TMZ Sports - Page 2

UFC's newest flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is hunting for his next big fight ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to take on the ex-bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt -- if the dude's willing to drop some pounds.

We caught up with the 27-year-old Mexican star fresh off last month's huge win over Deiveson Figueiredo ... and while "Deus Da Guerra" wants an immediate rematch, Moreno says he's got some work to do before getting the trilogy fight.

"I think he needs to fight against another guy because the last fight wasn't even close," Moreno tells us. "Domination from the first through the third round."

"I'm open to fight against him, but I think he needs to fight again with somebody," he added. "Not because I'm scared or something like that -- it's hard to get scared in this sport because a lot of brave people here in this sport -- but I think it's not my next fight."

So, if DF is out of the question, who's next??

Moreno loves the idea of scrapping with "No Love" -- the guy who held the bantamweight belt in 2016 -- saying it's exactly the type of opponent he's looking for.

"I'm interested in that fight because he's a huge name. He's a possibility."

Of course, Moreno and Figueiredo's first fight in 2020 ended in a draw ... and "The Assassin Baby" got the W last month via 3rd round submission, becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champ.

L.A. Rams star running back Cam Akers is in good spirits after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles ... saying he'll be back and better in no time.

The team made the news official Tuesday morning ... solidifying the end of the 22-year-old's sophomore campaign before it even began.

Despite the devastating news, Akers kept a positive attitude on Twitter ... saying, "I just want to thank any and every person sending prayers my way and wishing me well."

"I hate this happened but I’m in great spirits and I understand God makes no mistakes. I’ll be back better than ever in no time I’m a soldier. Again, thank you 🙏🏾."

Akers was set to have a huge 2021 season after earning 625 yards and 2 touchdowns in 13 games in his rookie year.

Although his 2021 is over, Akers should be good to go in time for 2022 ... and it sounds like he's determined to put the injury behind him as soon as possible.

Longtime NFL coach Greg Knapp -- who's currently the NY Jets' passing game coordinator -- is reportedly in the hospital in critical condition after he suffered serious injuries in a bike crash over the weekend.

The 58-year-old was riding when he was struck by a car ... 9News' Mike Kliss reported late Monday evening. Kliss added that Knapp's agent, Jeff Sperbeck, is asking for prayers.

Further details regarding the incident are unclear ... we're working on it.

Knapp has been an assistant coach in the NFL since the late 1990s ... and is known for his ability to get the best out of his quarterbacks.

In his career, Knapp has seen success coaching Steve Young, Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan.

Knapp was just hired to be the Jets' passing game coordinator in January ... after NY brought in Robert Saleh from San Francisco to be its new head coach.

He was already being touted as having a significant influence during offseason workouts on New York's new quarterback, Zach Wilson.

Norway's women's beach handball players gave a big middle finger to their sport's uniform double standards over the weekend ... ditching their required bikini bottoms for shorts during a game -- and the stunt resulted in a fine.

The team had reportedly been planning the protest for weeks ... hoping to put the spotlight on the differences in what the men and women are told to wear during competition -- men can wear much longer shorts, while women are forced to wear skimpy bottoms.

The players decided on Sunday's game to make their statement ... with the whole team rocking shorts during their bronze medal matchup with Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria.

The European Handball Federation fined each player 150 euros -- a tad short of $177 -- for the uniform violation ... which the Norwegian Handball Federation has vowed to pay.

Norway officials claim they've been pleading with the higher-ups for YEARS to adjust the regulations ... but the EHF says any change has to come down from the International Handball Federation.

There's been plenty of controversy surrounding what women can and cannot wear during competition -- as we previously reported, Paralympic star Olivia Breen claimed an official called her sprint shorts "inappropriate" during an event over the weekend.

Tiger Woods showed absolutely no signs of personal strife just 1 day before his February car crash ... laughing and joking with Jada Pinkett Smith out on a golf course.

New footage from Golf Digest shows Tiger was in great spirits less than 24 hours before he badly broke his leg in the roll-over accident ... playing golf and enjoying life.

Tiger was helping the actress with her swing ... and at one point, he even got her to make a birdie -- and celebrated with her with a fist bump and a giant smile.

The two had long conversations about life during the lesson ... ones in which Tiger opened up about his son, Charlie, and his daughter, Sam.

Tiger, at one point, even revealed to Pinkett Smith that he loves to freedive in his time away from golf ... explaining he very much enjoys being in the water.

