TMZ Sports - Page 43

Chuck Liddell is finally addressing what led to him going overboard on a Lamborghini yacht last month ... telling TMZ Sports it was a simple whoopsie-daisy moment.

The Iceman turned into Aquaman during a recent trip to San Diego ... falling off the side of the luxurious watercraft in front of all his peers -- requiring some serious assistance to get out of the water.

Liddell chalked the fall up to his animated hand gestures while talking ... and once he lost his balance, he only had two options -- hit the deck or aim for the H20.

Of course, Liddell chose the latter ... and in his opinion, that was the best way to avoid getting hurt.

The former UFC superstar says he's a pro when it comes to boats ... and he's pretty adventurous at sea, even doing flips off top decks of much bigger vessels in the past.

As for how he's doing, Liddell says he's completely fine ... so everyone can relax.

Forget Russell Wilson, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye ... JuJu Smith-Schuster says he wants Mac Jones to return as the Patriots' starter in 2024.

"Honestly, man," the New England wideout told TMZ Sports out at LAX this week, "my boy Mac, that's my guy."

"I know at the end of the day," he continued, it's "whatever the coaches decide to do. But I think Mac's still got it."

Of course, there are plenty in Foxborough who vehemently disagree with JuJu ... as Jones was only 2-9 in the 11 games he started last season.

In those contests, he threw for just 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His quarterback rating dipped all the way to 77.0 too.

To make matters worse for the former first-round pick, it was the second straight year he appeared to regress ... leading plenty in Patriots Nation to urge the team to move on to a draft pick or a veteran like Wilson. In fact, NFL Network inside Ian Rapoport reported Friday the team itself is exploring trading the 25-year-old.

But, Smith-Schuster made it clear to us he's hoping the ex-Alabama star -- and his backup, Bailey Zappe -- get another chance in '24.

"I'm riding with Mac," said the receiver, who signed a three-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. "I'm riding with my boy Zappe. Those are my boys. I came in throwing with those dudes."

"But, whatever happens, happens."

Just because Paul Heyman is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year doesn't mean he's slowing down anytime soon ... 'cause the wrestling legend tells TMZ Sports in reality, he's just getting started!!

The big news was announced earlier this week ... stating the "Wise Man" would receive top honors when WrestleMania 40 goes down in Philadelphia next month.

Heyman says he turned down several attempts to get into the Hall sooner ... but everything lined up perfectly to get it done this time around -- especially with it being in the City of Brotherly Love, where WCW was based.

Despite the nostalgic aspect of the ceremony, Heyman admitted it's not his style to look back on his journey ... 'cause he's always thinking about what's next.

"I never dwell on the past, I'm always looking into the future, which is another reason why I've never accepted it before," Heyman tells us. "I kind of really look at this as my 'Rookie of the Year' award because I think it's taken 40 years to kind of really figure out this industry and the art of presentation."

Heyman says he really feels like he's firing on all cylinders now ... and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon -- unless, he jokes, WWE has something to say about it.

As for the day the news broke, Heyman hilariously described it in one word -- "bothersome."

It's finally the weekend, and what better to enjoy than to recap our TV show topics!

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where Charles and Courtney talked about Alec Baldwin's upcoming criminal trial in New Mexico -- where prosecutors are charging him with manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins ... to which he's pled not guilty.

We've heard he may call celebrity witnesses ... namely, those who've defended him publicly.

Next up, we got "TMZ on TV" ... where the gang talked about Larsa Pippen's massive allowance to her daughter -- which teeters into the thousands, and which is quite high!

Different opinions on whether that was appropriate or not ... especially in Los Angeles.

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports" ... where Mike and Mojo talked Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson may not be the only boxing stars fighting on July 20 ... legendary pugilist Antonio Tarver says he wants to settle the score with rival Bernard Hopkins at Jerry's World before Iron Mike and The Problem Child go to battle!

55-year-old Tarver -- a multiple-time world champion -- joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on Friday (airs nightly on FS1) where he threw out the challenge to The Executioner.

"If they want to put two other old guys on the undercard, I got a name in mind too, so we can all have fun with this," The Magic Man said.

Naturally, we asked ... who?!

"Everybody knows I got a bone to pick with Bernard Hopkins, ya know what I mean? He's a vegan, so he always stays in shape. So maybe we can support this big fight!"

Of course, Tarver and Hopkins famously fought in Atlantic City in June 2006 ... a fight Antonio was heavily favored to win.

But, that's not how it went inside the squared circle -- Bernard dominated the fight.

Antonio is looking for some revenge nearly two decades later.

FYI, Hopkins last fought professionally when he faced Joe Smith Jr. in December 2016. Tarver's last bout was in August 2015 against Steve Cunningham. Together the two legends have over 100 pro fights.

