TMZ Sports - Page 41

Khaos Williams -- rising UFC star -- says there's no (legit) controversy surrounding his UFC Fight Night KO win ... which some have argued was stopped early by the ref.

"I'm glad that he's alright, but he was asleep. It was a good stoppage. It was a good stoppage. Live to fight another day," Khaos tells TMZ Sports.

He added ... "Definitely wasn't no early stoppage."

27-year-old Williams floored Miguel Baeza in the 3rd round with a perfectly placed right hook to the chin, sending the fighter crumbling to the Octagon floor. Khaos jumped on top of Miguel, raining down a few heavy ground and pound shots before the fight was stopped.

Baeza immediately protested, and he wasn't the only one.

Even Henry Cejudo said the stoppage was early, writing on social media ... "These refs really have to get checked. If someone gets dropped it doesn't mean you call the fight off! Too many refs calling the fights early @danawhite"

FYI, Dana White said the stoppage was good.

As for what's next for the rising star, Khaos is now 13-2 (and controversy aside, just beat a guy who only has 2 career losses) ... and is looking to fight a ranked opponent.

And if/when he does, Williams tells us he'd LOVE for hip-hop star Meek Mill -- a guy he's admired for many years -- to be by his side as he walks in the Octagon.

Karl-Anthony Towns got a dope surprise for his 26th birthday -- a party and a $13,000 custom Louis Vuitton bag from his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods!!

The Timberwolves center went out to celebrate his cake day after his game against the Suns on Monday ... but was not aware that a surprise bash was waiting for him.

You can see the 6'11" All-Star and Woods walk into what appears to be a restaurant, when a big crowd screamed "SURPRISE" -- and KAT was in complete shock!!

The fun didn't stop there ... KAT, Woods, friends and fam took the party back home as you can see Towns in his PJs and flops enjoying his birthday cake.

Then it was gift opening time -- Woods hooked her man up with a leather Louis Vuitton Alzer 80 bag ... which comes with a removable interior tray, lock with key and protective cover.

This bag comes with a $13,000 price tag before the custom artwork Woods had done on it ... which features "4:13" on one side and "KAT" on the other.

BTW, 4:13 is a bible verse, "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me." It also has the date Towns' mother, Jackie, died from COVID (April 13, 2020).

There seems to be a bit of a trend -- Woods also got him an LV bag featuring his mother's name with a halo and angel wings for his birthday last year.

Team Mexico soccer player Chaka Rodriguez is opening up about a disturbing experience ... revealing his family has received death threats after losing to rival Team USA in CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Many fans were upset after Rodriguez's squad lost 2-0 in heartbreaking fashion in a qualifying match on Friday ... but according to the right-back, several crossed the line when taking their frustrations out on Chaka and his family.

Rodriguez shared a direct message exchange with one person ... saying, "Miguel, I'm the husband of the wife you wrote to," Rodriguez wrote (in Spanish) on Instagram. "I understand that my work in the national team can be the cause of all of this in you. I don't justify it, but I understand it."

"I ask you please not to write anymore to my wife, to rape and kill are very cruel words," he continued. "Miguel, we don't deserve this, least of all to include family. I hope this is over now. May God bless you."

Despite it all, ... Rodriguez seems to be committed to fulfilling his obligation to his teammates ... writing, "I honestly take into account the positives and negatives..."

Amazing news from Asia Durr -- the New York Liberty guard just announced that she got the green light to return to the court ... after missing two WNBA seasons due to COVID-related symptoms.

"I have been cleared to play basketball! Yeaaah! Let's go!!!" Durr said on her IG live on Monday.

Remember, Durr -- the #2 overall pick in the 2019 draft -- was diagnosed with COVID in June 2020 ... and was sidelined for the entire 2020 season.

And, she had serious health issues ... saying on HBO's "Real Sports" earlier this year she lost 32 pounds and major lung problems due to the virus.

