himself from the restraints and then fall on an air mattress, and avoid getting crushed by the cars as they swung in the air.

Something went terribly wrong, and the cars smashed together, sandwiching Goodwin in between them. The impact caused the cars to explode, erupting in a gigantic fireball. Goodwin fell to the ground and hit his head.

Our sources say Goodwin was unresponsive after the crash, and people on the set thought he was dead.

However, Goodwin was responsive when he was airlifted to a hospital and rushed into surgery. We're told he's in a trauma unit and his condition is unclear.

Goodwin is no stranger to the 'AGT' family ... he was on the show in 2020, where he successfully completed another death-defying stunt.

'AGT: Extreme' is hosted by Terry Crews, and features judges Nikki Bella, Travis Pastrana and Simon Cowell.