TMZ Sports - Page 50

WARNING: THIS IS GNARLY!!!!

UFC fighter Joe Pyfer's elbow bent in a way no person's arm EVER should in his fight with Dustin Stoltzfus on Tuesday ... and it was so gruesome, Dana White nearly threw up ringside!

The disturbing injury all went down at DW’s Contender Series 28 ... where late in the 1st round of the Stoltzfus-Pyfer tilt, Pyfer was tossed and extended his arm to break his fall.

The problem? As Stoltzfus' weight crashed down on Pyfer ... his arm exploded outward -- dislocating at the elbow!!!

Here's the raw video -- but warning -- it's GROSS!

The fight was immediately waived off ... and the injury was so bad, when cameras cut to White, he was squirming in his seat and holding himself back from hurling!!!

Dana later commented ... saying, "I’m glad [Pyfer] only dislocated his elbow and didn’t break it on tonight’s Contender Series."

Despite the horrifying scene ... Pyfer took it all in stride -- he actually appeared to apologize to Stoltzfus and said straight up, "This sucks, bro."

YA THINK!?

Pyfer posted footage of himself in the hospital afterward vowing to come back.

Big career move for Deion Sanders -- who just announced he's leaving his gig at the NFL Network for a role at Barstool Sports.

Prime Time spent 14 years as an on-air analyst with the NFL Network -- but there were rumblings of a contract dispute and he bailed.

But, the 53-year-old ain't riding off into the sunset ... on the contrary, he's joining Barstool Sports where he'll bolster the company's NFL coverage with his own podcast and weekly appearances on "Pardon My Take" to break down NFL games.

"I'm happy! I'm excited," Sanders said on "PMT" ... while revealing the name of his podcast will be "21st and Prime."

What's interesting ... Barstool has been at WAR with NFL commish Roger Goodell for years and ya gotta wonder how Rog feels about one of the sport's biggest stars EVER landing with the enemy.

As we previously reported, Barstool honcho Dave Portnoy recently won a charity auction to watch an NFL game with Goodell, but the league refunded his winning bid, labeling Portnoy as persona non grata.

L.A. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn revealed he was diagnosed with COVID earlier this year -- and only got tested after hearing about a golfer with similar symptoms.

51-year-old Lynn spelled it out on the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- and though he didn't specifically say WHEN he tested positive.

"I can't promise you you're not going to get infected," Lynn told his players during a video chat meeting ... "I got infected."

He continued, "What I want to do is limit your exposure, but then when that whistle blows, let's go kick somebody's ass and play some football."

Later in the show, Lynn was asked about his symptoms -- and how he realized he had coronavirus.

"I’m coughing a little bit, then my body started aching a little bit. I couldn’t get comfortable in my bed," Lynn said.

Lynn then explained that he was watching a golf match and saw that a golfer had pulled out after experiencing similar symptoms -- and laster tested positive for COVID.

"I said, 'sh*t. My body kinda felt like that.'"

"If I hadn't been watching the golfing game and saw that golfer complain about backaches and soreness ... I never even would have gotten tested And I would have had this and never even known it. And probably got people infected."

Lynn says he was more worried about being branded an "outcast" than batting the virus itself.

"All the sudden, I'm the problem. I'm used to fixing the problem, now I'm the problem."

Lynn was eventually cleared to return to work -- where his players are staff are tested for COVID every day.

With the Pac 12 and the Big Ten shut down for 2020 -- sources tell TMZ Sports there are serious discussions about having 2 football seasons in 2021, 3 months apart.

The proposed plan, according to our sources would be a season that runs from February to April -- followed by 3 months off.

The 2nd season would kick off in August and run through the rest of the year ... on the normal college football schedule.

All of this is predicated on the notion that it will be safe to play again by the spring. In other words, there needs to be a real plan on the handle to handle the COVID threat. A cure would be nice.

With PAC 12 programs shut down until at least January, coaching staff can NOW start to focus on recruiting top players for the Fall 2021 season ... and coaches aren't wasting time.

There are other issues facing major college programs regarding how to handle players currently on campus -- keep them around or send them home?

