TMZ Sports - Page 4

Conor McGregor ain't exactly spewing venom -- he's complimenting the hell outta Cowboy Cerrone ... in what might be the NICEST press conference he's ever been in.

Not only did Conor arrive 15 minutes EARLY for the event (super unusual for McGregor) ... but when the opportunity presented itself to trash talk, he didn't launch the missiles he fired at guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Floyd Mayweather.

Instead, Conor praised Cowboy as a real accomplished fighter, a worthy opponent and an all-around good dude.

"Although there will be blood spilled on January 18th, it will not be bad blood," Conor said.

McGregor still predicted a knockout victory at the Palms Casino Resort ... but in the nicest way possible.

Conor was also asked if he was worried about getting banned from the United States due to his legal issues over the years, but the Irishman said he's all good and how grateful he is for the U.S.

McGregor also said he's cut out booze in preparations for the fight ... which means no beloved Proper 12.

Conor and Cowboy are set to throw down on Saturday night at UFC 246 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas (only available on ESPN+) ... that's when the compliments will end.

As for Cowboy, he returned the love!!!

"I'm looking forward to 4-5 rounds of battle with this man ... Conor's one of the last dying breeds of the last fighters, so it's good to be in there with him and really get in there and f**king give it all we got."

"So, yeah man, I'm going 5 rounds with this dude and I can't f**king wait 'til Saturday night."

The presser was a nice fest ... and even had a Chad Johnson appearance!!!

No, seriously ... the ex-NFL star put on his journalist hat with Bleacher Report and asked a question!!!

The guys even shared a moment over their style -- Conor complimented Cowboy's python suit and both fighters bonded over PETA coming after them.

Rocky Johnson, a WWE pioneer and father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has died according to the WWE.

Johnson, who was living in the Tampa Bay area, passed away Wednesday. Rocky "Soulman" Johnson -- started out in the National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s, but got widespread notoriety when he joined the WWE in the 80s. He and Tony Atlas became the league's first African-American tag team champions as The Soul Patrol.

Some of his biggest rivals were Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Don Muraco and Adrian Adonis. Rocky retired back in 1991 and he was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

Obviously, his son followed in his footsteps. It is widely known that Dwayne adopted his dad's name for his own wrestling moniker ... and certainly carried on the torch lit by his pop.

They remained close -- The Rock even gifted his father a brand new car and a house for Christmas. Last year he published his autobiography -- "Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story" -- and his son wrote the foreword.

Rocky was 75. RIP

Joe Burrow says Odell Beckham gave him REAL cash after LSU won the national championship ... and there's NOTHING the NCAA can do about it.

OBJ was passin' out cash like candy at the Superdome after the Tigers beat Clemson in the natty on Monday ... and the video got so much attention that LSU released a statement claiming the money was fake.

But, now ... A TWIST!!!

The star QB appeared on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast and told the guys Beckham WAS handing out real money that night.

"I'm not a student-athlete anymore, so I can say yeah," Burrow revealed.

The only thing that's unclear is if Odell handed the real money to Burrow on the field or at the bars afterward ... not that it would make that big of a difference.

There's more ... the Heisman winner says he's been partying his face off since the victory and has only slept for about 45 minutes!

But, the real party may come Saturday when the championship parade goes down in Baton Rouge ... and Burrow says he's planning to channel his inner Rob Gronkowski.

"I might have to save up so I can Gronk that parade."

Big Cat points out that college championship parades are usually a lot less boozy than the pros ... but Burrow says he's the exception, not the rule!

"I'm graduating and I'm 23 years old, so I can do whatever the hell I want."

Well said, champ.

Joe Burrow and Co. will be takin' their championship celebration to the nation's capital ... 'cause the LSU Tigers are scheduled to visit President Donald Trump at the White House!!

The Tigers handled Clemson in a 42-25 win in the natty on Monday ... which POTUS attended and received a massive ovation prior to kickoff.

Now, Ed Orgeron's team will be returning the favor by hitting up 1600 Penn on Friday to be recognized by the prez.

It's been one helluva season for the Tigers -- they went 15-0 and some are considering it one of the most dominant seasons in college football history.

Burrow -- who won the Heisman Trophy -- has previously talked about Trump hitting up their games earlier this season (for the big matchup against Alabama) ... saying it's "pretty cool" regardless of political views.

Of course, college champs -- unlike some pro teams -- have jumped on the opportunity to visit the White House in recent years ... including last year's Clemson team, who got hooked up with junk food due to the government shutdown.

No word on if Trump will improve the menu this time around ... but Burrow passionately hates Skyline Chili, so maybe don't serve that.

Drew Brees got choked up talking about his former teammate Steve Gleason at his Congressional Gold Medal ceremony Wednesday ... and the moment was insanely emotional.

Gleason was being honored in D.C. for all of the incredible work he's done to fight ALS since his diagnosis back in 2011 ... and when Brees -- Gleason's teammate in New Orleans in 2006 -- stepped up to the mic, he delivered a powerful speech about his good friend.

Brees explained how back in 2011 before a Saints Wild Card game ... he learned of Gleason's tragic diagnosis through an e-mail -- and broke down on the team bus.

