Sports

Francis Ngannou isn’t just back in the cage, he’s in business with Jake Paul … and while there’s respect there, don’t get it twisted -- “The Predator” still wants to smack around the YouTuber-turned-boxing star!

The former UFC heavyweight champ is set to return to MMA on Most Valuable Promotions’ massive debut card May 16 -- a lineup stacked with names like Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Nate Diaz -- and Ngannou tells TMZ Sports it might be the best card of the year.

In fact, Francis didn’t hesitate when we brought up comparisons to the UFC’s Freedom 250 card at the White House.

“No argument,” Ngannou said. “As we’re speaking right now, this is the best card.”

But things heated up when we asked about Jake.

Boxer Isis Sio -- who was left in a medically induced coma after a brutal knockout loss this weekend -- is finally awake and breathing on her own ... days after the terrifying scene played out in the ring.

The positive health update came from ProBox TV on Monday afternoon, a day after it was revealed that Sio was in a coma and required a ventilator to breathe ... following her junior flyweight bout at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, California, on Saturday.

"We have some promising news to share. Isis is no longer in a medically induced coma, has been taken off the ventilator, and is now breathing on her own," the statement read.

The party's not over for Haley Cavinder and Jake Ferguson -- the couple's bachelor-bachelorette celebration went to overtime in Vegas, where Haley and her twin, Hanna, turned heads in teeny bikinis at one of the hottest dayclubs in Sin City!

Haley and the Dallas Cowboys tight end got engaged in April 2025 and kicked off their bachelor/ette festivities earlier this month with family and friends, starting with a trip to the Bahamas.

They've since moved on to Vegas for the grand reopening of the famed Marquee Dayclub ... where the Cavinder twins showed up over the weekend, and stole the spotlight, wearing barely-there swimsuits.

Jeff Webb -- competitive cheerleading pioneer, Varsity Spirit founder, and one of Charlie Kirk's mentors -- has died after a pickleball accident.

According to Cheer Daily, Varsity Spirit president Bill Seely announced Jeff's passing in an email, explaining he was hospitalized two weeks ago after a fall while playing pickleball.

The report says he suffered a severe head injury and his family decided to take him off life support.

Forget name, image and likeness … this is name, name and name.

Ben Rice just secured the most perfectly on-brand endorsement in sports ... linking up with Ben’s Original rice in a partnership that feels less like a deal and more like destiny.

Ben Rice. Ben’s rice. It practically signed itself.

But this isn’t just a funny coincidence … the Yankees standout is using the collab to do some real good, teaming with No Kid Hungry to help fight childhood hunger. The effort is already getting underway, starting with a donation tied to 22,000 meals for kids in need -- a nod to Rice’s No. 22 jersey.

Iowa star Alvaro Folgueiras knocked down the biggest shot of the NCAA Tourney, sending home the defending champion, and number one seed Florida Gators -- and the 20-year-old is walking TMZ Sports through the insane moment!

Folgueiras and his Hawkeyes were down two points with just seconds remaining in their round of 32 game on Sunday ... before the Spanish player knocked down the biggest shot of his life, hitting a three with 4.5 seconds on the clock, and sending Florida back to Gainesville.

Babcock spoke with the 6'10" hooper just 24 hours later ... and he still can't believe what transpired in those final moments of the thrilling game.

John's laughing, so we can too!

The golf legend took a hilarious spill on the course after hitting an impossibly difficult shot during a tourney this weekend ... and it was all caught on video!

The two-time Majors winner was playing in the Cologuard Classic at the La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday when Long John found himself in an awkward position ... forcing him to hit a shot from a steep hill.

Impressively, Daly was able to get his shot off, but not without paying the price ... the 59-year-old lost his footing, and did a full-on belly flop, sliding down the hill before coming to a stop.

Is the Tennis Channel getting into reality TV?! Corentin Moutet just called Danielle Collins out for claiming she turned him down after he flirted with her at the Miami Open -- and in DMs -- calling the story she told on TV a bunch of crap!

Here's the deal ... Collins, a four-time WTA singles champ, appeared on the Tennis Channel during the Miami Open on Sunday when one of the broadcasters asked about French star Moutet allegedly "cat-calling" her before a match.

Collins -- who is recovering from a back injury -- claimed Moutet was hitting on her, but she turned him down, saying she told him he needed a better serve to flirt with her. She then brought up Moutet unfollowing her after her "no short kings zone” comment on her dating profile that went viral last year.

"He was upset about that, messaged me, and then unfollowed me. Now he slid back in the DMs last night asking me if I saw his match and all the big serves that he was hitting," Collins said. "I don't think he has a chance ... yet."

Well, it doesn't seem like Moutet wants one after his response to her TV storytime.