One source tells us ... it will be up to players if they want to stay on campus or return to their homes. With most classes available online and no team practices allowed until January, some players will see no reason to stay.

But, with scholarship athletes still getting lodging and food plans covered by the schools, some are expected to stick around.

Another issue ... several programs are expecting some of their top players to opt out and prepare for the NFL Draft instead of waiting out the college football season.

As one source put it, "It's a smart move for some players with so much money at stake."

Icelandic behemoth Hafthor Bjornsson -- AKA "The Mountain" from "Game of Thrones" -- is calling it QUITS ... retiring from Strongman competitions after another dominant victory!

The 31-year-old legend made the stunning announcement Sunday after being crowned Iceland's Strongest Man for the 10th consecutive year!

"Great way to finish my strongman career," Bjornsson said ... "Now a different journey starts and I’m super excited."

Bjornsson definitely went out with a bang -- winning all 6 events at the Iceland competition ... a clean sweep.

But, he's not completely shutting the door on a comeback -- saying he'll continue to train ... and he'll see how he feels after taking some time off.

"Maybe I’ll never return but never say never right. I’m still only 31 years old and could come back in a few years if my heart wants it!"

"Right now my heart tells me that I need to be healthy for my family and do what’s best for them!"

Bjornsson's wife is pregnant with their second child.

Even if he never competes again, he's got one helluva resume:

-- He the prestigious World's Strongest Man Competition in 2018

-- He won 3 straight Arnold Strongman Classics (2018, 2019, 2020)

-- He holds the record for heaviest deadlift at 1,104 pounds, which he set in May 2020.

Of course, Bjornsson also became an International TV star thanks to his head-crushing role on "Game of Thrones."

The Cleveland Indians were so upset with Zach Plesac for leaving the team hotel in Chicago to hang with friends during a road series with the White Sox, THEY WOULDN'T LET HIM BACK ON THE TEAM JET!

The 25-year-old right-hander KNEW he wasn't supposed to leave the team hotel without specific permission (per team and MLB protocol) due to the COVID pandemic, but he went out Saturday night anyway.

The team found out and took immediate action.

FYI, Plesac grew up in Crown Point, Indiana -- roughly 45 miles from Chicago.

Plesac was ordered to be tested immediately -- and then the team sent him back to CLE by car service Sunday instead of joining the rest of the team on the team jet.

The flight is usually 90 mins The drive is a little over 5 hours.

Plesac was also placed on a mandatory 72-hour quarantine -- and will have to undergo more testing before he'll be allowed to rejoin the team.

"I realize I made a poor choice to leave the hotel, which broke protocols and could have endangered other people," Plesac said in a statement,

"I understand that in these times of uncertainty, I need to be more vigilant and responsible, and I am determined to earn my teammates' forgiveness and get back to work."

Plesac's Indians teammate, Shane Bieber, also weighed in ...

"We love Zach, we support him, but he screwed up. We're going to handle this in-house, and we'll see where it goes from here."

Major League Baseball is trying to crack down on protocol violators in the wake of multiple outbreaks affecting the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.

Be smart, people.

Grab some tissues, 'cause this video will hit you in your feels.

The Phoenix Suns found an amazing way to surprise their players Tuesday -- having their friends and family make a special pregame intro video before their game.

And, for guys who haven't been outside the bubble in a month ... man, was it emotional.

The players' reactions are amazing -- from Deandre Ayton's disbelief to Mikal Bridges smiling from ear to ear when he saw his mom ... hold up, is it getting dusty in here??

Devin Booker got a special shout-out from his #1 fan, Jenna Warren -- a 20-year-old with Down syndrome who's been close with the NBA superstar for years.

Did you see his face when she came on the screen -- priceless!!!

Afterward, LeBron James commented about the video -- saying, "That was AMAZING!!!!!!!! S/O the Suns for that. Damn I miss my family!"

Cool moment for a team that's been playing their asses off. The Suns are 6-0 in the bubble and gunning for that 8th seed in the playoffs.