We also talked to Tarver about Jake and Mike ... and while many people have made the case that a near-60-year-old couldn't beat a guy in his mid-20s, that's certainly NOT how Antonio sees things.

Kevin Holland is usually trying his darnedest to stay off his back, but the UFC star will be playing a different role Saturday night, according to Michael Page, who is making his promotion debut ... 'cause Venom tells us he's going to turn Trailblazer into a wrestler!

"Any intelligent mixed martial artist, any smart mixed martial artist, 100% we've got our egos, we've got that tough bravado, but at the same time we want to win, and if it gets further and further away from looking like you're going to win, you have to change tactics," 36-year-old Venom Page told TMZ Sports.

"So, we're prepared for [Kevin] to become a wrestler. I've turned many strikers into wrestlers before, and I'm sure at some point he's gonna want to do the same."

Of course, fans who have watched 31-year-old Holland fight throughout his MMA career know he's a dangerous striker, and his opps have done nearly everything to get him off his feet and on his back ... which is what makes MVP's prediction so bold.

It's also worth noting the UFC isn't giving Page a cupcake of a first fight ... he's going straight into the fire, and that's how he wanted it!

In fact, Michael says he met with UFC execs before signing, and he expressed a desire to fight the best straight away.

"I just want to jump right in the deep end. I've been in the game long enough now to not need warm-ups. Just let me at them and let's see if I sink or swim and we go from there."

Venom, 21-2 as a pro, counts wins over the likes of Douglas Lima, Derek Anderson, and Paul Daley.

As for what he hopes to accomplish, MVP is gunning for nothing short of a title.

Page vs. Holland is far from the only big fight on the UFC 299 card ... the event is anchored by the main event, a rematch between Marlon Vera and "Suga" Sean O'Malley.

The woman who went viral after attending the Warriors game this week has experienced an insane surge of interest in her luxury girlfriend services ... and it's gotten so out of hand, she's had to nearly double her hourly rate.

Katherine Taylor caught the eye of many NBA fans after she was spotted cheering on the action during Wednesday's matchup between the Dubs and Milwaukee Bucks at the Chase Center ... largely in part thanks to her wardrobe choice.

TMZ Sports caught up with the stunning blonde following her newfound fame ... and she says being in the spotlight has resulted in some serious interest in her side hustle.

Taylor -- who offers her company for compensation -- tells us she can barely keep up with all the inquiries that have piled in over the past two days ... and her website crashed due to the increase in traffic.

Prior to her appearance at the game, Taylor (who's actually a Sacramento Kings fan) was charging 900 bucks an hour for her services ... but now, it'll set ya back $1,500/hr. Ya know, supply and demand.

Bam Margera took a serious tumble while showing off his skateboarding skills -- and we've got the clip of the exact moment it all went down.

Check it out ... the pro skateboarder whizzes back and forth on the ramps, when suddenly, on one descent, his left leg lags behind ... sending him hurtling towards the ground.

As you can see, the former "Jackass" star's clearly in agony, letting out a loud "F***!" while writhing in pain on the ground. His buddy finds himself in a tough spot here ... watching helplessly, unsure of what to do next or how serious Bam's pain really is.

Turns out, it was quite bad ... 'cause he headed straight to the hospital after the wipeout. But, he luckily managed to avoid surgery and only needed a knee brace and some crutches instead.

The skateboarder was also comforted by his fiancée Dannii Marie ... who was by his side at the hospital. Looks like their love is still rolling strong!

Bam kept his fans in the loop ... taking to IG to share the news of his MCL tear -- which is essentially a stretch, partial tear, or complete tear of the medial collateral ligament.

Anthony Joshua dropped Francis Ngannou three times inside two rounds ... including a massive right hand that left The Predator out on the canvas!

The 34-year-old former 2x heavyweight champion was sharp from the very start of the bout ... putting 37-year-old Francis down in the first round with a hard straight right. Ngannou returned to his feet and even landed a hard punch towards the end of the round.

In the second, AJ again knocked Francis down ... but the former UFC champ beat the count, and the round continued.

But, just a short time later, Anthony uncorked a devastating right that landed flush to Francis' face, bending him backward (similar to the way Ngannou stopped Stipe Miocic), and immediately prompting the referee to stop the fight.

No count needed.

Ngannou, as doctors and medical professionals rushed in, remained down on the canvas for a couple of minutes ... and was even given oxygen.

Thankfully, Francis eventually got back on his feet, and appeared to be okay.

Despite less than 6 minutes of fighting, AJ encouraged Francis, who pushed Tyson Fury to the brink last year, to stick with boxing.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who has worked with many of the biggest and best in the sport, called the KO punch one of the "most destructive knockouts" he'd ever seen.

