TMZ Sports - Page 3

Before he smashed his way into the UFC, Daniel Rodriguez was honing his fight skills on the streets and in jail -- telling TMZ Sports he's 200-0 OUTSIDE the Octagon.

D-Rod -- who obliterated Mike Perry on the main card at "UFC Vegas 23" this past weekend -- says he's been fighting his whole life ... and his experience on the streets has helped him become the successful pro he is today.

"That’s how this all started. It all started in the street ... I’m a hood baby. I'm from L.A. you know.?!"

34-year-old Rodriguez says he was in and out of jail growing up -- something he attributes to running with the wrong crowd and making bad choices.

Daniel says he cleaned up his life and is laser-focused on his MMA career -- racking up an impressive 14-2 record as a pro.

So, what's scarier ... fighting in a jail cell or in the UFC Octagon? D-Rod says there's no comparison.

"There's a referee in [the Octagon]. There’s somebody to stop it."

"I’ve been in situations where ain't nobody gonna stop it ... so it's kill or [be killed]."

So, what's next for Rodriguez INSIDE the Octagon? He's gunning to fight a ranked opponent and would love a crack at the legendary Robbie Lawler.

Lawler is currently the #15 ranked welterweight -- but Rodriguez says he's confident he'll make Robbie look like Mike Perry when it's all said and done!

Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari let their dangerous dog roam free when the cable guy came by for an install, and it allegedly took a bite out of his hand.

According to a lawsuit the cable guy, Nathan Beam, filed ... the exes are still the co-owners of 2 German Shepherds who were unrestrained at a Tennessee home in June 2020 when Nathan was there for the hookup.

Beam claims he completed the install and was ready to leave when one of the dogs -- he believes its name is Kona -- was in front of the driver's side door of his truck.

According to Beam ... as he bent over to pick up something off the ground, the dog bit him on his left thumb and fingernail and clamped down for several seconds.

He claims he did nothing to harass the dog, and afterward ... Cavallari's assistant came out, gave him a paper towel, and allegedly told him to leave immediately.

Beam's blaming Jay and Kristin for failing to keep reasonable control of their dogs while he was there, and also claims they knew the canines were dangerous ... based on old social media posts where she refers to the younger one, allegedly Kona, as a "#TrainedKiller."

He's suing for damages, claiming he suffered physical injuries and disfigurement along with mental anguish, and has lost wages because of the alleged dog bite.

A rep for Kristin had no comment. We reached out to Jay as well ... so far, no word back.

Jayson Tatum says his battle with COVID is STILL ongoing after 3 months ... telling reporters his breathing remains so messed up, he's been forced to use an inhaler before games.

The Boston Celtics superstar was diagnosed with the virus back in early January ... and missed nearly the entire month battling its effects.

The 23-year-old ultimately recovered ... though he said after the Celtics' win over the Trailblazers on Tuesday night that his lungs still have yet to bounce back to 100%.

"It's a process," Tatum said. "It takes a long time. Like, I take an inhaler before the game since I've tested positive."

"This has kind of helped with that and opened up my lungs, and, you know, I never took an inhaler before. So I think that's something different."

The good news? After roughly 12 weeks of fighting it, Tatum says he's closer than ever to getting back to normal.

"I for sure feel better now than I did a month ago," Tatum said.

Tatum's been a monster for Boston this season despite the COVID struggles ... he scored 32 points against Portland on Tuesday to lift the Celtics to a win.

The 5-year-old girl who was badly injured in the Britt Reid car crash in February is now out of the hospital ... but her family says she still has a long road to full recovery.

Ariel Young suffered catastrophic injuries after Reid -- a former K.C. Chiefs assistant coach and Andy Reid's son -- allegedly slammed his pickup truck into the back of a vehicle she was in on Feb. 4 in Kansas City.

Investigators say Young's brain was hurt badly ... adding she suffered a skull fracture and subdural hematomas, among other ailments, as well.

Young had been in the hospital since the accident trying to recover ... but her family said Tuesday she was taken home this week.

