TMZ Sports - Page 50

UFC legend Anderson Silva says he's already made up his mind about his fighting future -- telling TMZ Sports, "I'm not stopping, I'm not retiring."

The 44-year-old was in pretty good spirits Thursday returning to the United States following his UFC 237 loss to Jared Cannonier this past weekend ... but says his knee is still jacked up.

Silva badly injured his right knee in the fight -- and couldn't make it out of the first round.

After the fight, Silva went to social media and posted a statement that made it seem as if he was pondering retirement.

But now, Anderson says his mind is made up -- he wants to get healthy and get back in the Octagon.

In fact, Silva says he's already spoken with Dana White about a possible rematch with Cannonier ... but White told him to take some time to heal before talking about another fight.

So, how is Anderson's knee?

"It's not good but it's not too bad. The good thing is I start physical therapy," Silva told us.

Call him Sir Andy Murray now ... 'cause the tennis superstar was at Buckingham Palace on Thursday -- receiving his knighthood from Prince Charles himself!!

The 32-year-old actually learned he'd be receiving the honor back in 2016 ... but he held off on having the ceremony until this week because of his tennis schedule.

What exactly does knighthood entail for Murray? Nothin' crazy ... the award is just a way for the Royal Fam to recognize the 3-time Grand Slam champion's achievements on and off the court.

It's kind of like when Donald Trump gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods.

But, Murray was still stoked about the honor afterward, saying, "I'm very proud to receive it. It's a nice day to spend with my family."

It's also a good moment for Murray given what he's been through this past year. Remember, he underwent hip surgery just a few months ago to try to save his tennis career.

Murray seems to be recovering well, but unclear if he'll be ready for Wimbledon this summer.

The Bears and Redskins don't play until week 3 this season ... but the matchup is already in Dwayne Haskins' head -- 'cause he says he's legit concerned about being hit by Khalil Mack!!!

The Washington rookie QB was out at LAX Wednesday night ... when he was asked which player in the NFL he is the most worried about.

Without hesitation, the draft's No. 15 overall pick said, "Khalil Mack is somebody I would not want to be touched by!"

Bad news for Dwayne? That's probably going to happen ... and it's probably going to happen VERY early in his career.

The 'Skins and Bears are set for a Sept. 23 matchup at FedEx Field ... and with the Redskins already hoping Dwayne begins the season as the starter -- Mack's likely going to be gunnin' for him.

Hope the pads are strapped on tight!!!

Khloe Kardashian says she tries to keep the peace around her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson, for the sake of their kid ... who she believes can sense when something's amiss.

The Kardashian dished with Disso Queen Laura Wasser on her hit podcast, 'Divorce Sucks!' which drops Monday. Khloe and Tristan weren't married, but they share a child together ... and definitely went through a nasty breakup that might as well have been a divorce.

Khloe tells Laura she monitors the energy she puts out around baby True, who -- at only 13 months old -- can still pick up on bad vibes ... according to her mom.

That's why Khloe says she didn't have an issue with Tristan coming to True's first birthday party last month -- where she says they were civil with each other and made it work.

More importantly, Khloe says she wants to afford her daughter the same types of experiences and memories she had growing up ... and Daddy's gotta be a part of that.

Bottom line for Khloe ... she'll do what it takes for her daughter, and that includes putting on a happy face when needed. Anything for mommy's little girl, it seems!!!

Zion Williamson's stepdad says the 18-year-old superstar is "excited" to play in New Orleans -- despite reports to the contrary ... noting Zion has learned to "accept the things you can't change."

The Pelicans scored the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier this week -- and most believe the plan is to take Zion.

But, there are rumblings Zion is unhappy with the situation -- that he doesn't want to play in NOLA and would rather go back to Duke and play another year of college ball ... since he still has eligibility.

But, Zion's stepdad, Lee Anderson, shot down all that speculation on ESPN's Baton Rouge radio show, 'Off the Bench' -- saying Williamson is pumped to get going in New Orleans.

"We're excited. We're excited about that," Anderson said.

"One thing that Zion has always been taught is to accept the things you can't change, and change the things that you can change. And, this is one of the things that he has nothing to do with."

"It's the process of the NBA, and certainly we're excited about the Crescent City down there in New Orleans."

When asked specifically about the possibility of Zion going back to Duke, Anderson told the media to pump the brakes on that theory too.

"There has been a lot of speculation. But, that is nothing that we have even considered."

Zion has until May 29 to make an official decision about returning to Duke or entering the NBA Draft.

Two of the Denver Broncos top NFL draft picks --QB Drew Lock and TE Noah Fant -- were involved in an airport shuttle crash at LAX on Wednesday ... but don't worry, THEY'RE FINE!!

In fact, Lock was laughing afterward and joked, "We've taken worse hits!"