Isiah Thomas was furious when he saw his 1984 NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy hit the auction block recently -- claiming it's "stolen" property that was heisted from his old high school.

The trophy itself is a pretty cool item -- Thomas won the award after posting 21 points, 5 rebounds and 15 assists while playing against guys like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Thomas says he allowed the trophy to be displayed at his old high school in Illinois, but claims it was stolen back in June 2019.

So, when he saw it up for auction with the Heritage Auctions website, Thomas was not pleased.

"This trophy was stolen from St. Joseph High School the night Mr. Pingatore my coach died," Thomas posted on Twitter ... "It belongs to me."

"You stole my trophy please return it! Let it be known."

Heritage Auctions responded to Thomas -- saying, "We take the concerns and allegations of Mr. Thomas very seriously. We will investigate them as expeditiously as possible."

A rep for the auction house tells us the item was "immediately removed" -- noting, "We are working at this very moment to find out the real story behind this trophy."

In the meantime, watch the highlights of Thomas from the game ... dude was BALLIN!!!

Big blow to college football ... the BIG 10 has reportedly voted to CANCEL the 2020 season.

The Detroit Free Press is citing multiple sources who confirm BIG 10 presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season.

Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue were among the programs that voted to cancel.

Meanwhile, the only 2 votes for playing came from Nebraska and Iowa, according to the Dan Patrick Show.

The conference will reportedly go public with the announcement on Tuesday.

As we previously reported, the leaders of college football's Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss their options.

But, as ESPN reports, the takeaway from the meeting was that a college football season in 2020 was unlikely pending some sort of miracle.

Houston Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron has just been suspended for a third of the MLB season ... after sparking a bench-clearing brawl with Oakland Athletics player Ramon Laureano.

The A's were playing Houston on Sunday when Laureano was hit in the back by pitcher Humberto Castellanos, which led to a heated exchange with Cintron.

Laureano told ESPN Cintron "said in Spanish something you don't say about my mother," which led him to charge the dugout.

While Cintron denies the claim, the MLB seems to believe Laureano's account ... handing down the punishment Tuesday -- a 20-game ban.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, it's believed to be one of the largest penalties handed down to a coach.

As for Laureano, the outfielder has been handed a 6-game suspension for his involvement.

The immediate reaction around the league is frustration ... as Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was suspended 8 games for throwing at multiple Astros players last month.

Ya wanna see one of the tallest dudes in the world whack a golf ball??

Check out 7'6" Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall hit the links with his fellow NBA buddy and 7-footer, Mo Bamba, while in the bubble in Orlando ... and the dude's not too bad!!

As we've previously made very clear over here at TMZ Sports -- we are absolutely fascinated by Mr. Tacko Fall, and the challenges the friendly giant faces on a daily basis (see here).

But, Fall took things to another level when he hit the course in Orlando on Monday ... showing what a massively tall man looks like swinging a golf club.

For reference, the tallest golfer to ever win a major championship is 6'5" George Archer, who won the Masters in 1969.

We've seen NBA legends like Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley give golf a try in the past ... and it's always funny as hell.

But, Fall looks like he'd smoke either of these dudes ... impressively making solid contact with the ball while Bamba documents the shot.

No vid of Bamba's skills -- we'll assume it's for good reason.

Ever had a cotton swab shoved up your nose!? IT SUCKS!

Just ask L.A. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward -- who had some major pre-swab jitters before his COVID test at the Chargers facility ... and the footage is great!

NFL players are getting tested everyday during the first 2 weeks of training camp -- which opened on July 28.

And, judging by this footage of Hayward captured by HBO's "Hard Knocks" ... there's just no getting used to it!

Both the L..A Chargers and the L.A. Rams are featured on the docuseries this season -- a big change for the show which has traditionally only chronicled one team's journey into the regular season.

The COVID pandemic will play a major role in the show based on clips released by HBO.

One scene shows how Chargers coaches are no longer having players gather together to "break it down" after a practice session.

Instead, players are instructed to chant, "1, 2, 3 ... Chargers!" while socially distancing from each other during drills.

Weird ... considering football is a collision sport that requires players to smother each other and they'll presumably work on tackling and/or close-quarter drills at some point during practices.