"Ariel is at home recovering," the family said in a statement, "we hope that her being in a familiar place will help her remember things."

"She is doing physical therapy but as of right now she still cannot walk, talk or eat like a normal 5 year old. Thank you everyone for your continued support."

35-year-old Britt was charged with one count of felony DWI on Monday over the wreck ... after officials say he had .113 BAC when measured around 2 hours after the crash.

Investigators also said Britt was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH just seconds before the collision.

Britt surrendered to authorities and took a mug shot shortly after prosecutors announced the charge on Monday.

Colton Underwood -- former star of "The Bachelor" is opening up about his sexuality ... telling the world he's gay.

Colton opened up to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" saying ... "I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time ... and I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know."

Underwood added, "I got into a place for me in my personal life that was dark and bad and I can list a bunch of different things but they'd all be excuses ... I would have rather died than say I'm gay and I think that was sort of my wake-up call."

Colton said it was so bad he thought of taking his life ... "There was a moment in L.A. where I woke up and I didn't think I was going to wake up. I didn't have the intention of waking up and I did. And I think for me that was my wake-up call ... this is your life, take back control."

As 'Bachelor' fans know ... Colton's virginity became a hot topic when he appeared on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2018. Of course, this storyline continued when he became the 'Bachelor' for Season 23 ... but there was a lot more drama than that.

Colton notoriously jumped a gate during filming in the middle of his season and threatened to leave the show, but ultimately decided to return. He wound up choosing Cassie Randolph, though the 2 never got engaged and -- as we reported -- had a very messy breakup.

In his GMA interview, Colton said he was sorry for how things ended with Cassie, and that he truly loved everything about her, which made things more difficult. He says he remembers thanking God once he was picked as 'The Bachelor' because he believed his prayers to be straight had been answered.

Also worth noting -- Colton stated in his March 2020 memoir, "The First Time," his time on "The Bachelor" actually helped him realize he WASN'T gay. He said he questioned his sexuality in his early 20s ... the result of being bullied growing up. The bullies said he was gay, and he says he believed it.

Conor McGregor will NOT be charged with a crime stemming from an alleged attempted sexual assault in Corsica -- officials confirm the case has been dropped due to lack of evidence.

As we previously reported, McGregor was detained by police on the French island of Corsica back in Sept. 2020 -- after a woman claimed the UFC superstar committed acts described as "attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition."

Conor had denied wrongdoing from the start -- and he was released from custody without being formally arrested or charged with a crime.

Now, TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors in the City of Bastia have sent McGregor a letter explaining that after an investigation, they didn't find enough evidence to move forward with a case against him.

The document was sent in French -- but the translation reads this way:

"The examination of the present proceedings does not justify any criminal prosecution since:

-- The facts or the circumstances of the facts of the proceedings could not have been clearly established by the investigations.

-- The pieces of evidence are therefore not sufficient for the offense to be constituted and for criminal prosecution to be engaged."

McGregor had railed on his accuser in a social media post in the days after the allegation was levied against him -- calling her claims "bulls**t" and vowing to never pay a dime to "anyone coming at me with vicious lies."

Arnold Schwarzenegger opened up his L.A. mansion to some combat sports legends -- Mike Tyson and Henry Cejudo -- and even let 'em swing around his legendary "Conan" sword!

Mike and Henry flew in on Tuesday to shoot an episode of Mike's "Hotboxin" podcast -- and Arnold couldn't have been a better host!

He played some chess with Mike. He let Cejudo flex with his famous bodybuilding statue.

And, after they left Arnold's home -- Mike and Henry decided to play a little golf at another location while Mike puffed away on a big ol' joint.

What a fun day!

Afterward, Cejudo -- one of the greatest UFC fighters ever -- thanked Arnold for welcoming him into his home.

"It’s an [honor] to be invited to the man’s house who’s cut from the same cloth as me," Cejudo posted.

"[Arnold], you are The American Dream."