But, Drew says Steve was nothing but positive despite the tragic news ... saying he told the Saints QB he was going to live until he was 109 years old!!

"I'm betting on you [to do it], Steve," Drew said with a laugh.

You can tell ... Gleason means A TON to Brees -- 'cause Wednesday was not only Drew's 41st birthday, but his son's 11th as well. But, Brees said, "There is no place we'd rather be than right here, right now."

Gleason's whole ceremony inside of National Statuary Hall was awesome ... everyone from Nancy Pelosi to Chuck Schumer raved about the ex-Saints DB for all of his work fighting ALS.

FYI, Steve's been a pioneer when it comes to helping people live with the disease ... aiding in the creation of speech-generating devices and spearheading the largest coordinated and collaborative ALS research project in the world.

As for his award Wednesday, it's prestigious as hell ... only a handful of Americans have EVER earned the honor -- with Gleason being the first NFL player to do it.

Steve vowed in his speech while accepting the award to continue to fight the disease ... and he pleaded for others to help move humanity into a better place moving forward as well.

Congressman Tim Ryan is firing back at haters who say Barack and Michelle Obama got lucky with their first Oscar nomination ... he says Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady went through the same process before folks finally woke up to their greatness.

We got the Ohio Rep. on Capitol Hill Wednesday and our guy asked if the Obama's were more lucky than good in getting their first film nominated for an Oscar.

The Obama's production company is behind "American Factory," a Netflix documentary that takes a deep dive into post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant and hires 2,000 blue-collar Americans.

O.J. Simpson's reputation as a violent convicted criminal is already SO HORRIBLE, it's basically impossible to inflict even more damage to it ... so says the Vegas hotel locking horns with Juice in a defamation case.

As we previously reported, Simpson's suing the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas over a Nov. 8, 2017 incident in which he was kicked off the property following an alleged drunken incident at a hotel bar.

In the wake of the incident, hotel staff told TMZ ... Simpson was wasted and became disruptive, getting angry with employees ... and glasses broke at the bar.

Alex Cora is OUT as the Boston Red Sox manager ... after both sides "mutually agreed to part ways" in light of the MLB's cheating probe.

The league's investigation findings determined Cora was the mastermind behind the Houston Astros' sign-stealing system when he was the bench coach in 2017.

Cora was with the 'Stros when they won the World Series in 2017 ... and the manager of the Red Sox when they won the Fall Classic in 2018.

The 44-year-old manager had yet to receive his punishment from the league for the scandal ... but given the fact Astros manager, A.J. Hinch, was suspended 1 year just for knowing about it, it was assumed Cora would get much worse.

The Sox didn't wait to find out Cora's fate ... releasing a statement Tuesday explaining their decision to move on.

"Today we met to discuss the Commissioner's report related to the Houston Astros investigation," the statement reads.

"Given the findings and the Commissioner's ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways."

Here's something that'll make you feel REALLY unathletic ... Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman suited up in goal for the Capitals on Wednesday -- and saved an Alex Ovechkin slap shot!!!

Unclear why the Washington infielder decided to trade in the mitt for a set of goalie pads this week ... but he sure as hell impressed everyone watching at Caps practice.

Zimmerman got between the pipes and stopped one-timers from Ovi ... and later got in some shootout drills, where he didn't suck either!

But, the most impressive part? That came when Alex decided to fire a missile at Zimmerman from the point -- and he saved it with a flashy piece of leather!!!!

Zimm was pretty humble after the workout ... hilariously calling it all, "terrifying."

"What a great experience," he said. "Terrifying, but fun. Glad I did it, but I'll never do it again."

WARNING: This will make ya a little teary-eyed ...

Dallas Cowboys legend Drew Pearson learned Wednesday he was snubbed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame yet again ... and his reaction to the news will break your heart into pieces.

Drew -- Roger Staubach's favorite target in the 1970s -- had as good a chance as ever of being elected into the Hall this year given its expanded class of 20 TOTAL inductees.

But, when the names were called over a two-hour period and Pearson -- who held a party for the announcements -- didn't make the list ... it was devastating.

Drew rubbed his forehead and fought back tears ... and it was super emotional.

Later, after the news had really sunk in ... a frustrated Drew told his family and friends, "They broke my heart. They broke my heart and they did it like this! They strung it out like this!"

Pearson had every right to be upset ... he's one of the best receivers EVER -- earning three All-Pro awards and winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1978.

He's most famous for catching what is widely known as the NFL's first-ever successful "Hail Mary" in a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.

The names that were called during Wednesday's announcements included Jim Covert, Winston Hill, Harold Carmichael, Duke Slater, Ed Sprinkle, Steve Sabol, Alex Karras, Bobby Dillon, Donnie Shell, George Young, Cliff Harris, Mac Speedie and Paul Tagliabue.

How does Deontay Wilder feel about Tyson Fury's claim that he's masturbating 7 times a day to prep for their big rematch?! He thinks it's HILARIOUS!

"I mean, enjoy yourself," Wilder said to his heavyweight rival ... "Just use the proper lotion!"

Of course, Fury says he's giving himself TONS of self-love before their Feb 22 fight to get his testosterone levels up ... claiming he'll take any edge he can get!