There’s never been a baseball player like Shohei Ohtani -- and now there’s a $1.5 million reminder of that sitting in someone’s closet.

The Dodgers superstar just saw his game-worn World Baseball Classic jersey from Japan’s March 6 matchup against Chinese Taipei sell for a staggering $1,500,010 on MLB Auctions … the most ever paid for an Ohtani jersey.

And this wasn’t just any uniform … this was the one he wore while going absolutely nuclear, crushing a grand slam and driving in five runs in a 13-0 blowout at the Tokyo Dome.

The University of Iowa scored a massive upset over the defending National Champion Florida Gators in the Round of 32 Sunday night ... and one Hawkeye's hooper made sure to rub it in a little during the postgame handshake line, hitting the gator chomp!

Freshman forward Cooper Koch -- who scored 12 points in 28 minutes of play -- was captured on video hitting the reigning champs' celly while he was making his way through the handshake line -- and all the Gators players could do was watch as their season came to a heartbreaking end.

The Florida players weren't the only ones who were taunted ... Koch found some time to troll their fans who were courtside, too.

WWE SuperStar Liv Morgan didn't wait until Monday Night Raw at Boston Garden to turn heads ... the 2026 Royal Rumble champ hit up a Celtics game with Raquel Rodriguez on Sunday, and the two women chugged beers on the jumbotron!

Morgan and Rodriguez were courtside in Beantown to watch the Celtics host the Minnesota Timberwolves ... a game the Timberwolves won, 102-92.

At one point, the two wrestlers were put up on the big, in-arena video boards at TD Garden, and as one must do when given the chance -- chug the drink in your hand!

If you thought the first showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao was massive … buckle up!!!

Jas Mathur -- CEO of Pacquiao’s promotion company and one of the key figures behind the rematch -- tells TMZ Sports the September 19 clash at Sphere in Las Vegas isn’t just big … it’s historic.

“I’d say huge is an understatement,” Mathur told us, pointing to the original fight’s eye-popping $600 million haul. “You’re talking about a spectacle.”

And this time, it’s not just boxing -- it’s a full sports-entertainment takeover inside one of the most high-tech venues on the planet … with Mathur promising a production that’ll leave fans not believing what they see.

DeAndre Hopkins opened up to TMZ Sports about his approach to free agency this offseason ... and he admitted if the Minnesota Vikings hit him up, he'd love to run it back with his old QB, Kyler Murray.

The 33-year-old vet spoke at length about his thought process as he figures out where to call home in 2026 ... and he made it clear he can absolutely contribute at a high level.

D-Hop is currently up for grabs after spending one season with the Baltimore Ravens, and we asked what's next for the five-time Pro Bowler.

When we brought up reconnecting with Murray, his teammate in Arizona from 2020 to 2022, he had nothing but high praise for the quarterback.

"Kyler ... that's my bro, man. Kyler is like family," Hopkins said at LAX this week.

Claressa Shields is weighing in on the Logan Paul vs. NFL fight debate ... and she's siding with the WWE Superstar -- telling TMZ Sports there's no way the football guys can beat him if they don't have at least six months of training under their belts.

The chatter -- which evolved from the Maverick's ongoing beef with Tom Brady -- has folks wondering how Paul would fare in a bout with a name like Myles Garrett, one of the most-feared defensive monsters on the planet.

Seems crazy to imagine a Paul vs. Garrett match doesn't automatically end in the Browns superstar's hand raised ... but Shields says being 6'4" and 272 pounds doesn't mean squat if he doesn't know how to fight.

Hey UNC fans, need a distraction after that First-Round exit? Here's an auction to take your mind off Thursday's loss -- a basketball from the Tar Heels' 1982 championship team is heading to auction ... signed by legends like Michael Jordan and James Worthy!

TMZ Sports has learned the UNC-themed rock -- which will be sold by Heritage Auctions -- is from the 1981-82 season ... when Jordan, Worthy, Sam Perkins, and others were led by iconic head coach Dean Smith.

The ball features Jordan's autograph, as well as signatures from Worthy, Perkins, Buzz Peterson, Cecil Exum, Warren Martin, John Brownlee, and more.

We're told the ball is expected to sell for more than $10K when the bid opens on April 24th ... and it's not just because of all the big names.

Lindsey Vonn is wasting zero time getting back after it, as the Olympic ski legend just dropped a video of herself in the gym doing pull-ups, showing serious strength despite her recent nightmare injury.

Check the clip ... the 41-year-old looks locked in as she grinds through rehab, proving she’s not slowing down anytime soon as she reps about 6 pull-ups before fist-bumping her trainer and strapping back into her crutches.

As we previously reported ... Vonn suffered a devastating crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics -- leaving her with a complex leg fracture, broken ankle, and torn ACL -- she underwent multiple surgeries, with her leg being at risk at one point.