There are pics of Mike Tyson and Arnold hanging out together from way back in the '80s -- but it's unclear if they were friends or just friendly ... considering they were both mega-stars back then and probably ran into each other at events.

Huge news out of Pittsburgh ... where a man claims he was assaulted over the weekend by NFL superstar Aaron Donald.

The accuser is DeVincent Spriggs, who claims the L.A. Rams defensive tackle struck him in the face in the early morning hours of April 11, according to Spriggs' attorney, Todd Hollis.

Hollis released a photo of Spriggs' alleged injuries -- which shows a badly damaged right eye. We're told the attorney is currently en route to a police station to file a report against Donald.

Hollis told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the incident took place at an after-hours club -- and claims Spriggs suffered a concussion in addition to other injuries

We're reaching out to Donald's camp -- as well as the L.A. Rams -- and we'll let you know as soon as we hear back.

Aaron Donald is widely regarded as one of the top -- if not THE top defensive player in the NFL.

He was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2020 -- and has been selected to the Pro Bowl all 7 years he's been in the NFL.

In 2018, Donald signed a 6-year contract extension with the Rams worth up to $135 MILLION with $87 million guaranteed.

Donald was a 1st-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- following a stellar career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for being the best defensive player in the country.

29-year-old Donald was born and raised in Pittsburgh -- though it's unclear if he knew the accuser before the alleged attack.

Kevan Miller was feeling VIOLENT on Tuesday -- the Boston Bruins player unleashed the fury all over multiple Buffalo Sabres players ... culminating with a KO in a mid-game fight!

The brutality began in the 2nd period when Miller came flying across the ice to smash Sabres' forward Rasmus Asplund into the boards at breakneck speed. Asplund went crumpling to the ground.

Asplund's teammates took issue with the shot because it looked like an illegal blindside hit -- even though it wasn't called for a penalty.

That's when Sabres' player Tage Thompson squared up with Miller looking to avenge Asplund ... but he quickly learned Miller was all about the smoke.

The gloves came off ... and Miller immediately opened up a can of whoop-ass all over Tage's face -- beating him down onto the ice in a one-sided mauling.

Eventually, the refs stepped in and put a stop to the fight when it became clear Thompson had no chance.

FYI, Miller is a very experienced fighter -- with 20 scraps under his belt since 2013.

Thompson, on the other hand, has only fought once in the NHL since joining the league a few years ago.

It's almost like Thompson didn't realize what he was getting himself into ...

As for the game, the Bruins ended up securing the "W" in an overtime shootout.

We'll take "Questions you don't want to get wrong when Aaron Rodgers is hosting for $400, Aaron!"

Three contestants on "Jeopardy!" were straight-up clowned by Aaron Rodgers after NONE of them correctly answered a clue about the Green Bay Packers ... and it was all hilarious!

Just minutes into the show -- which Rodgers is still celeb hosting this week -- one contestant picked a $400 clue that said this ... "In the 1960s these midwesterners earned 5 NFL Championship trophies."

The answer is obvious, it's the organization that pays Rodgers -- the Packers! But, none of the 3 contestants knew it -- and none even tried to buzz in with a guess!

That left Rodgers dumbfounded ... with the QB throwing his hands up in the air and saying, "Green Bay Packers????"

Rodgers playfully added, "Dennis, go again. I guess."

The next question was about the Boston Celtics ... and after contestant Erick got that one right, Aaron quipped, "Oh! You know that one, huh? OK."

The whole thing was super funny ... and it's starting to beg the question, could Rodgers seriously take over full-time for the late, great Alex Trebek?

The daughter of former NY Jets superstar Al Toon was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide over the weekend ... this according to cops.

The Scottsdale PD in Arizona says at around 5 PM on Sunday, officers responded to a call of a shooting at a residence in east Scottsdale.

Cops say when they arrived, they saw 28-year-old Molly Elizabeth Lillard -- Toon's daughter -- suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Officials say officers immediately got her help and rushed her to the hospital, but she tragically died due to the injuries.