The symptoms didn't go away and the 24-year-old also missed the entire 2021 season ... but after an extensive amount of testing, AD is officially good to go for 2022.

"I will be training every single day to play next year. I'm officially cleared to work out," Durr said.

"Man I remember when I was so sick, bro. I remember praying and asking God for this day like 'God, if I can just see one more if I can play again'. Literally."

Her prayers were answered ... and AD gives big credit to her family and fiancée, Ashley, for helping her get through it all -- getting tears in her eyes as she thanked them.

"God has really blessed me with a strong support system. I feel like if I didn't have them, I don't know where I would have been. I'm getting choked up talking about it, for real."

Several WNBA stars like Sabrina Ionescu congratulated Durr on her recovery -- as well as NBA star Donovan Mitchell, saying "YESSSSIRRRRRRR"

Durr was drafted by the NY Liberty in 2019 after four seasons with the Louisville Cardinals, where she was a 2-time ACC Player of the Year.

In the 2019 season, she averaged 9.7 points per game with a 46% shooting percentage.

There will be two Guardians in Cleveland after all ... the MLB team formerly known as the Indians just announced it's settled its lawsuit with a local roller derby squad -- and both will use the "Guardians" nickname going forward.

The baseball-playing Guardians made the announcement Tuesday ... revealing both sides reached "an amicable resolution" this week after the roller derby team had filed a lawsuit in late October.

In the suit, the roller derby team accused the MLB org. of trying to bully its way into jacking the roller-skating squad's longstanding nickname -- and wanted to put a stop to it all.

The derby team claimed the baseball team ripped off parts of their logo -- and then, according to derby team owner Gary Sweatt, offered "likely no more than fifteen minutes of annual team revenue" when settlement talks initially began.

But, the MLB team said in a statement things have changed in the last few weeks ... and both parties are now happy with each other.

"Both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name," the MLB org. said in its statement.

Terms of the settlement, however, were not revealed.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac's Los Angeles area home was burglarized Friday night ... and the 7-foot tall big man interrupted the burglary, TMZ Sports has learned.

Unfortunately, the 2 assailants were able to escape ... according to our law enforcement sources.

The 24-year-old, 7-foot tall Croatian hoops player -- who's averaging nearly 10 points and 8 boards a game with LAC -- left his home around 8 PM Friday night ... before returning around midnight.

When he arrived back at the crib, Zubac -- the 32nd overall pick of the Lakers in 2016 -- noticed a ladder was placed against his home, leading to a second-floor balcony.

Ivica then witnessed two men bolt from the area, hopping a fence and booking it from the property.

The big man called the police ... and the cops responded and cleared the home, ensuring there were no more bad guys inside.

We're told Zubac's place -- which was locked and had a working alarm system -- was ransacked and at least one piece of expensive jewelry, a Rolex watch worth over $20K was gone.

Vanessa Bryant will have to share some of her medical records with L.A. County -- the judge says the documents are fair game because she's raised the issue of her "emotional distress."

Kobe Bryant's widow had sought to block the County from access to her medical records, citing doctor-patient privilege as it relates to her visits with a psychotherapist. As you know, Vanessa is suing L.A. County over Sheriff's deputies sharing crash site photos that included remains of the victims.

She's said the knowledge the photos were out there was causing her "constant fear and anxiety" ... and she's had trouble sleeping and been depressed.

Defense attorneys for the County requested Vanessa's medical records because they wanted to determine whether her trauma was caused by the alleged photo leak, or the tragic helicopter crash itself.

Hundreds of people honored Tina Tintor and her golden retriever, Max -- who were both killed in the Henry Ruggs car crash on Nov. 2 -- by having a special dog-walking event in Las Vegas this weekend.

The "Pack Walk" happened in the Town Square shopping center in Vegas on Saturday -- just two days after the 23-year-old was laid to rest.

About 200 people -- including Tintor's family -- showed up for the tribute with their canines, dressing the dogs up in white bandanas to symbolize peace.

