TMZ Sports - Page 16

Kamaru Usman has an idea of how he wants his legendary UFC career to come to a close ... and he let TMZ Sports in on the blueprint -- and it all starts with the winner of this weekend's UFC 322 main event!

We chopped it up with the 38-year-old former welterweight champion ahead of the promotion's return to Madison Square Garden in NYC on Saturday, and Usman says he's got an eye on the title scrap between champ Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, who surrendered his lightweight belt to go for gold in the 170 lb. division.

"I think [the fight is] a toss-up, but I do think Islam has the grappling edge when it goes down to the ground," Usman said. "I think he's just done it longer. We'll see what happens. But of course, I'm looking to get in there and potentially test myself against the winner."

Stefon Diggs had his eyes on a cheerleader minutes after Cardi B announced the birth of their son ... because he tossed her a football during his NFL game.

Cardi took to social media Thursday to announce she had given birth to Stefon's boy ... shortly before Stefon's New England Patriots kicked off their Thursday Night Football matchup with the New York Jets.

Stefon caught a pass from quarterback Drake Maye in the first quarter and his route took him out of bounds ... and when he was on the sidelines he tossed the football to a Patriots cheerleader.

Stephen Curry is leaving his longtime team -- not the Golden State Warriors ... the NBA superstar is parting ways with Under Armour after more than a decade together.

The news came minutes ago ... with the apparel and shoe company confirming the Curry Brand will go independent after the Curry 13 release next year.

UA founder Kevin Plank addressed the split in a press release ... saying, "It's been an incredible privilege to work with Stephen, who as President of Curry Brand has been much more than an ambassador – he's become a thoughtful and strategic business leader."

TMZ Sports is going live from the newsroom to discuss the day's biggest stories ... but we don't just want folks to watch and enjoy the conversation, we want y'all to get involved!!

Hit the comment section as Babcock, Lucas, Mojo and the whole crew break down the most important topics of the day ... and we'll be interacting with viewers throughout the program between 1 and 2 PM PT.

So tune in, make fun of us, share your two cents, sound off about your favorite team ... nothing is out of bounds.

1:51 PM PT -- Clase went before a Judge on Thursday ... and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

He was ordered to post a $600,000 bond, surrender his passport, and limit his travel between New York and Ohio. He also must refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.

While his lawyer, Michael Ferrara, attempted to convince the judge not to impose location monitoring, his efforts were unsuccessful.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for next month.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was arrested by FBI agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday in connection to his pitch-rigging indictment.

John Marzulli from the Eastern District of New York DOJ confirmed to TMZ Sports the arrest took place about an hour ago ... following his arrival from the Dominican Republic.

This comes days after the DOJ indicted 27-year-old Clase on Sunday related to a gambling scheme. According to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports, Clase allegedly rigged bets by tipping off co-conspirators on pitches he planned to throw before games.

It looks like the Ice Spice romance has officially thawed out for Sauce Gardner -- the Indianapolis Colts defensive back was spotted leaving dinner with rapper Latto's sister, Brooklyn, on Wednesday ... this amid rumors they've been dating.

The former New York Jet was in Miami for Indy's Week 11 bye ... and hit up the popular restaurant Carbone to chow down during his time off.

The cameras captured the 25-year-old walking to his car with a few ladies -- one might be Latto herself, but it's hard to tell since she was covering her face with her hoodie -- and he opened the passenger door for Brooklyn before they drove off together.

Kayla Nicole is apologizing for "hurtful tweets" she posted on social media back in the day ... and she says she's "ashamed that I ever thought or spoke that way."

In an apology posted Thursday on her Instagram Story, Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend says her posts were "ignorant, hurtful and completely wrong."

Kayla says it's been "incredibly difficult" seeing her old posts resurface ... in part because she says "the woman I am today would never use those words or express those kinds of views."

Houston hottie Jilly Anais may be ready for the frigid temps, but she's burning through the social algorithms in her most recent form-fitting snow look ...

