TMZ Sports - Page 34

Conor McGregor isn't the only UFC fighter making a splash in the liquor industry ... The Notorious' rival, Michael Chandler, tells TMZ Sports he's now part owner of a premium tequila, Hiatus!

37-year-old Iron Mike joined Babcock to discuss the new business venture ... with Chandler teaming up with Kris DeSoto five years after he initially founded the tequila.

"A little over a year ago I found Hiatus Tequila. From the first sip I wanted more," Chandler told us, adding, "So I made an investment in the company, and have now been working behind the scenes with the team with our teams to try to get it in the glasses of as many people possible around the world. It's tequila for tequila people."

Michael says the brand's values line up perfectly with what he believes ... so it was a partnership that made sense.

"It's exactly what I try to be -- authentic, true to myself," Chandler said, adding, "I'm excited about it and we're gonna take it to the moon!"

Of course, over the years athletes and entertainers alike have made huge sums of money in the liquor industry. Perhaps none had more success than McGregor, who raked in hundreds of millions of dollars on Proper 12 whiskey.

We also talked to Chandler about fighting. Michael has been inactive for a year, having last fought in November 2022 against Dustin Poirier.

Michael and Conor, last season's "The Ultimate Fighter" coaches, are supposed to scrap ... but, does Chandler believe it's going to happen?

The answer is a resounding yes.

"From everything that I've been hearing, first quarter of 2024 is when the [Conor McGregor] fight will be happening," Mike told us.

While he's on ... hiatus, MC says he's been studying Conor, from his past fights to his current interviews.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh says a woman is so obsessed with him, she changed her last name to "Houshmandzadeh" in an effort to get closer to him ... and now, he wants a court to order her to stay the hell away from him.

The former NFL star spelled out the allegations in a request for a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles ... claiming a 53-year-old woman named Annette Marie Houshmandzadeh has been making life miserable for him and his family since at least 2015.

In the docs, the ex-Cincinnati Bengals wideout says Annette used to go by Annette Selkirk, but legally changed her surname to "Houshmandzadeh" after developing "a bizarre and extreme obsession" with him and his family.

T.J. says he actually had a restraining order placed on the fan in 2015 -- though when it expired in 2019, he says she continued her harassment of him.

T.J. claims the woman has been posing as the mother of his kids online, making contact with his wife, as well as sending harassing mail and personal items to his home.

T.J. also says in the docs that he once received a letter from Annette in which she stated she had "several bullets inscribed with the names of each member of the Houshmandzadeh family."

Michael Oher repeatedly demanded $15 million from the Tuohy family over "The Blind Side" royalties, and if they didn't ante up he would "defame them on social media and/or TMZ as 'fakes' and 'thieves,' according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

The Tuohys filed the docs in connection with Oher's legal claim he was allegedly screwed out of the proceeds from the movie. Oher has claimed the Tuohys pocketed his portion of the royalty checks. The Tuohys have said he got his fair share.

According to the legal docs, Oher sent a slew of texts alleging he was "robbed of fifty million+" and then lowered his final offer to $10 mil.

In one text, Oher wrote, "If something isn't resolved this Friday, I'm going to go ahead and tell the world, how I was robbed by my suppose to be [sic] parents. That's the deadline," adding, "Think how it will look when it comes out."

The docs say the Tuohys rejected the $10 million demand, and Oher fired back, "It was 10 million. Now I want 15 after taxes."

According to the new docs, the grand total for each of the Tuohys and Oher was identical -- $138,309.90, and that's what they received.

Vanessa Hudgens and Major League Baseball player Cole Tucker are officially Mr. and Mrs. after marrying in Mexico ... and the newlyweds hit the beach with family and friends to celebrate.

TMZ confirmed the news ... the former Colorado Rockies shortstop and the actress said their I Do's in Tulum, Mexico over the weekend, months after we broke the news Tucker and Hudgens got engaged.

The couple hasn't released any photos from the actual wedding ... but there is a photo floating around social media of Hudgens in a white gown.

Hudgens continued with the all-white after the nuptials as the "High School Musical" actress wore a white one-piece bathing suit on the beach with her hubby, family, and friends.

You can also see Tucker -- a longtime MLB player -- wearing a wedding ring.

Hudgens said she knew Tucker was "the one" after their first weekend together ... but was still surprised when Tucker popped the question.

"We had definitely talked about it, but I did not expect it to happen the way that it happened and the moment that it happened," Hudgens said. "It definitely caught me off guard and I was bawling my eyes out."