Swifties are coming to Travis Kelce's defense after he was caught texting during Taylor Swift's recent "Eras" tour concert ... with the message being, give the guy a break!

Check out the video ... you see the Chiefs tight end being filmed by a fellow concertgoer at the Singapore show he went to this week -- and while Taylor was belting out "I Knew You Were Trouble" ... TK was checking his phone, right at the peak of the song.

The person who filmed this seemed to be throwing some shade Travis's way -- by suggesting he wasn't being attentive enough .... with a caption, reading "It's giving supporting bf."

Despite what the TikToker might've been trying to imply here -- T-Swift's legion wasn't biting ... with a ton of people jumping to speak up for Travis ... and rightly pointing out how ridiculous any type of scrutiny or criticism over this really is. Dude's just checking his phone!

A few Swifties even noted that this is the first time that Travis has ever been seen looking at his phone while cheering on his sweetheart.

Besides, we know Travis is a supportive boyfriend -- evidenced by the fact that he's literally there in Singapore right now. As we reported earlier today, Trav was having a great time at the concert -- he was even caught dancing his tail off to Taylor's jams.

There's no denying he's a true fan of the Grammy winner ... remember, Travis attended the "Eras" tour before he and the pop star even got together. And, since getting with her -- he's made a huge effort to be at some of her international tours ... including in Australia.

Clearly, he's a supportive significant other ... and it seems her fans know that quite well. Here's hoping Trav can shake off the shade ... because it really ain't all that deep.

The guy's allowed to look away for a moment, y'all ... it should go without saying.

Tom Brady is currently by a pool near an ocean ... but he's clearly in desperate need of some more water -- posting a shirtless selfie Friday that screamed he's thiiiiirssssstyyyyy!!!

The New England Patriots legend dropped the peacockin' pic on his Instagram page ... knowing damn well he looked sexy as ever.

Chillin' in the backyard of his new Miami mansion -- Brady busted out some smoldering eyes, a light 5 o'clock shadow, some pumped-up pecs and a gold chain for the snap ... while joking he was having a "pool party."

"Where is everyone??" he said, adding two emojis.

Tom also shared a couple more pics of his new pad -- which was just recently completed -- and, yup, you can see it still definitely looks like a place fit for a man worth roughly half a billion dollars.

The timing of the barrage of posts appears to be somewhat notable ... as they come on the heels of his ex, Gisele Bundchen, getting emotional while talking about their divorce in a sitdown interview with "GMA" anchor Robin Roberts.

Deion Sanders is on his way to being a grandpa ... his eldest daughter, Deiondra, just revealed she's pregnant with R&B singer Jacquees' baby!

The 31-year-old called the pregnancy "a miracle" when she announced the news on Friday morning ... explaining that doctors had told her for years it would be difficult to have a baby due to a myriad of health issues she's undergone throughout her life.

"I never thought I'd be here but here we are," Deiondra wrote on her Instagram page. "I'm having this baby to give hope to all the other women that may be in my situation. No matter what Doctor’s say, GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY!"

"The miracle growing in me is not just a coincidence but a divine blessing."

Jacquees, too, was thrilled to announce their bundle of joy had been conceived ... writing on his IG page that all of this is "My definition of real LOVE."

Coach Prime weighed in as well ... saying he's excited to be a granddad, even if he believes he's still a bit too young for the title.

"I Love u baby," the Colorado Buffaloes head coach said, "and I'm glad u said u ain't having a baby to keep a man."

"You've always had a MAN in your life that u call DADDY & ain't gon ever ever let u DOWN especially when I'm UP."

Deiondra is Deion's oldest child who he had with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers. The NFL legend has four other kids, two of whom he currently coaches in Boulder.

Patrick Mahomes is leaning into his dad bod era ... going shirtless by the pool during his vacation down in Mexico -- with a couple bebidas in hand, no less.

The Super Bowl LVIII champ and in-game MVP kicked back and relaxed Thursday, lounging around a lavish Los Cabos beach resort in standard gringo attire ... board shorts and a straw hat. The Chiefs QB looked like he was enjoying himself -- with Brittany right by his side.

It's pretty obvious ... Patrick's enjoying some R&R, fully embracing the offseason after a grueling season that culminated in a second straight Super Bowl title. What better to unwind than double-fisting a couple canned beverages ... which is exactly what he did here.

Hard to tell if these are beers or seltzers, but they do look refreshing.

As you know ... Pat's on a Mexican getaway this week with family and friends, and we've already gotten a look at his wife Brittany's bikini bod.

Remember ... BM's nursing a back injury, but she's powering through ... which is a lot easier to do from a resort in Cabo. Patrick and Brittany have their kids in tow ... and they look to be joined by another couple.