What's interesting ... 45-year-old Tiger also complained to Pinkett Smith about getting older -- saying his body just isn't holding up the way it used to.

"The body," Tiger told Pinkett Smith, while stretching out his surgically repaired back. "I've had 10 operations."

Golf Digest posted the video Tuesday with officials noting, "This series was filmed on February 22, 2021, the day before Tiger Woods' car accident."

"We're sharing this content with the blessing of Tiger and his guests. We thank everyone for their involvement and wish Tiger a continued speedy recovery."

As we previously reported, Tiger crashed in L.A. county on Feb. 23 ... and suffered severe injuries to his right leg.

He needed a rod, screws and pins to repair the damage ... and he's since called the rehab process "more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

While Tiger has been spotted recently moving around fairly well on crutches ... it's unclear if he has plans to ever play competitive golf again.

The Olympic Village will be a little less crowded during the Tokyo Games -- the USA women's gymnastic team has decided to crash at a nearby hotel instead ... after one of their members tested positive for COVID.

Head coach Cecile Landi says the decision came down after alternate Kara Eaker tested positive for COVID on Sunday ... and he hopes keeping away from the rest of the athletes will prevent any more health issues.

"We know it isn’t ideal for the Olympic experience but nothing is ideal during a pandemic," Landi said via Twitter.

"We feel like we can control the athletes and our safety better in a hotel setting!"

Gymnastics superstars, USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, did make a quick stop by the OV for some photo ops ... snapping shots with the Olympics logo on Monday.

Of course, the Olympic Village is a restricted area with housing and dining for the 11,000 athletes who will be participating in the next two weeks.

Officials are on high alert with the COVID re-emergence after two South African soccer players and a staff member tested positive inside the Village last week.

Team USA has had its fair share of issues as well ... with Bradley Beal, Coco Gauff and Sue Bird all backing out of the Games after testing positive for COVID.

According to CNN's Will Ripley, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto hasn't ruled out canceling the Games ... saying, "We can’t predict what the epidemic will look like in the future. So as for what to do should there be any surge of positive cases, we’ll discuss accordingly."

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson seem to be keeping their word to co-parent without issue, taking their daughter to dance class as a family unit.

The two exes were spotted walking 3-year-old daughter, True, into her class in Calabasas Tuesday. Tristan did the heavy lifting, while Khloe trailed closely behind.

We're told they were in separate cars. Still, the outing proves what we've already reported ... that they're dedicated to co-parenting True, despite not being romantically involved anymore.

You'll recall ... Khloe pulled the plug on their relationship not too long ago -- this after even more rumors of cheating had been swirling in recent months ... not to mention allegations of paternity against Tristan. For now, they're just playing mom and dad to True -- and are clearly civil with one another.

It's interesting to see them in this type of setting ... because it almost gives a bit more context to the hostility Tristan showed toward Lamar Odom when he commented on a photo of Khloe.

The G.O.A.T. is finally back at POTUS' pad ... Tom Brady has officially made the trip to the White House for the Buccaneers' Super Bowl party!!

Of course, this is an extremely rare sight ... 'cause the QB barely ever goes to these events -- you'll recall, the last time he attended a D.C. Super Bowl celly was way back in 2005!!

Brady skipped out on a trip to Barack Obama's White House in 2015, and he also ditched a visit to Donald Trump's White House in 2017.

When Brady's Patriots won it all again in 2018 ... the team as a whole never went -- meaning Brady has only capped off 3 of his previous 6 championships with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. visit.

Unclear what made Brady want to go this time around -- particularly 'cause it's Gisele's birthday Tuesday -- but he's there nonetheless, and looking dapper as hell!!

Tom wore a dark suit with a tie and sunglasses for the occasion ... and he was front and center for a team pic with the Lombardi Trophy out on the South Lawn before the ceremony began.

His teammate, Donovan Smith, even got in a little joking with Tom about the event ... asking the QB, "You got residency here?"

Tom's response? "It's been a long time since I've been here. A long time."

The Bucs' trip marks the first time a Super Bowl winner has gone to the White House for a celebration since 2017 ... and we're sure there's going to be a lot of laughs at the event.

The official ceremony gets underway in just a few minutes ... stay tuned!!

Joe Burrow ain't the only one who thinks Skyline Chili is "trash" ... 'cause Mets announcer Gary Cohen UNLEASHED on the Cincinnati delicacy in an epic rant ... calling the dish straight-up "disgusting."