Baker Mayfield is gonna be a girl dad ... the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and his wife just announced they're pregnant and are expecting their daughter to arrive in April 2024!

Mayfield's wife, Emily, shared the amazing news on Monday via Instagram with a bunch of pics from a photoshoot, including one of her holding a sonogram.

This is the couple's first child together.

"We’ve been hiding a little something……..🤫👀," Emily said in the IG caption.

"But we are THRILLED to share that baby girl Mayfield will be joining our crazy crew in early April 2024!"

Baker and Emily's 1.5-plus million combined IG followers were thrilled over the announcement ... including Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, who left a comment, "Yayyyy!!! 😍 Congrats guys!!!💕💖."

Travis Kelce also dropped a comment on the photo, writing, "Ayyyeee!! Congrats you guys!"

Mayfield and Emily first met back in 2017 when Baker was playing college football at Oklahoma. Six months after meeting, Mayfield proposed ... and they tied the knot in 2019.

"These last few years we have grown in so many ways," Emily said on their four-year anniversary this July, "and I am SO proud of where we are in our marriage."

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Mayfield threw for 202 yards and scored one touchdown in the Bucs' 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Kobe Bryant's last Lakers road uniform, from signature Nike sneakers to gold shorts and number 24 jersey, worn by Mamba during his last NBA road game just sold for nearly half a million dollars at auction!

The historic pieces of memorabilia, photo matched to prove they were worn by KB on April 11, 2016, were on the block at SCP Auctions, and as expected, they sold for a pretty penny!

Kobe's game-worn, 3XL Adidas Climacool shorts and 4XL jersey sold for $366,967 ... while the size 14 Nike Kobe 11 Elite Lows went for $118,230. That's $485,197 total!

The Lakers lost the game, 112-79 ... and Bryant scored 13 points, all in the first quarter, while clearly dealing with fatigue and injury. Still, that didn't stop Mamba from attacking Kevin Durant.

The identity of the buyers isn't known ... but whoever it is, they got themselves a piece of history.

After all, it was the second to last game of his career, and it's difficult to imagine the Bryant family ever letting go of the jersey from his final NBA game ... where KB went off against the Utah Jazz in L.A.

The Saturday night tiff between LeBron James and Rockets head coach Ime Udoka all started over a "bitch" comment -- a word that the Lakers star blasted Udoka for using "so loosely."

The quarrel went down during Los Angeles' tilt with Houston at Crypto.com Arena ... after Udoka was pissed with James for pleading with officials for a foul call.

Arena microphones captured Udoka telling LeBron, "Stop crying like bitches, man" -- and during a break in the action on the court a short time later, LBJ went after Udoka.

"We're all grown men," James said to the coach, "that bitch word ain't cool. Don't use it so loosely."

Udoka, however, didn't back down ... and a heated exchange then ensued.

"What're you going to do about it?" Udoka can be heard saying.

Eventually, the referee threw Udoka out of the game after he appeared to call James "soft-ass boy."

Sylvester Stallone's inaugural Rocky Day got the coolest reenactment ever -- and it came courtesy of a young, loud fan who knows the movie's lines frontward and backward.

The legendary actor was in Philly Sunday to celebrate the first-ever holiday dedicated to him and his onscreen character -- y'know on account of the fact his film takes place in the City of Brotherly Love and everything ... not to mention his famous statue there in town.

Speaking of that monument, that's where this awesome interaction between Sly and a young fan went down ... where the kid recited Rocky's speech from 'Rocky Balboa,' where he tells his son how hard life is and how you gotta "keep punching."

Check it out ... the little dude goes all in on the delivery here, and SS matched him during part of it. They were going toe to toe in passion -- but the little guy might just take it.

BTW, if this boy looks familiar ... that's because he's actually made a thing of this lately. In fact, he recently did something similar with none other than Hulk Hogan -- who, funny enough, actually once co-starred alongside Sly in one of the 'Rocky' movies.

Looks like the young man is going around and impressing the hell out of the big macho stars from back in the day ... and they're definitely feeling it.

Deion Sanders and Tracey Edmonds have called off their engagement ... the couple made the shocking announcement on Sunday, saying although they won't be tying the knot, they'll continue to be friends.

"We have mutually decided that it is best for us to move forward in life AS FRIENDS," Sanders and Edmonds said on Instagram, "and have made this decision with love in our hearts, respect for each other, and appreciation for the time we've shared together."

"Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this transition. Thank you for being there for us ALL THESE YEARS! We love you and appreciate you SO MUCH! 🙏🏽❤️"

The Colorado Buffaloes coach and T.V. personality/producer met at a movie premiere in 2012 ... and after linking up for a meeting shortly after, the two became an item.

After years of dating in a long-distance relationship, Sanders proposed to Edmonds on Valentine's Day in 2019.

"To all the couples out there... stay REAL with each other, LISTEN to each other, and MOST of all.. keep LOVE and GOD in your heart," Edmonds said on IG when Sanders proposed. "When you do, you can make it through ANY storm! Spread LOVE and JOY on this day! ❤️."

Kristin Cavallari says that women shouldn't have to wait before jumping into bed with a dude ... instead suggesting they should bang away whenever, but not everyone agrees.

The reality star shared her latest advice on her "Let's Be Honest" podcast, a clip of which she threw up on IG ... in which she says she's rethought the rules of dating as it pertains to when to sleep with a potential partner.

Once upon a time, KC says she was of the mind that women needed to wait a few dates before hopping in the sack -- but now, she says she realizes that "it doesn't f****** matter" and that gals should do it if/when they feel like it's right.

From her POV, there's no time like the present -- and if there's chemistry, she says why not ... screw to your heart's desire. Sounds pretty progressive and empowering, but it appears some more traditional women are firing at her in her comments over this.

One woman simply called it "Trash advice," and another said it was the worst thing Kristin to recommend to young women, especially in today's society. Somebody else took a pot shot at her and said, "That's why you're divorced and still looking for someone at 40+."

Others elaborated a bit further, saying that Kristin leaning into hookup culture is actually damaging to women's psyche ... and that it doesn't actually help form strong relationships or bonds with men they want to get serious with. Lots of opinions of course -- but it seems the vast majority of folks aren't on board.

Kristin's renewed perspective on putting out seems to be in line with recent revelations she's made since she and Jay Cutler went their separate ways -- including the fact that she hooked up with Tyler Cameron recently.

Taylor Swift is in Wisconsin to watch Travis Kelce, take on the Packers -- the first time in a while that she's been to one of his games ... and she may serve as a good luck charm.

The pop star touched down in Green Bay Sunday ahead of Sunday's big NFL matchup -- and it looks like she's dressed for the snowy weather out there ... rolling into Lambeau Field with a bright red trench coat and looking all bundled up alongside Brittany Mahomes.

We're in December now ... and the temps have certainly dropped from when she was hitting up TK's games earlier in the fall. Gotta rock the right gear this time of the year ... it's chilly.

Anyway, TayTay and co. had themselves a nice private box suite just like they usually do -- but it was way harder to see her this time around as the camera panned to her ahead of the broadcast ... y'know, on account of the heavy snowfall and all. Still, she was there!

In fact, Taylor's been hanging out with Travis this whole past week -- and there's even a photo of the two of them circulating online that appears to show them at a holiday party.

It just shows how serious they are ... as soon as she wrapped her gigs in Brazil a week or so ago -- she jetted on over to Kansas City and has been with her boyfriend ever since ... including right now, which feels like old times yet again.

We haven't seen Taylor attend one of Travis' games in a minute -- but that's just because her schedule got really busy. It seems like whenever she can, she'll be there front and center.

It's funny ... some people have noticed that Travis actually tends to play better, objectively, whenever Taylor's in the building -- so people will definitely be looking to see his stats today.

Jeremy Allen White is revealing one major influence on his buff transformation for the upcoming "Iron Claw" movie ... telling TMZ Sports his co-star Zac Efron helped whip him into wrestling shape!!

JAW is playing Kerry Von Erich in the project about the famous Von Erich family ... and while he was never in bad shape by any means, the dude really bulked TF up for the role.

In fact, he didn't shy from putting his swole figure on display ... dropping the top for a workout back in July.

Naturally, we had to ask JAW all about his new bod outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this week ... and whether Efron -- who's always been chiseled -- motivated him in the gym.

"He definitely did!!" White said.

As for actually wrestling in the future, JAW ain't too sure he can hang with the big boys ... especially considering he was so fresh to the industry when he got the gig.

Daymond John has predicted the success of "Shark Tank" will continue long after the departure of his costar Mark Cuban ... whom he credits for keeping the series afloat.

The FUBU founder has no qualms over Mark's decision to leave ... saying he's already done enough by doing what no other well-known billionaire did ... believe in the show while it was on the brink of cancelation three seasons in.

Daymond says Mark's devotion ran deep ... staying on the show for so many years with his input playing a significant part in making it the cultural phenomenon it is today.