The Scottsdale PD says it quickly learned Lillard's husband, 36-year-old Royce Dale Lillard III, was the apparent gunman ... and claim he went back into the residence after shooting Molly.

Officials say officers attempted to make contact with Royce for several hours at the home ... but could not get him to answer.

At around 10:45 PM, roughly 5 hours after responding to the scene, cops say SWAT stormed to the residence and found Royce dead with "what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Cops did not release a potential motive for it all ... but say a preliminary investigation revealed, "all indications are that this was a murder-suicide."

Officials added the couple's 8-month-old baby was present at the time of the shooting. They say the child was not injured and is now being taken care of by family members.

Toon's daughter was a superstar high school volleyball player who went on to play at the Univ. of Michigan.

MLB superstar Yasiel Puig admits he DID have a sexual encounter with the woman accusing him of sexual battery -- but insists the whole thing was consensual.

We broke the story ... Puig was sued in 2020 by a woman using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- who claims Yasiel followed her into a bathroom at Staples Center during the Lakers game on Oct. 31, 2018, and sexually assaulted her.

The woman later claimed she did NOT know Puig before the alleged incident.

Now, Puig is firing back ... claiming it was the woman who initiated the sexual encounter.

"Let me be clear and set the record straight once and for all: these allegations are totally false," Puig said in a statement.

"The evidence proves they are false, and I look forward to all the facts and the truth coming out.”

"The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me."

"Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out. We messaged each other afterward and plan to get together again, but we never did. She’s now suing me based on completely made up allegations."

Puig's attorneys, Alan Jackson and Caleb Mason, claim they have Instagram messages and text messages which show "she initiated contact with Mr. Puig earlier that evening."

"[The accuser] had designs on meeting him, and she sent him repeated Instagram messages along with her cell phone number and a heart emoji -- all unsolicited by Mr. Puig."

"After the game [the accuser] sought out Mr. Puig in person at the Chairman's Club [at Staples Center] and asked him to go into a bathroom with her for a consensual sexual encounter."

Puig's attorneys claim the two continued to message each other in the days and weeks after the incident ... with the accuser sending him a "series of affectionate and endearing messages" that aren't consistent with someone who was sexually assaulted.

MMA star Justin Wren says Conor McGregor is just WRONG for trying to paint Dustin Poirier's charity foundation as some shady operation ... and it's more evidence that Conor is simply not a good person.

Wren is widely respected for his charity work all over the world -- in fact, Joe Rogan has praised Wren's "Fight for the Forgotten" foundation for years for all of the work he's done helping impoverished communities in Africa.

So, when Wren learned McGregor was backing out of his $500,000 pledge to Dustin Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation" -- Wren wasn't happy.

As we previously reported, Conor not only bailed on the donation he had been promising since October -- but he made Poirier's foundation seem like a clown show, incapable of explaining how the money would be deployed to actually help people in need.

McGregor called Poirier a "fool" with "no plan in place" for such a sizable donation.

Of course, Poirier has called B.S. on Conor -- saying his team reached out to McGregor's camp multiple times to address their concerns, but never got a response.

So, who's lying?

Wren says he's personally worked with Poirier's foundation and can vouch that's it's not only legitimate -- but it's made a REAL impact in communities in need in Dustin's home state of Louisiana.

"Dustin is an honorable man, a good character, who’s a family man, who has literally done everything he ever said he was gonna do and more ... and the other guy hasn’t followed through on a lot of the things that he has said. So, I think that this really calls Conor's character into question even more so than it's already been."

Wren says he's been in touch with Dustin and his wife, Jolie, over the past few days -- and they're upset Conor would take such a "cheap shot" at an organization that was created to help people in need.

"I think that this has really changed Dustin's opinion on who Conor is as a person. He’s not a good guy."

Wren adds, "Conor didn’t rob Dustin of anything. What he did was he cheated or stole from the people he would’ve helped."

Serena Williams just found something new to dominate ... 'cause the tennis legend just signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon!!