Tintor's family brought Tina's other dog, a 3-year-old husky named Bella, to the event.

"Las Vegas is a large community of dog lovers and knowing this unfortunate event brought so many feelings," one of the organizers said.

"We need this. We need the family to know the community is here for them as well."

Tintor was also honored with over 2,000 donations to her GoFundMe that was launched a few days after her death. In total, over $103,000 was raised.

As we previously reported, Tina was tragically killed after officials say Ruggs struck her Toyota from behind with his Corvette.

Cops say Ruggs was going 127 MPH at the time of impact, causing Tintor's car to burst into flames and ultimately killing her and her dog.

Alex Rodriguez is quickly learning what NOT to do as an NBA owner -- the Yankees legend's Minnesota Timberwolves were just punished over a team gathering he hosted during the offseason.

On Monday, the T-Wolves were fined $250,000 for holding a team event in Miami in September, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to a report from Page Six, A-Rod got together with his business partner Marc Lore and invited the team down for a weeklong gathering ... featuring practices and a little fun in the sun.

The report goes on to say that every player attended A-Rod's event ... and the team bonding went so well, Alex and Marc were thinking about making the Miami trip an annual thing.

The only problem -- the whole bash was NOT allowed ... 'cause under current NBA rules, teams are not allowed to organize or pay for offseason practice ... and they're also not allowed to conduct workout sessions outside of their market.

Sounds like A-Rod and co. will have to come up with some other team-building idea ... but we're sure the guy will figure it out soon enough.

Travis Scott's latest Nike collab won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon -- the Swoosh has decided to postpone the "Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack" release due to the Astroworld festival tragedy.

The Baroque Brown kicks were slated to go live on December 16 at 7 AM ... but just minutes ago, Nike announced it will not go through with the drop.

"Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack," Nike said Monday.

The decision comes as 9-year-old Ezra Blount became the 10th concertgoer to lose their life as a result of the chaos at Astroworld.

As we previously reported, the Houston Rockets also scrapped a promotional event featuring Scott last week -- replacing "Travis Scott Night" with a moment of silence for the victims.

On top of that, Fortnite elected to remove the Travis Scott emote from its game.

Ty Montgomery horrifically dislocated his finger during the Saints' game Sunday ... and, yeah, look away now if you're squeamish.

The New Orleans tailback was running a route against the Titans in the first quarter of their weekend matchup when a ball clanked off his hands, sending him crashing to the ground arms first.

At some point during the play, Montgomery's digit got hit -- and you can see in the video from the game's broadcast, it bent in a way a finger never should.

Cameras showed the finger pointing 90 degrees away from his hand ... and, in fact, a little piece of bone even appeared to be exposed.

Montgomery left the game and was initially ruled as questionable to return -- but he never made it back into action ... and seems like a good bet dude will get a few more days off this week.

Whatever it takes to win, right??

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy left the watermelons at home when trying to hype up his team before Sunday's game ... instead, he pulled out some Monkey Butt.

Really.

The anti-chafing powder, as Tom Pelissero noted on "NFL Now," was meant to resemble the good, old-fashioned ass-kicking the Cowboys got in their 30-16 loss at home against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 7.

McCarthy dubbed the week leading up to their matchup against the Atlanta Falcons "Red-Ass Week" ... and had staffers pass out the powder to symbolize getting over their bad loss and taking it out on their next opponent.

Of course, McCarthy had a unique motivational tactic last season ... when he smashed watermelons before a win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Say what you want about the weird motivation, but it seems to be working ... 'cause Dallas got the W on Sunday, whooping ATL in a 43-3 effort.

Tiger Woods has ditched the crutches and the walking aids ... but the golf superstar still has a noticeable limp in his gait -- new video shows.

Woods was spotted arriving at a hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday night ... and you can see in footage, his surgically repaired leg is still clearly far from 100 percent.

Woods walked gingerly as he headed out of his car and upstairs into the L.A. venue ... all while his leg was still encased in a compression sleeve.

