Celebrity Health

COVID-19 fighters just got a super-charged lift from Ferrari ... the exotic sports car company announced it's built ventilators to help battle coronavirus!!

The guys who make the sweet vehicles say in just 5 weeks ... they designed and manufactured "reliable, versatile" and "easy to use and assemble" ventilators that are ready to be rolled out to hospitals soon.

Of course ... the machines weren't built with super parts from the legendary whips -- Ferrari execs say the ventilators needed to be constructed with normie equipment to make it easier to mass-produce.

Disappointing, we know ... but still -- AMAZING gesture!!!

Ferrari said in a statement Wednesday they partnered with the Italian Institute of Technology (ITT) to make the pieces ... which have been touted by Italian docs as "effective, advanced and performs well, while also being safe and durable."

Ferrari says the name of the equipment is FI5 ... F for Ferrari, I for ITT and 5 for "the number of weeks required to produce a fully functioning prototype, starting from a clean sheet of paper."

#BALLER!!!

UFC fighter Anthony Smith CAN'T WAIT to walk into an empty arena Wednesday night and throw down with Glover Teixeira ... happy to do his part to entertain during the pandemic.

"I think the world just needs something to look forward to and I think right now we're the only thing that's giving them that," Smith tells TMZ Sports.

Smith vs. Glover is the main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena -- and it's the only live sporting event on TV, creating a huge opportunity for the fighters.

"Selfishly, I'm excited I'm going to have a lot of eyes on me that I wouldn't typically have ... Gonna be a lot of fans looking for some sort of live event."

And, while Smith doesn't think fighting without a crowd will affect his performance -- he certainly thinks it had an impact on Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 this past weekend.

"I think no fans being there actually helped him a little bit because ...  he was dropped in that 2nd round and typically, Gaethje comes out in the 3rd round, guns blazing, trying to get that one back."

"If he would've went down, the crowd would've went crazy.  He would've felt that energy and that momentum swing."

"His coach was able to bring him back in and settle him down, get him calm and get him back focused on the task, back to the game plan."

"I think that would of been harder to do with feeding off the crowd, the energy of the crowd."

One of the most anticipated college football games of 2020 will NOT go down as scheduled ... so says FS1 star Colin Cowherd, who reports USC vs. Alabama in Sept. won't happen.

"Told by two people I trust -- USC v Alabama isn't happening," "The Herd" host said. "Trojans can’t even practice in LA potentially for several months. This is why Bama already talking to other possible opponents."

The game's currently scheduled for Sept. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas ... but with the Pac-12's home schools' states still imposing some of the most strict stay-at-home orders in the nation ... the game is in serious jeopardy.

In fact, with officials in Los Angeles -- home of both UCLA and USC -- announcing Monday their coronavirus lockdown orders could last all the way until AT LEAST August, things are looking super grim for the season as a whole, let alone the schools' opening matchups.

And, Cowherd says he's already hearing the Bama-SC opener cancellation is coming.

"Not official but understood," Colin reported Tuesday night.

There have already been reports the Tide is looking into replacements for USC ... with the school reportedly in talks with TCU for a new season opener.

But, SC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a statement late Tuesday the Trojans still regularly communicate with the Tide and "have every intention of playing our game against Alabama" despite the pessimism.

The State of Arizona is removing its stay-at-home order on Friday May 15 -- clearing the way for pro sports teams to resume team activities.

As part of the reopening plan, Gov. Doug Ducey says gyms and swimming pools will reopen to the public.

But, the biggest news has to be the pro sports component -- which could clear the way for Major League Baseball, the NHL, the NFL and possibly the NBA to resume play down the road.

MLB has reportedly put together a plan to potentially play a shortened season in Arizona ... with all 30 MLB teams moving to AZ to conduct games in several ballparks in the Phoenix area.

There are already a bunch of stadiums in the area -- since many clubs use Arizona as their home base for Spring Training.

As for why Arizona is pulling back on COVID-19 restrictions, Gov. Ducey is pointing to data which he claims shows a decline in positive tests for COVID-19 in his state.

Plus, Ducey says he feels AZ hospitals are well-equipped to handle coronavirus cases.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles ... officials are moving to keep stay-at-home orders in place for the next 3 months.

"First of all, I would love to share the Octagon with Daniel Cormier before he retires."

That's Francis Ngannou telling TMZ Sports why it would be an "honor" to fight UFC legend Daniel Cormier ... but insists it should be for the TRUE heavyweight belt and not "this interim sh*t."