Wilder thinks Fury is joking -- because 7 times a day is a tall order for anyone!

"Whatever he says is for entertainment or whatever," Wilder says ... "He wanna j*** off? Enjoy himself! Just use the proper lotion. I mean some like thick lotion."

On a serious note, Fury is predicting a 2nd round knockout of Wilder when they clash at the MGM Garden Arena in Vegas ... but Deontay says that ain't happening.

In fact, Wilder says if Fury knocks him out in the 2nd, he'll RETIRE!

Someone's leaving in an ambulance, and Mark Wahlberg is positive it'll be Dr. Oz ... IF the good doc follows through with his push-up challenge ... to settle the great breakfast debate once and for all.

It all started out kinda funny, but Mark's no longer laughing, saying to Oz, "We got beef now. You don't want this smoke" -- making it clear he's down for whatever physical competition Oz wants.

You'll recall ... Oz threw down the gauntlet earlier this week when he told us he'd crush Marky Mark in a one-legged push-up contest ... all because Mark disagreed with Oz's controversial break-xit remark -- that we should do away with breakfast altogether!!

Careful what you ask for, Oz, 'cause Mark's dead serious -- "You could do your little 20 push-ups with one leg, your assisted pull-up. I'm telling you you'll need a defibrillator when I'm done with you!"

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

Some of the greatest tennis players EVER -- from Serena Williams to Roger Federer -- hit the court Wednesday ... and it was all to help raise nearly $5 MILLION for Australia fire relief!

With the Australian Open set to kick off next week ... legends like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic joined Serena and Federer at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to get some pickup games in for charity.

The event was great ... the superstars hammed it up for the crowd, got in a little tennis action and, most importantly, raised roughly $4.8 mil to help victims of the raging wildfires.

As we previously reported, more than 2,500 homes have been destroyed since the blazes began ... with the fire killing at least 28 people.

The tennis world has been super active when it comes to helping relief efforts ... with stars like Nick Kyrgios famously pledging $200 per ace to the cause this season.

As for the Australian Open event, it's still going down as scheduled for now ... although players have already expressed concern over the poor air quality.

"I think there has to be some kind of line in the sand, you know, some kind of rule where you measure the air," Genie Bouchard told Gizmodo this week ... "And if it’s over a certain number, or however they measure it, then you just don’t play."

The Open matches are set to begin in Australia on Monday.

Chase Young -- one of the top prospects in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft -- got a taste of the Hollywood life Tuesday ... hanging with some serious power players at the Clippers game.

The former Ohio State defensive end -- likely the #2 overall pick -- was sitting courtside Tuesday at Staples Center, right next to Klutch Sports founder Rich Paul, the guy who reps LeBron James.

20-year-old Young also posed for a picture with UTA talent agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer ... while sitting in spitting distance from Disney head Bob Iger and Hollywood legend Billy Crystal.

In other words ... welcome to the A-List, Chase!

As for the game, the Clippers beat the hell out of the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers ... the Cavs' second blowout loss this week!

On Monday night, the Cavs got smacked by the Lakers at Staples Center while Kim Kardashian heckled Tristan Thompson from her courtside seats.

Kim later said it was all in good fun and she didn't mean any harm.

Antonio Gates says he's ALL about the possibility of Tom Brady coming to the Chargers -- telling TMZ Sports, "If he does, I'll be one of his biggest supporters."

"I heard that he might come out here and bless us with his presence," Gates told us on the way out of Bootsy Bellows nightclub in West Hollywood.

"... and if he does that, that would be a great sight to see in L.A."

Interesting comments from Gates who spent his entire career with the Bolts catching passes from Philip Rivers, who's about to become a free agent when the 2019 NFL season officially ends.

Don't get it twisted, Gates didn't say anything negative about Rivers -- but it's clear that Antonio wants his former team to jump on the chance to sign Brady if the opportunity presents itself.

"If [Brady] comes here, I'm gonna be a big fan."

Of course, Gates made headlines of his own this week when he announced his retirement from pro football after 16 seasons in the NFL.

Gates was an 8-time Pro-Bowl tight end, 5-time All Pro and owns the record for most career TDs for a tight end with 116.

What's more impressive ... Gates was an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, where he was a college basketball player. He didn't play a single snap of college football.

We're getting closer to an Antonio Brown vs. Logan Paul boxing match!!!

Check out this footage of the unemployed NFL star hitting the mitts in a boxing gym in footage AB posted on Tuesday.

The interesting part is the video was re-posted by DAZN, the live sports streaming service that carried the Logan Paul vs. KSI fight in November.

Paul already told us his camp had begun official talks with Antonio Brown to get a fight on the books -- and now it seems like DAZN could be seriously interested in getting a deal done.

As for his training, Brown's physique looks incredible but it's clear he needs real work in the ring to compete with Paul, who's already got 2 fights under his belt ... and looked pretty good in the KSI rematch.

Paul says he's dead serious about fighting AB and thinks it would be a great opportunity for the 31-year-old wideout to refocus his life while he's persona non grata in the NFL.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul told us last week. "I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."