What he means is that if you've ever had dreams of pitching your pipe dream on "Shark Tank" -- that's all Mark.

Clearly, Daymond has forged a strong bond with Mark over the years ... telling us he wishes him well and adding the 'ST' team wants to pay his hard work forward by giving his seat to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

As for who could potentially snag the coveted seat? Mark himself has endorsed Kardashian biz partner Emma Grede as his replacement ... gushing over her experience and TV charisma.

Kim Zolciak's friends -- at least some of them -- don't want anything to do with her ... saying they're embarrassed by her behavior over her public divorce from Kroy Biermann.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the couple's relationship saga is a sad situation for their four minor children ... expressing concern they're forced to witness the drama play out at home and also relive it publicly through media coverage.

As a result, some of Kim's pals have distanced themselves from her over the last couple months.

We're also told the estranged pair feel it's becoming a fighting game for them -- though Kim seems to be enjoying the drama more than Kroy.

Despite speculation the couple is amplifying their contentiousness to score a reality show, our sources tell us that, as of yet, there's no TV deal on the table.

TBH ... cameras don't need to roll to understand how chaotic things are between K&K following their divorce filing in May.

Just over a week ago, one of their kids called cops to their home following an explosive fight ... only for the duo to cozy up for a Hibachi lunch date earlier this week.

Their on/off relationship comes amid a swirling mountain of money woes ... with Kim even using her IG as a marketplace to sell his designer shoes to pay off sky-high credit card debts.

The Chargers are in last place and virtually everyone believes it's a foregone conclusion head coach Brandon Staley will lose his job ... and that'd be a mistake, according to Antonio Gates, one of the greatest players in franchise history.

TMZ Sports ran into the 8x Pro Bowler earlier this week in L.A., who spent all of his 16 seasons as a pro with the Bolts, and asked him whether it was time Staley got the ol' heave-ho after another disappointing season in SoCal.

"Ya know, I don't personally think [the coach should be fired]," AG told us.

The Hall of Fame candidate explained his reasoning ... "Just because of the relationship he has with the players. I'm big on, 'Can you get the guys to play for you?' I feel like Staley has a rapport with the players, and I believe in that particularly because I've been in that locker room."

Staley's been the HC since the 2021 season ... and while the squad is chock full of talent, including star QB Justin Herbert, the team has struggled to find any postseason success. Last season the 10-win Chargers lost to the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, and this year has been a disaster.

Things have been so bad for the 4-7 squad, there's near-constant talk about who could replace Staley after his all-but-guaranteed demise ... and Bill Belichick is often at the top of the list.

Things aren't exactly going smoothly for the 6x Super Bowl-winning head coach (8 total) on the other coast, either. Bill and owner Robert Kraft have reportedly had tension, and it's not crazy to think Belichick walks away or even gets fired after the 2023 season.

We asked Gates if he believed Belichick would be a good fit in Los Angeles.

"I think Belichick is a proven, historical winner. Why wouldn't he be good for any team? I don't know how the old-school coaching would transition now. I come from that old-school mentality, but I don't know if these guys can commit to that style of play. I'm not sure. I don't know.

"But we do know what we know is that he's a proven winner. I just don't know if his style of play is still considered valuable in the National Football League."

The Chargers have 6 games remaining … including a matchup with the Pats this Sunday.

Ricky Williams would almost certainly have a bust in Canton today if the NFL had eased its weed policies during the running back's heyday -- at least, that's according to Calvin Johnson.

The Lions legend told TMZ Sports he not only thinks Ricky was just that good ... but he truly believes the benefits that marijuana provided the tailback could've helped Williams extend his career too.

"Ricky would probably be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he didn't have the issues with that," Johnson told us.

And, get this, the 38-year-old said his own career "possibly" would've lasted longer if the league had adjusted its ganja laws during his playing days as well.

The NFL, however, has finally laxed its tight policies recently ... and Johnson is hoping the changes will help open the door for some of the league's athletes -- and ones in college too -- to use his new line of CBD products.

If you're unfamiliar, in retirement, Johnson has teamed up with his former Detroit teammate, Rob Sims, to create a cannabis company called Primitiv ... and just recently, the duo added a line of products called Primitiv Performance to help sports competitors with recovery.

Johnson says they're working on obtaining their NSF certification for sport ... and he wants athletes to dive into it all if and when that comes through.

"We truly believe in it," he said of the new products. "I use it!"

Johnson even joked with us that Primitiv Performance is something that could help injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers return to the field quicker this season.