TMZ Sports - Page 4

17 million people tuned in to Jake Paul's MVP MMA 1 card Saturday night, and co-founder and CEO Nakisa Bidarian is giving a State Of The Promotion after the event ... addressing everything from whether Gina Carano should've been in the cage with Ronda Rousey to the UFC's decision to drop big Conor McGregor return news during the event!

"Tremendous success. Unprecedented for someone to come into a sport that has an endemic reference brand like the UFC and to perform the way that we did," Bidarian told Babcock Wednesday afternoon.

"It speaks to obviously our partner in being Netflix, speaks to the fighters on the card, but also speaks to MVP, Jake Paul, who is the biggest brand in combat sports under the age of 30, unequivocally, and all of that magic coming together and our ability to execute. So very, very happy with the outcome."

Nakisa believes it was a smash hit ... begging the question, will MVP do MMA again?

Ray J, as you know, was recently on death's door with a bunch of serious health issues — but now the R&B singer is back and stronger than ever, training his ass off for his upcoming MMA fight against Supah Hot Fire.

TMZ obtained exclusive video of Ray getting into tip-top shape with his posse, which includes a couple of hot female influencers shaking their booties as Ray is pumping iron.

As you can see ... Ray is taking this Saturday's match up very seriously as he spars with a partner and practices various takedown maneuvers and even shows how he plans to choke out Supah Hot during their fight.

Ryan Lochte and his estranged wife have found something else they disagree on ... his upcoming coaching job with a college swim team.

The decorated Olympic swimmer recently announced he's taking a job at Missouri State University ... a move Kayla Reid Lochte thinks will be challenging for their three young children, who are staying behind with her in Gainesville, Florida.

Sources close to Kayla Reid tell TMZ … her main concern has always been the emotional well-being and stability of the children and it’s heartbreaking anytime young kids are faced with the reality of seeing a parent less often, especially at their age when they don’t fully understand distance or what a long-distance parenting schedule truly looks like long term.

William Davis, who was set to play football this season for Sam Houston State University in Texas after playing last season for West Virginia, died from gunshot wounds to the chest ... TMZ has learned.

Unclear if this is a homicide ... the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia, where William died, tells us the manner of death is pending.

As we reported ... SHSU announced William passed away Saturday, but there had been no details on a cause or manner of death.

Vanessa Trump is sharing a concerning health update ... she says she's recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Vanessa made the announcement Wednesday in an Instagram post ... revealing she's already had a surgical procedure performed.

She says she's working on a treatment plan with her medical team and is "staying focused and hopeful."

Former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer was involved in a gnarly crash in Arizona on Wednesday ... but fortunately for the Cy Young winner, he escaped unscathed -- and our sources say he was not at fault.

TMZ Sports obtained footage from the scene ... showing the current Long Island Ducks hurler documenting the damage done to his black McLaren -- and there is quite a lot of it.

In the clips, debris is scattered on the road and a nearby yard ... and another vehicle is sitting on the sidewalk of a residential street.

Sugar Ray Leonard's son left the boxing legend's home in a cop car for violating a restraining order, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us a 911 call was made by Leonard's security team early Wednesday morning ... when Daniel Ray Leonard, 25, allegedly tried to enter the residence in Los Angeles by turning exterior door handles.

We're told when officers arrived and met with security, Daniel was located by the pool house and was promptly arrested.

Aaron Rodgers just confirmed this is his grand finale -- the future Hall of Famer told reporters he will retire at the end of the 2026 campaign.

The four-time MVP met with the media at Steelers OTAs on Wednesday ... when he was asked straight-up if the upcoming season will be his last.

"Yes," 42-year-old Rodgers replied. "This is it, yeah."

Joey Chestnut's recent battery case won't affect his day job -- Major League Eating tells TMZ Sports he isn't gonna face any punishment for allegedly slapping a man at a bar earlier this year.