But hey, appreciate the effort.

Ex-Patriots lineman Matt Light says you won't catch him out in public covering his face ... claiming science proves there's no need to wear a COVID-19 mask.

"I respect anybody's decision to wear a mask or not wear a mask," Light said on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. "The science is real clear on masks, right? There's no need to interpret it whether it helps saves lives or not, it doesn't."

FYI -- Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said just last month he believed the pandemic could be controlled in 8 weeks tops if everyone wore a mask ... but doesn't seem the Super Bowl champ is convinced.

"It has no real effect. It makes you feel comfy and warm inside maybe but it doesn't do anything in the grand scheme of things."

Light says he's frustrated with how politicians have required people to wear masks in public or face potential fines ... adding the threat isn't as serious as it's being made out to be.

"I think we're better than that. I think this country was founded on principles that don't just say, 'hey, when somebody tells you to do something, even if you look around and know there's not a fire, don't believe them when they say there's smoke'. Like c'mon, we're better than this."

Light says despite disagreeing with the protocols, he DOES take the virus seriously ... but requiring everyone to wear a mask is not the answer.

"I understand that there is a bug out there. There's a virus and it is causing harm on certain people, no doubt but it does not warrant what we're looking at right now. The data clearly points to that."

There have been more than 5 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. ... with more than 161k deaths.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier ROBBED Red Sox rookie Jonathan Arauz of his first career hit with a miraculous catch on Monday ... and you know who was super-pissed about it??

Sox first baseman Michael Chavis -- who straight-up gave Kiermaier a one-finger salute after making the highlight play!!

The hilarious interaction was caught on camera ... when Kiermaier leaped to catch Arauz's deep shot to center field in the 2nd inning.

Chavis made his frustrations known by getting KK's attention from the dugout ... just to give him a solid middle finger!!

So, why is Chavis so mad?? If Kiermaier hadn't come up with the ball, 22-year-old Arauz would have notched his first MLB hit ... but of course, that didn't happen.

It all ended up okay in the end for Arauz -- he finished the game with 3 hits as the Red Sox fell to the Rays, 8-7.

Matt Barnes is paying tribute to his friend and teammate Kobe Bryant with a brand new tattoo ... and it's incredible.

The ex-NBA star hit up legendary ink artist Steve Butcher -- who did the amazing Tupac work on Matt's hand -- in order to add a new image of Kobe and Gianna to his arm.

The image Matt's new tattoo is based from was a moment between Kobe and Gigi at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando ... a moment captured on Valentine's Day.

Matt only played 2 seasons on the Lakers with Kobe (from 2010 to 2012) -- but they were friends and Barnes has talked openly about how much respect he had for Kobe on and off the court.

Barnes prepped for the tat sesh with a variety of goodies -- from joints to candy ... the works!

We're still waiting for the final reveal -- but it's already looking incredibly detailed.

Of course, Kobe had such an impact on generations of NBA players -- stars from LeBron James to Anthony Davis and Devin Booker have all had Kobe ink tatted on their bodies.

Kobe and Gianna passed away on January 26th in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.

Russia beat the U.S. into orbit in the '60s, and might have thought they beat us in COVID-safe fun -- but looking at these images of paddleboarders packed together, we gotta say ... nyet.

This stand-up paddleboarding festival went down over the weekend in St. Petersburg, which drew thousands of paddleboarders to the canals of the Fontanka River. Unfortunately, they were all smashed together at the start and finish of the event, and definitely NOT socially distant.

Some folks are standing, others are sitting ... and to be fair, once they got out and about paddling on the water most everyone was exercising at a safe distance. Looks like good, clean virus-free fun.

The one thing we're not seeing a whole lot of ... masks. Win some, lose some, and truth is that would be fine since they're all spaced out.

But, that bottleneck when they're all crowded into a canal is Dr. Fauci's worst nightmare come true.

BTW, Vladimir Putin's claiming to have the first coronavirus vaccine up and running -- despite skepticism from U.S. scientists. If he's right though, these paddle boarders should be first in line!