The 29-year-old took to Instagram to share her latest round-up -- a sexy snow 'shoot where she sported a Kith bodysuit topped off with a Chanel scarf and earmuffs.

Posing pretty in front of a winter wonderland, she showed off her fit physique and made her way through the snow with a pair of black knee-high boots.

A high-end trading card shop owned by Tom Brady was robbed in New York City of nearly $10,000 worth of baseball and Pokémon cards, according to police.

The NYPD says the incident occurred shortly before noon on October 20 ... when a man at CardVault by Tom Brady attempted to purchase items, but his payment declined.

The suspect then allegedly managed to trick the employee into believing the items were paid for, before ultimately walking out of the store with $9,710 worth of merchandise.

Antonio Brown is once again a free man -- at least for the time being -- the former NFL star posted bond and was released from county jail in Miami ... and TMZ Sports has video of AB leaving, flanked by his attorney.

37-year-old Brown had been in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County since Tuesday evening ... when he was escorted by plane from another jail in New Jersey.

AB went before a judge for the first time on Wednesday morning, and bond was set at $25k. Brown also agreed to be placed on a minimally restrictive house arrest, wear an ankle monitor, and steer clear of the alleged victim.

Klay Thompson just unloaded on a pair of ex-NBA stars for their graphic chat about Megan Thee Stallion ... calling Patrick Beverley and Jason Williams "so disgusting and disturbing" for disrespecting his girlfriend.

As we previously reported, White Chocolate made shocking comments on the "Hoopin’ N Hollerin'" podcast on Wednesday ... hinting the Dallas Mavericks hooper's relationship with the rapper might be to blame for his slump this season.

"It only takes one p**** to drag a battleship across the desert. That's how powerful it is," WC told Pat Bev. "Klay Thompson, I ain't sayin' that's what it is ... but that might be what it is."

Clippers and Nuggets players weren't the only ones showing off their moves on Wednesday -- a fan put his own on display after rushing the court during the game ... but as always, he ultimately had a date with security.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the incident that went down during the matchup at the Inuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

We're told the guy came outta nowhere as he ran onto the hardwood ... and he somehow ended up right beside Nuggets guard Bruce Brown.

Paul Skenes isn't always stone-faced when he gets awards -- he cracked a smile after winning the 2025 NL Cy Young!!

MLB announced Wednesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower earned the top pitching honors this season ... and the cameras caught his reaction as he sat with his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, and friends and family.

There really wasn't much suspense about whether Skenes would take home the hardware ... but folks were curious to find out whether the 23-year-old would show any sort of emotion, or keep a blank look like last year.

Luka Doncic did his best to sidestep any questions about the Nico Harrison firing on Wednesday ... saying while he'll always have love for the Mavericks fans and players, he's ready to move on and focus on the Lakers.

The Slovenian superstar met with the media after the Purple and Gold's blowout road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder ... and naturally, he was asked how he felt about the general manager who shipped him to Los Angeles getting canned just nine months later -- and if it provided "closure."

Doncic elected to focus on everyone else in Dallas instead.

As if Swifties weren't swooning enough ... Travis Kelce is featured in Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour docuseries -- and has a major stamp of approval from her mom!

Check out the official trailer for "The End of an Era" -- there's no hiding Trav and Tay's love as the singer's mother, Andrea Swift, gushes over the NFL star ... saying he "brings happiness" to their lives.

There's also an adorable moment that documents the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and "Fate of Ophelia" singer on the phone, drawing similarities within each other's lives.

Christy Martin countered critiques of Sydney Sweeney's portrayal of her in the biopic "Christy" ... appearing to throw some jabs at detractor Ruby Rose.

Posting a picture of herself with the "Euphoria" star, Christy wrote ... “I’ve always been a fighter. My life reflected that in every way and now I fight for others. The past few days I have seen some people attack my friend Sydney Sweeney."

The retired boxer continued ... "Syd not only worked her ass off for this film, she worked her ass off for me. For my story. For so many others suffering in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and ally!"