Chestnut -- the greatest weenie destroyer to ever live -- was sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty in April to misdemeanor battery in connection with a physical altercation in Indiana a month prior.

The 17-time Nathan's Hot Dog contest winner told cops he was a bit too drunk to know the details of the interaction when questioned ... but he later looked at the surveillance footage and felt the open-handed strike "looked like a joke."

Timothée Chalamet clearly doesn't have a playoff superstition when it comes to his hair ... because he got a cut and shaved off his beard in the middle of the New York Knicks' playoff run.

The actor and diehard Knicks fans sat on celebrity row at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night to watch his favorite team complete a stunning comeback victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers ... but the Knicks weren't the only ones making a comeback -- Clean Cut Chalamet is back.

Check it out ... Timmy's hair is noticeably shorter and he's shaved off his thin mustache -- a transformation for the star many online are saying makes him look much younger than his 30 years.

The women of the new "Baywatch" reboot may be bringing the heat on camera ... but behind the scenes, there's competition brewing over who's becoming the franchise's next breakout bombshell.

A source on set tells TMZ ... there's some "tension" over who's filling the Pamela Anderson lane in the modern version of the iconic series ... and the contenders are Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne.

Brooks certainly has the edge when it comes to screen time ... because she appears in virtually every episode ... while Livvy is only featured in three episodes -- less than half the season.

The Knicks won game 1 thanks to an insane comeback, and some diehard New York fans are already looking forward to the NBA Finals ... calling out Victor Wembanyama outside Madison Square Garden!

"We want Wemby! We want Wemby," hundreds of fans chanted outside the World's Most Famous Arena ... a place known for postgame insanity after big Knicks wins.

The vibes were clearly sky high for the Knicks fans Tuesday night ... after mounting one of the largest comebacks in NBA Playoff history.

NY trailed Cleveland by 22 points with less than 8 minutes left ... before going on a 30-8 run to force overtime.

WWE Superstar Danhausen is taking credit for the Cleveland Cavaliers' epic collapse against the New York Knicks ... but now he has some demands in order to keep the momentum going in the Big Apple's favor -- he wants to be right in the middle of Celebrity Row with Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.

For those who don't know, Danhausen has a knack for cursing people ... or in this case, entire NBA franchises.

He issued a curse on the Cavs ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday morning due to his love for NYC and his hate for The Miz (a big Cleveland fan) ... and fast forward to the end of Game 1, the Knicks came back from more than 20 down to win in overtime.

BTS really had a packed schedule during their tour stop in Stanford ... 'cause it turns out SUGA competed in a race before taking the stage on Sunday -- and he put his "blood, sweat and tears" into it.

The footage of Yoongi's outing surfaced on Wednesday ... showing the rapper trotting alongside a bunch of normies who probably had no idea they were in the presence of a K-pop idol.

The event was a 12K called Bay to Breakers ... and while it's known for contestants wearing costumes, the artist kept it casual with black athletic clothes and a blue hat.

Jalen Hurts' absence from A.J. Brown's wedding might not be as spicy as folks are making it out to be ... 'cause NFL legend Julio Jones tells TMZ Sports he, too, got invited to the nuptials -- and even though the groom is a good friend, he unfortunately couldn't make it either.

The superstar Eagles receiver and Kelsey Riley tied the knot over the weekend in Laguna Beach ... and a lot of chatter has been about how his QB was MIA from the ceremony, despite their friendship dating back to high school and Jalen being A.J.'s daughter's godfather.

The popular narrative online is that their football issues might have caused a major rift in their personal lives.

The New York Knicks bulldozed their way through their opponents so far this postseason ... but will their dominant run come to an end against the Cleveland Cavaliers??

If you ask former Knicks superstar Amar'e Stoudemire, his answer is a big "heck no" ... 'cause he feels they're just getting started!!

We caught up with STAT prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday ... and had to ask how a super-rested Knickerbockers squad will fare against a Cavs team that just finished off the Detroit Pistons less than 48 hours ago.