Now, Pat's clearly letting it all hang out here ... no shame to his game, nor should there be. The three-time Super Bowl champ also showed off his dad bod during the NFL playoffs, when he went shirtless during the locker room celebration, which went viral at the time.

Patrick defended his physique in the aftermath ... and he's clearly not shy about it here either.

"134 Innocent Hostages including 6 Americans are still being held by Hamas, Gazans and Palestinians. Not one word DEMANDING THEIR RELEASE from our President."

That's Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl ripping into Joe Biden ... and suffice it to say, he wasn't a fan of POTUS' State of the Union speech Thursday night.

63-year-old Pearl, who is Jewish, laid into the 81-year-old president for failing to adequately pressure Hamas to release over 100 hostages that they took during the October 7 attacks in Israel during his third SOTU speech.

"On Oct 7th the Jewish People experienced the worst genocide since the Holocaust and we hear more about the suffering of Gazans than the constant threat for survival Israel and the Jewish people live with everyday!" Pearl wrote on X.

"And let's reward them with another State and launching pad for terror. Your lack of support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel was loud and clear Mr President!"

Of course, the coach is referencing Biden's push for a "two-state solution" in the region ... something he clearly believes is a bad idea.

On Friday, Pearl, who has been at Auburn since 2014, wasn't ready to move on ... and again went to social media to air out JB.

"President Biden saying 'I won't rest until we get the hostages home' isn't getting it done," Bruce tweeted, referencing a line from the president's speech, before urging action from POTUS and one of his top cabinet officials, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

Pearl is referencing a line from Biden's SOTU ... where he said, "We will not rest until we bring their loved ones home." The coach wants much more done.

"Send [Blinken] to Qatar and tell Hamas leaders they have a limited number of days to release all hostages and surrender. If they refuse Israel gets the green light to destroy Hamas and them!"

The United States, Israel, and Hamas, as well as other involved parties, are negotiating in Cairo, in an effort to strike a deal for a temporary ceasefire which would presumably lead to the release of at least some of the more than 100 remaining hostages.

Antonio Brown is shifting his focus from Tom Brady's ex-wife to Travis Kelce's girlfriend ... 'cause the controversial former NFL superstar has launched a trolling campaign on Taylor Swift.

AB -- who has zero filter when it comes to his online presence -- dropped what appears to be an AI-generated pic of himself in a Steelers jersey making out with the pop superstar on Friday ... saying, "Move over Jizelle, what these Swifties talkin bout? #CTESPN"

Brown incessantly went after Gisele Bundchen on social media following his former quarterback's divorce last year ... posting edited photos of the two together to insinuate he was responsible for their split.

As recently as last week, he targeted the former couple after Gisele confirmed her relationship with Joaquim Valente ... sharing a real picture of the receiver and model hugging after winning the Super Bowl in 2021.

But, it seems like he's done with Gisele -- at least for the time being -- 'cause he's caused quite a stir with his latest post ... and a lot of his followers are warning him the Swifties will inevitably team together to make sure he regrets the move.

Swift and AI have had a rough relationship lately -- as we previously reported, a ton of weirdos flooded social media with fake X-rated content featuring the "Anti-Hero" artist ... so yeah, this ain't gonna sit well with the fanbase one bit.

Larsa Pippen will not apologize for being generous with the Benjamins for daughter Sophia's allowance ... defending her parenting, and saying her teen daughter is also earning her own dough.

ICYMI, Sophia's hefty allowance is $2,500 per month, and it became a hot topic during Thursday's reunion for "The Real Housewives of Miami." While Andy Cohen was shocked to learn the 15-year-old was getting so much, Larsa claimed that number isn't that uncommon in Los Angeles, where her daughter resides.

As the Bravo personality put it ... L.A. is a super expensive town and the massive sum gives Sophia the freedom to order food, buy presents for friends and more.

She also says a large chunk of that change is earned by Sophia, who has appeared in campaigns for both Fashion Nova and Oscar de la Renta -- like most L.A. teenagers, we suppose?

Larsa's castmate Adriana de Moura came to her defense, calling her a good mom ... but noted that the reality TV star had other faults they could focus on.

For instance, Guerdy Abraira has struggled to forgive Larsa for revealing her cancer diagnosis without her permission.

While Larsa tried to apologize again at the reunion ... Guerdy made it clear she had no time to deal with the drama.

Larsa's main supporter during the episode was boyfriend Marcus Jordan (AKA son of basketball legend Michael Jordan).

While Marcus declared his love for Larsa during the reunion ... the two have had some recent drama off-screen. Remember, Larsa and Marcus faced breakup rumors last month after they unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Larsa -- who was previously married to Michael's teammate Scottie Pippen -- said during "The Traitors" reunion, which also dropped Thursday ... "We're working on our problems."

We may need a roadmap to follow all this drama.