As we previously reported, Woods seriously injured his right leg in a car crash in the Los Angeles area back on Feb. 23 -- and needed a rod, screws and pins to repair the damage.

Woods has made slow and steady progress since the surgery -- using crutches for months, before eventually putting his full body weight on the leg recently.

Tiger has been seen walking around golf courses following his son, Charlie ... though it's unclear if Woods has even remotely attempted a swing since the accident.

NFL linebacker Nigel Bradham -- who helped the Eagles win the 2018 Super Bowl -- was arrested Saturday ... after cops say they found guns and over 3 pounds of weed in his sports car.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Bradham was pulled over in Leon County, Fla. after cops say the tag on his C8 Corvette did not belong to his car.

During the stop, officers say they noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from his ride ... adding that Bradham told them he had a gun in the glove compartment as well.

Officers in the docs say Bradham told them he did not have his medical marijuana card on him, and cops say his name didn't show up in the registry. Officers then searched the vehicle -- and claim they found a huge amount of weed.

Cops say Bradham had "10 small plastic bags with marijuana in them" inside a satchel that also contained a Smith & Wesson pistol in it.

Officers also say when they searched the trunk of the Corvette, they found two more "large bags" of weed -- and say, in total, they located 3.45 lbs of marijuana in Bradham's car.

In the docs, cops also say the search on the gun in Bradham's glovebox, a Glock 23, came back as stolen in Missouri.

Bradham was eventually arrested and booked on three felonies -- possessing marijuana with the intent to sell, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

Court records show he posted bond on Sunday.

Enes Kanter has a strong message for President Joe Biden -- ahead of POTUS' scheduled virtual summit with Chinese prez Xi Jinping -- do what you promised and "Prioritize Human Rights".

Joe and Xi will take part in a 2-day online summit, starting today. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders will discuss relations between the countries, but added Biden won't avoid difficult topics.

"Throughout, President Biden will make clear U.S. intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns with the PRC," Psaki said.

But, the 29-year-old Boston Celtics center -- a 12-year NBA vet -- isn't so sure that'll actually be the case.

"@potus Stop playing games with bullies & do what you promised to the world! Prioritize Human Rights!" Kanter wrote on social media.

"Will Joe Biden ask about Uyghur Genocide or assault on Tibetans in Hong Kong?", continuing ... "Or will they pat each other on the back?"

It's interesting ... talking about China in an unfavorable way has become a third-rail issue for the NBA.

Daryl Morey, then Houston Rockets GM, was forced to apologize in 2019 after he tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong. Even after saying sorry, Morey -- who now works for the 76ers -- is on China's bad side. The country doesn't feature Philadelphia's games or highlights for its 1.4 billion citizens.

But, Enes -- who has long been outspoken about human rights issues across the world -- clearly isn't intimidated.

Kanter specifically pointed to the Uyghur population in China ... a group of over 1 million mostly Muslims who have been kept in "re-education camps," according to the BBC.

He also raised human rights issues facing Tibetans.

Former MLB shortstop Julio Lugo -- who played in the Big Leagues for 12 years -- reportedly died on Monday.

He was just 45 years old.

ESPN's Enrique Rosas said Lugo's family confirmed the death, explaining they believe the ex-baseball player suffered a heart attack.

No further details surrounding the death have been given.

Lugo -- who was set to celebrate his 46th birthday on Tuesday -- was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1994 and eventually played in the MLB from 2000-2011.

The infielder played for seven teams -- the Astros, Rays, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Orioles and Braves -- but he was most known for his time in Boston.

After signing a four-year, $36 million contract with the Sox in 2006 -- he went on to help the team win the 2007 World Series.

Lugo logged 1,279 hits in his career ... and finished with 198 steals and a batting average of .269.

The death is the second tragic one in the MLB in less than two weeks ... former Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano also passed away at age 45 just 8 days ago.