Of course, the chili chain is as polarizing as they come ... with Cincy folks swearing the stuff is good, and others wishing it ceased to exist.

The Bengals' superstar QB even shared his take before getting drafted in 2020 ... saying, "Cincinnati's gonna hate me, but I hate that stuff."

Cohen decided to pile on the hate while calling the Mets vs. Reds game at Great American Ball Park on Monday ... and it's absolutely hilarious.

"This is the local delicacy known as Skyline Chili," Cohen said.

"The 5-Way with the spaghetti and the beans and the cheese — first the disgusting chili gravy ... After the onions comes the cheese, and that’s what makes it the 5-Way."

"There’s the cheese — they put like 10 tons of shredded cheese on there ... And this is supposed to be food that you actually eat."

When his partner Ron Darling admitted he's never tried the grub, Cohen explained why it's a must.

"You need to try everything once. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Try it once, and then you’ll never eat it again," Cohen said.

Devastating news from Shannon Sharpe ... the Hall of Famer just revealed his beloved dog, Tarzan, tragically passed away this week.

The FS1 host posted an incredibly emotional tribute to his 4-legged friend on Monday ... saying, "It's with tremendous sadness that I share with you my Tarzan (Tuggs, Tuggman) Sharpe has crossed over."

"What would I give, spend to have 1 more hour, day let alone a yr with the sweetest little boy ever?"

Sharpe adds his other pup, Taz, is going to miss his "big bro" ... but promises to take good care of him.

Just a few months ago, Sharpe experienced similar heartbreak -- his dog, Tonkaman, died in April after getting sick.

Sharpe reflects on all the other dogs he's lost over the years ... telling Tarzan to share his treats in doggy heaven with them.

"I will see you and all my boys again and when I do, I'll shower you all with love for the lost time."

"No more pain, suffering now go play and enjoy your new home."

Of course, Sharpe is a HUGE dog lover ... sharing moments with his pups non-stop on his social media -- from playing dress-up to taking selfies.

He also used his vacation time to cover the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2018.

Conor McGregor's got 99 problems, but a ship ain't one -- the UFC superstar finally received his beloved Lambo yacht this week ... and the thing looks incredible!!

As we previously reported, the Notorious purchased a Lamborghini Tecnomar 63 -- referred to as a "Supercar of the Sea" -- for (at least) nearly $4 MILLION back in October.

Worth noting, that number might be even higher ... 'cause there's a chance the boat has even more bells and whistles. After all, this is Conor we're talking about.

The shiny, new toy couldn't have come at a better time for McGregor -- the guy is recovering from a devastating snapped leg at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier ... and now he has a ton of space to rest up on the water.

Conor's yacht is 63 feet long, weighs 24 tons, can reach up to 60 knots and has a 4,000 horsepower engine.

The yacht is one of just 63 made available to the (superrich) public ... with Conor getting the 12th in honor of his Proper 12 whiskey.

Remember, the dude was the highest-paid athlete in 2020 with $180 million -- due in large part to the booze biz -- so it's only right he pays tribute with the green boat.

Conor previously said it'll take about 6 weeks on crutches to recover from his injury ... and now we know where to find him if we need him.

T.J. Watt CLEARLY knows diamonds are forever ... 'cause the NFL superstar went all out for his fiancée's massive engagement ring -- scoring a piece of ice worth $100,000!!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker popped the question to his longtime GF Dani Rhodes at a beautiful waterfront spot last week ... and the ring he used for the occasion is AWESOME!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 26-year-old hit-up celebrity jeweler Moe Diamonds for the bling, and he spared no expenses.

We're told the ring features a 2.5-carat flawless colorless triple EX graded diamond -- which is very rare -- and has 18k of white gold with 1.33 carats of VVS-flawless diamonds in the band.

All total, we're told the ring is valued at $100K!!!

And, what's even more interesting about the ring ... we're told Watt hit up Moe way back in June 2020 for the piece -- so he's been planning this for over a year!!!

"It still feels like I’m dreaming," Rhodes said on Instagram the day after saying "yes."

"Woke up today feeling so incredibly happy and blessed that I get to marry my best friend🤍 I can’t wait to love you FOREVER."

Watts and Rhodes have been dating since 2016 -- when they met at the University of Wisconsin.

They're both professional athletes ... Watt is entering his 5th season with the Steelers and Rhodes just signed with the Throttur Football Club, a soccer team in Iceland.