Of course, Ngannou just destroyed Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249 on Saturday -- his 4th straight 1st-round victory.

Most people think he deserves a title shot -- but the situation with Stipe Miocic is definitely complicating things.

Remember, Stipe -- the reigning heavyweight champ -- was supposed to run it back with Cormier earlier this year (they've already fought twice) but an eye injury and the COVID-19 pandemic ruined those plans.

Cormier insists he's ready to fight now -- but Stipe is still waiting for the green light from his doctor and wants time to have a full training camp.

In the meantime, Cormier said over the weekend he'd be down to fight Ngannou ... and Francis told us, he's READY!

"I mean, that would be an honor for me to have to fight Daniel Cormier since I always think about it," Ngannou said.

Some people are calling for the UFC to strip Stipe of the belt -- and have DC and Nganou fight for the interim heavyweight strap.

Ngannou does NOT like that plan.

"I hope Stipe gets what he wants but I want to fight for the title. Not this interim sh*t."

"I mean, like, they should have given me the interim [for the Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight]."

"I should be working out now with interim but I don't think there's no time for the interim anymore, its time for the real title."

CC SABATHIA IS ABSOLUTELY SHREDDED NOW!!!

The former Yankees pitcher -- famous for throwing fastballs at close to 300 pounds for most of his career -- is getting SWOLE now that he's retired ... and the photographic proof is wild!

Check out a pic of CC in a tank top ... the 39-year-old is looking slim as hell, with his arms cut up and huge!!

And, we know what you're thinking ... but according to CC's podcast partner, Ryan Ruocco, the pic is both recent and NOT photoshopped!!!

It's crazy ... considering just a few months ago Sabathia was pushing 300 pounds -- but the 6-foot-6 future Hall of Famer (?) has clearly been putting in work during quarantine to get his bod right.

Of course, it's good for Sabathia to be carrying less weight now that his playing days are done ... he dealt with knee and shoulder issues the past few years as well as a scary angioplasty procedure in 2018.

As for how the dude's lost the lbs ... remember, he went vegan a couple years ago -- so seems plants and a lot of hard work!!

Mother's Day in one Colorado cafe looks more like a sold-out Led Zeppelin concert than your regular breakfast joint -- a troubling sign as one key model projects thousands of more deaths due to a rise in movement.

This scene was captured Sunday by a local reporter at a place C&C in Castle Rock -- where the guys say their traffic was practically doubled compared to regular times. Looks like a lot of families packed the place to celebrate the holiday ... and to get outta the house.

The influx of customers comes on the heels of several communities throughout the state there relaxing some of their stay-at-home orders and allowing certain retailers to reopen with strict restrictions in place. Doesn't look like that memo got through to the folks at C&C.

BTW, that's not the only place that's seeing increased traffic -- look at this photo of a TJ Maxx out in Arkansas, where droves of people went in this weekend in search of bargain buys. It's just another testament that as more businesses open up, more people will come.

That's not a good thing either -- considering a key model used by health experts forecasts at least 137,000 more deaths in the coming months because of increased mobility across the U.S. The director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation told CBS's 'Face the Nation' his findings show a lot more people leaving their homes ... this in the wake of several states starting to relax quarantine protocols.

As a result, he predicts many more deaths will come. Take note, people.

Dana White says his phone has been blowing up from the heads of other sports leagues looking to get back in action after the success of UFC 249 ... and he's willing to share his battle plan!

"The leagues have reached out," White said Monday on "TMZ Live" ... "Different states have reached out to us. And, we're going to share this information with everybody."

UFC 249 was AWESOME on Saturday night -- featuring some legendary fights despite not having a live crowd at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

White says everyone in attendance -- fighters, staffers, production crew -- was repeatedly tested and screened before the fights.

As we previously reported, one fighter -- Jacare Souza -- tested positive for COVID-19 (along with two of his cornermen) one day before the fight. Souza was pulled from the event.

White has said they expected someone to test positive and the fact they caught it is a testament to the UFC's testing process.

Now, White says he's proven major sports can continue in America if done safely -- and he's willing to work with state leaders and major sports organizations to help get pro sports back.

For now, White says he plans on hosting his next few events in Florida -- since they were so great to him there -- but he's hoping to return to Nevada soon, Where UFC is headquartered.

"I have a 30-page document that we submitted to the Governor of Nevada and the Governor of Florida on how to pull this off safely. Now we've got one under our belt we're willing to share our information with anybody."