Fant (the 20th overall pick) and Lock (the 42nd overall pick) had just touched down in Los Angeles and boarded a shuttle to take them from the plane to the terminal when it collided with another vehicle.

"The shuttle hit something," Lock said ... "It was wild."

Lock -- who was standing inside of the shuttle at the time -- says he doesn't believe anyone was injured in the wreck ... noting, "It was just really weird."

Lock says the crash was "pretty hard" -- but both guys seemed fine afterward ... joking that they wouldn't be filing insurance claims or anything like that.

There's more ...

Lock was also asked about a potential rift with Broncos starting QB Joe Flacco -- who recently said it was not "my job" to mentor Lock.

But, Lock says there's NO BEEF AT ALL -- in fact, he's been getting along pretty well with Flacco so far.

"Me and Joe ... he's taught me a lot so far," Lock said.

"He's been great to me."

Forget Conor McGregor ... UFC fighter Kevin Lee wants to throw down with Kamaru Usman next -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks that scrap would be WAY more challenging than one with The Notorious.

"He might not bring the attention and the money," Lee says ... "But, as a competitor, he'll bring a lot more."

Of course, Lee has been trying to set up a fight with Conor and Khabib Nurmagomedov for the last year ... telling us in the past he'd beat both their asses.

But now, he's saying those fights don't intrigue him as much as a possible scrap with Kamaru does ... saying, "Seeing what he did to Tyron Woodley, that's kind of adding a little bit to me."

Either way, Lee knows fights with any of those three won't go down if he can't get past Rafael dos Anjos in their ESPN+ fight this Saturday night ... which is why he tells us he's laser-focused on that scrap right now.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... the domestic violence case against Dodgers star pitcher Julio Urias is "weak" based on the evidence.

We're told the video of the incident does show Urias making physical contact with the woman during the March 13 altercation in the Beverly Center parking lot -- but as one source puts it, "It doesn't appear there's criminal intent to injure her."

One source says it appears Urias used his hands in an attempt to stop her from leaving the area during a heated argument.

In other words, it seems as though he was trying to restrain her, not strike her ... though the woman DID go to the ground at some point during the argument.

We're not trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation -- but rather, this is what we're being told by people who are involved in the case.

We're told both parties have been very cooperative with investigators and are telling consistent stories about what happened.

Urias was arrested for misdemeanor battery and spent the night in jail. He was released Tuesday morning on $20,000 bond.

Major League Baseball has placed Urias on administrative leave while they gather evidence.

Lamar Odom says he's addicted to sex -- and claims he's bedded more than 2,000 women ... including strippers and prostitutes.

Odom comes clean about his sex life in his soon to be released book, "Darkness to Light" -- where he says, "I have been obsessed with sex for as long as I can remember."

"There were too many strippers to count,” Odom said in an excerpt first provided to People ... "It wasn’t a big deal, but often I would pay them. I never thought less of them."

In the book, Odom also admits he cheated on Khloe Kardashian during their marriage -- and she found out.

"I was shocked and embarrassed,” Odom told People ... "I wanted to take it back, but you can’t. [I] wanted to hide it. But that sick sin was hard for me to hide ... I had a problem."

Odom and Kardashian were married in 2009 -- and even though they separated in 2013 ... they weren't officially divorced until 2016.

Odom also says porn addiction was a major issue for him -- and he was so obsessed with X-rated videos, "I ran out of porn to watch! That’s how you know when you are going a little overboard."

The 39-year-old also admitted to People that sex would trigger his drug use because it would allow him to "double up on that good feeling."

Of course, Odom's vices all came to a head at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada in 2015 -- when the ex-NBA star overdosed during a cocaine and booze-fueled binge.

Odom says he still considers himself an addict -- but recently told TMZ Sports he feels like he's winning the battle.

Chris Sale's early season struggles are gone and the Red Sox star is officially back -- so says Pedro Martinez, who tells TMZ Sports ... Sale's 17-strikeout game Tuesday reminded him of him!!!

"Brought back some memories," Pedro says.

In case you missed it ... Sale got off to a BRUTAL start to this season -- he allowed 17 earned runs in his first 4 games -- and a whole lot of people wondered if the 30-year-old had anything left.

But, Sale's lit it up in his last 3 outings -- with 10, 14 and 17 K performances -- and now, Pedro is officially back on the 7-time All-Star's bandwagon.

In fact, Pedro tells us he couldn't help but think about his own career when Chris was mowing through the Rockies on Tuesday night ... 'cause he's the last Sox pitcher before Sale to strike out 17!

And, if ya don't remember how the Boston legend did that, here are the highlights ... you're welcome.

Bruce Willis has done a lot of cool things in his career ... but uh, this is bad. Like REALLY bad.

The "Die Hard" actor threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Phillies game on Wednesday ... and it's pretty damn embarrassing, considering it didn't even make it to the plate before hittin' the ground!!!