In fact, Rhodes is former teammates with J.J. Watt's wife, Kealia -- the two actually played together on the Chicago Red Stars women's soccer team.

Paralympic star Olivia Breen is firing back at a female official for calling her sprint shorts "inappropriate" ... saying women should not have to feel self-conscious about what they wear during competition.

The 24-year-old 2-time world champion claims the comment came after the long jump events at the English Championships in Bedford on Sunday ... an interaction that left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I am always very grateful to the incredible volunteers who officiate at athletics events," Breen said on Twitter. "They do an amazing job and make it possible for us to compete."

"However, tonight I feel quite disappointed because just as I finished my long jump competition at the English Championships, one of the female officials felt it necessary to inform me that my sprint briefs were too short and inappropriate."

"I was left speechless."

Breen explained her shorts are made by Adidas and specifically designed for competition ... which she has worn for many years.

In fact, Breen -- who has cerebral palsy -- says she intends to wear the same shorts when competing for Britain at the Tokyo Paralympics in August.

"It made me question whether a male competitor would be similarly criticized," she added. "I hope no other female athletes had similar issues."

Breen notes she's all on board with having rules and regulations for what people wear during events, but says "women should not be made to feel self-conscious about what they are wearing when competing but should feel comfortable and at ease."

Breen told CNN that England Athletics has been supportive and in communication with her following the incident ... and she plans to file a complaint.

Well, Jalen Hurts is clearly ready for the 2021 season to begin ...

The Philadelphia Eagles QB was spotted in the gym this month putting on a serious display of strength ... deadlifting 620 pounds!!!

It's unclear exactly where Jalen was throwing around the iron ... but the lift is impressive as hell nonetheless -- considering the 22-year-old tips the scales at just 6'1", 223 lbs.

Check out the clip of the rep ... Hurts is able to get the weight up with a perfect form and not a whole lot of energy spent.

Seriously ... the guy made it look easy!!

Of course, it's a great sign for the Eagles ... because after the team traded Carson Wentz this offseason -- its '21 success is basically riding on whether or not Hurts can officially handle QB1 duties.

You'll recall ... the dude stepped in for Wentz at the end of last year and played pretty well -- finishing the season with 1,061 passing yards, 6 passing TDs and 3 rushing TDs in 4 starts.

TMZ Sports has obtained the crash report from Richard Sherman's car accident last week ... and it looks like the NFL star just barely avoided a head-on collision with a barrier.

In the docs, police produced a diagram of how they say Sherman wrecked his 2014 Mercedes on a highway in Washington at around 1:24 AM on July 14 ... and it appears to be more evidence the 33-year-old is fortunate to be alive today.

According to cops, it appears Sherman didn't see a right turn coming, and instead of navigating around the bend -- he crashed the left side of his car into a barrier.

The picture shows just how close Sherman was to a head-on collision ... which could have been potentially life-threatening, given that officials have accused Sherman of driving drunk at the time of the wreck.

In the docs, cops say Sherman -- despite the collision -- continued to drive into a parking lot before he ditched the ride due to the severe damage to the car.

As we previously reported, law enforcement says Sherman then eventually made his way to his in-laws' home in Redmond, Wash. ... where they say he attempted to break in his wife's parents' front door.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene ... Sherman fought them, and claim the football player was so aggressive, they needed K9 help to take him down.

Sherman was arrested and eventually charged with five misdemeanors over the incident -- including driving while under the influence and reckless endangerment of roadway workers.

Congrats are in order for MLB ace Shane Bieber -- the Cy Young winner got on one knee and popped the question to his longtime GF over the weekend ... and she said "YES!!!"

The 26-year-old Cleveland superstar and Kara Maxine Kavajecz made their engagement public on Monday ... sharing pics of the couple's big moment in San Francisco.

The setup looked truly special ... with Bieber setting up a romantic area overlooking the city and decked out with pillows, candles, wine and more.

"Forever my girl," Bieber captioned his post with shots from iQphoto, which showed him on one knee and embracing his new fiancee.

"I always knew," Kara added.

Bieber and Kavajecz first met years ago at the University of California, Santa Barbara ... and have been inseparable ever since.

Of course, Biebs is one of the best in the sport -- he's 41-18 in his career with a 3.31 ERA.

The pitcher has been sidelined with an injury since mid-June with a shoulder strain ... but it's safe to say he's been making great use of his time off the diamond.