39-year-old Williams announced the big move on Tuesday ... saying she's pumped to put new and inspiring stories onto the screen -- including her own, via a new docuseries following her life on and off the court.

"I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience," Williams said.

The deal includes scripted and unscripted content ... which will all be made available via Amazon.

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world."

Williams' docuseries -- title TBD -- will be produced by Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios. Williams will also serve as executive producer on the project.

Of course, Williams is one of the best tennis players EVER -- she's won 23 Grand Slams, 73 championships and has won nearly $95 million in prize money throughout her career.

So yeah, Amazon is stoked to have her on board.

As Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke put it ... "Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well."

Rachel Bush -- the wife of Buffalo Bills star Jordan Poyer -- just eviscerated the idea of a potential vaccine requirement at Buffalo games next season ... callin' the proposed plan straight-up "bulls***."

Erie County politician Mark Poloncarz announced Tuesday he wants to make it a rule at Bills and Sabres contests in 2021 that in order to attend games in person, ya gotta show proof of a COVID vax.

In his announcement, Poloncarz made it clear it's "the only safe way to have a full house" at the stadiums ... adding, "No Vaccine = No Entry."

Bush -- someone who's made it clear she's NOT getting the vaccine -- went ballistic over the idea ... going as far as to call Poloncarz a "moron" for wanting to implement the county rule.

"If Erie county wants to pull this bull s*** watch and see what happens," Bush said.

She added, "[Poloncarz] does know that you can still contract covid once vaccinated and pass it to others still too right? Buffalo you better speak up before you lose a whole lot."

Bush -- a regular at Bills games prior to the pandemic -- wasn't done there ... she fired off several more tweets defending her position, writing, "I would compare covid to the flu rather than a cold but couldn’t pay me to get the vaccine, especially after having it."

"It was bad. But not bad enough to turn myself into a lab rat for an experimental vaccine."

Bush continued, "So now my daughter is missing ANOTHER year of watching her dad play live in a very short lived career. Not even an option available to her since we already know kids can’t get the covid vaccine. How is that fair or acceptable. It’s not. FL and TX would never."

For the Bills' part, the team said in a statement it will follow Poloncarz's orders if still in place for the season ... explaining, "As we did last year, we will continue to cooperate and comply with all New York state and local government regulations regarding our sporting events."

The Bills are expected to open their season in September.

FYI, the CDC fully supports COVID vaccinations -- explaining on its website, "COVID-19 vaccination works by teaching your immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19, and this protects you from getting sick with COVID-19."

"Being protected from getting sick is important because even though many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness, have long-term health effects, or even die."

"There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you don’t have an increased risk of developing severe complications."

As we previously reported, Russell Wilson and Ciara will be hosting an NBC special this weekend aimed at educating people about COVID vaccinations and debunking unsubstantiated claims.

Here's WWE superstar The Miz breaking character to heap some well-deserved praise on Bad Bunny -- admitting the music superstar's performance at WrestleMania was legitimately incredible.

Miz and Bad Bunny have been beefing for months as part of the storyline leading up to WM37 this past weekend -- and when they stepped in the ring to throw down, Bunny was spectacular.

He pulled off everything from a vertical suplex to a Canadian Destroyer (look it up!) ... and even frog splashed off the top rope! It was awesome!

Eventually, Bunny pinned Miz for the win -- but the former WWE champ says he ain't bitter -- it was a true honor just to share the ring with BB.

"Not only did he earn my respect, I think he earned the WWE Universe's respect. I think he earned backstage's respect. I think he earned everybody's respect in what some are calling 'The Best Celebrity Match at WrestleMania in History!'"

Miz says what he's most impressed by is Bunny's work ethic -- BB busted his ass for months at the WWE Performance Center to get ready for 'Mania ... and the hard work clearly paid off.

Sadly, Bunny's run with the WWE is probably over ... at least for now (he's got the whole music thing to get back to) -- but Miz isn't ruling out a future appearance.

"Ya never know when he'll come back! I think he had a great experience, I think everyone had a great experience with him."