A couple of things to address -- 1. Bruce was standing a few feet IN FRONT of the mound and he still didn't reach the plate. 2. How did the "Die Hard" theme music blaring over the PA system NOT get him in the zone??? Dude shoulda been able to throw it a mile.

The boo birds let Willis have it ... and rightfully so. But, there's a silver lining here, Bruce -- at least it wasn't as bad as 50 Cent's first pitch in 2014.

That STILL gives us nightmares.

Kareem Hunt says he has NOT directly apologized to the victim in the 2018 hotel hallway attack -- but he wants to.

"I have not, but if I was to see her, I would apologize to her face," the Cleveland Browns running back told the media Wednesday.

"But, I have not had the chance to do that. I don't know any ways of contacting her. I have not."

Hunt was asked a bunch of questions about the incident -- and how he's been trying to improve as a person since TMZ Sports published the video of the attack.

Hunt says he's been going to counseling and has leaned into religion -- he's being baptized this Sunday and looks forward to the feeling of "being reborn."

The 23-year-old says he understands he's on thin ice with the Browns and feels grateful for his 2nd chance ... and vows to make the most of the opportunity.

Hunt insists he's grown as a person and has learned how to deal with his anger in a better way -- and will NOT make the same mistakes that got him in trouble in the first place.

Where should Zion Williamson GO FIRST when he touches down in New Orleans???

Not Bourbon Street. Not Cafe Du Monde. Not the strips clubs either.

There's a place in Nawlins that will IMMEDIATELY make the 18-year-old fall in love with the city ... this according to Louisana congressman Steve Scalise.

First off, Steve is FIRED UP about the New Orleans Pelicans getting the 1st overall pick in the NBA Draft and he's pretty confident the team will select Zion.

"Zion is going to love New Orleans," Scalise said ... "He said he's never been? I can't wait to serve him charbroiled oysters one day and welcome him to the city."

So, where does Zion need to go when he steps off the plane? Watch the clip!!!

Also, we just spoke with the woman responsible for the Pelicans getting the #1 pick -- Connie Halphen ... who gave her lucky angel doll to Pelicans honcho David Griffin for the NBA Draft Lottery.

Griffin hailed Halphen's angel for bringing all the luck to the Lottery -- so, we asked her for the backstory behind the lucky trinket.

Long story short, the angel has been around the world -- and brought good fortune to Connie's family throughout several decades.

The story is pretty great -- ya gotta watch for yourself!!!

Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist and his Christian pop singer wife are headin' for Splitsville ... 'cause Julianna Zobrist has filed for divorce ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

There's been speculation about their relationship after Zobrist left the team last week due to "personal reasons" ... and Julianna deleted her Twitter and scrubbed her IG of most of their pics together.

Court records in Illinois show the singer filed the docs on Monday ... confirming the split is in the works.

Ben was the World Series MVP when the Cubs won in 2016. He's also a 3-time All-Star.

Julianna is a pretty successful singer -- 1 single from her 2016 album, "Shatterproof," hit the Billboard charts.

She also famously performed "God Bless America" at Wrigley Field before Game 4 of the 2016 World Series (the Cubs ended up losing that game).

Zobrist and Julianna have been married since 2005 and 3 kids together -- a son and 2 daughters.

Ex-UFC star Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is fighting back in his domestic violence case -- pleading not guilty to allegations he roughed up his girlfriend during a dispute earlier this month.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 35-year-old fighter was arrested in Palm Beach County, Florida on May 6 after his girlfriend told cops Johnson got physical with her during an argument.

According to the police report, Johnson told cops at the time he DID pick up the woman to carry her to another room because he was sick of arguing ... but insists he never intended to hurt her.

Johnson was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery -- and his attorney just submitted a not guilty plea on the fighter's behalf.

If he's convicted, Johnson faces up to 1 year in jail.

Johnson already has a domestic violence conviction on his record from 2009 -- when he pled no contest in an incident involving an ex-girlfriend.

He's due back in court for the current case next month.

Olivia Jade's letting her family's lawyers do the lawyering ... and she'll handle the partying.

Lori Loughlin's daughter was spotted out in Hollywood with some friends around 2 AM Wednesday, after leaving the popular nightclub, Bootsy Bellows. She was dressed pretty casual, which seems to be her approach to dealing with her parents' involvement in the college admissions scandal.

The timing of her outing is interesting, though ... Olivia hit the town just as things got more difficult for her mom and dad Mossimo Giannulli. A USC soccer coach who was a critical link in the admissions scam just copped a plea Tuesday ... and insiders say the coach may provide info about the motives of rich parents who wanted to get their students into the university.

As we've reported ... Lori and Mossimo allegedly paid $500k in bribes to get Olivia and her sister into USC under false pretenses.

There's a chance Olivia could eventually be called to testify in her parents' case, but clearly she's not spending her nights preparing for it ... unless one of those guys she's with is an attorney.