TMZ Sports - Page 50

Conor McGregor is out ... Jon Jones is in!

UFC honcho Dana White just appeared on "Good Morning America" to announce the new main event for UFC 200 in July -- Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier!!

We kinda saw it coming ... so, it's not really a shocker -- but people are fired up about it.

These two guys HATE each other -- and cussed each other out the last time they were face-to-face.

This should be fun!!

Johnny Manziel wouldn't let a domestic violence charge keep him from partying with Justin Bieber Tuesday night ... with the QB catching a flight to Cleveland to see the singer in concert.

Check yourself the next time your Lyft driver tries to bait you into talking smack about Richard Sherman -- 'cause the guy might actually be Richard Sherman!

Ever get busted calling in sick to work -- when you really went to Vegas instead???

Herschel Walker's 16-year-old cheerleader son did something the ex-NFL star never did ... WON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP -- and Herschel says he couldn't be more proud!

Herschel was out in D.C. Tuesday when we asked about Christian Walker -- a member of the Spirit of Texas Royalty co-ed cheer squad ... which just took home the title at the 2016 World Championship of All Star Cheerleading at Disney World.

"I was so thrilled about it because there was a lot of good competition there," Herschel told us ... "but I'll tell you what, they got it done!"

BTW, Herschel also has a message for the haters who don't respect cheerleaders -- they're REAL-DEAL athletes!!

"It's a tough workout. I've been at some of the workouts ... I challenge anyone out there, 'cause I know about working out ... and I'll tell you what, they get a tough workout."

Congrats!

A former U.S. Olympic star was partially paralyzed in a training incident over the weekend ... and now his friend Lolo Jones is spearheading a fundraising campaign to help pay for his medical bills.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Jamie Nieto -- a high jumper who finished 4th at the 2004 Games and 6th in 2012 -- was injured during a backflip training exercise while working with Olympic hopefuls at Azusa Pacific University in California on April 23rd.

Nieto's manager, Paul Doyle, tells us the 39-year-old landed on his head -- and the injury was so bad, a helicopter was called to the scene to transport him to USC Medical Center.

"We were very close to losing him at one stage," Doyle says ... "but thankfully, the MRI came back with no broken neck and the spinal cord remained intact."

"He’s slowly getting better. He’s starting to get feeling in his hands and legs ... doctors are optimistic."

But Nieto has another huge problem -- Doyle says Nieto had financial issues before the incident and had cancelled his health insurance to save money. Bottom line ... he's in trouble.

Enter Lolo Jones ... who trained with Nieto for years and became close with the track star. Now she wants to help raise funds to cover some of the medical costs.

In fact, Jones launched a fundraising page and made a video saying Nieto "has always been a light for me even when I've had some of my toughest moments."

"I just beg of you to please help donate to him now so that we can help him get back on his feet and he can soar to great heights once again."

So far, Jones has raised about $9,000 and counting.

It was surf god meets Norse god in Australia ... when "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth hit the beach with Kelly Slater for a celeb surf session ... while Chris' famous bro Liam played the role of photog.

Chris and Kelly paddled out together Monday in Byron Bay -- where they caught waves, shot the breeze and escaped the clutches of the great white sharks that frequent the area.

The entire surf sesh was caught on video by Chris' lil bro Liam Hemsworth -- who's not exactly small potatoes ... he's starring in the upcoming 'Independence Day' sequel.

Can't afford to get mauled by a shark right before the promotional tour!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a "special thanks" from Beyonce at the end of her "Lemonade" special this weekend ... and TMZ Sports has learned it all has to do with a favor the team did for Jay Z.

We didn't notice any players in the special ... or stadium shots or any other obvious Bucs references -- so, we asked the team ... why did Bey shout-out TB?

A rep for the team told us, "We actually were not involved with Lemonade, it was actually just a thank you for allowing Jay-Z to come and work out at our facilities during their time here in Tampa as they were preparing for the start of her tour."

Turns out, Jay got his pump on at the Bucs facility earlier this month ... and the team was so happy to have him, QB Jameis Winston presented Jay with his own custom Bucs jersey.

"It's an honor to meet you," Winston told Jay at the time. He even offered to take Hov out to the field to throw the ball around ... though it's unclear if that ever happened.

Still, pretty cool to get a shout-out from Bey.

Michael Strahan's getting the hell outta dodge months earlier than anticipated -- instead of staying at 'Live' through the summer, he'll be gone in just over 2 weeks.

Sources connected to the show tell us Michael's last day will be Friday, May 13. We're told an internal memo went around to the show staff Tuesday morning ... just as Kelly Ripa finally returned to the show.

The memo reads: "After meeting with the producers of both 'Live' and "Good Morning America," and after speaking with Kelly and Michael, we have decided on a plan that best advantages both shows for the future."

"To that end, Michael's last day on 'Live' will be Friday, May 13, which not only gives the show the chance to have an appropriate send off for him during the May sweeps, but to also immediately give Kelly and the producers an opportunity to begin the on-air search for a new co-host."

When Strahan's move to 'GMA' was announced, Disney said he'd be at 'Live' through August -- but that was before Ripa staged her protest.

Lawrence Taylor has some real talk for Johnny Manziel -- "It's not the 1980s. It's not the early 1990s. You cannot do what you want to do in the NFL anymore."

TMZ Sports sat down with LT at a signing event at Miami Mike's sports bar in Jersey ... and with his well-known issues with substance abuse, we asked the NFL legend if he had any advice for the troubled Manziel. Taylor's initial reaction -- "He's gotta get the monkey off his back."

From there, Taylor went on to explain how social media is forcing NFL players to actually behave in public nowadays ... because there's a greater chance you'll get caught.

"With social media and all that stuff man, listen ... Man, back in our day, if you didn't hear it on Monday, motherf**ker you free!!! You free!!"

"You ain't gotta worry about it if you don't hear about it on Monday because listen, when I would do some sh*t ... I'm just trying to get through Monday!"

He added, "But nowadays it's 24-hour news. It's 24-hour sports. It's social media which kills ya."

Taylor says for that reason, he has ZERO social media presence -- no Twitter, no Instagram, no Snapchat.

Taylor concluded by looking directly in the camera -- waving off his friend and ex-teammate O.J. Anderson -- and giving Manziel one final piece of life advice:

We knew it was coming and now it's official -- Johnny Manziel has been indicted on 1 count of misdemeanor assault for allegedly attacking his ex-girlfriend back in January.

According to court docs, the grand jury believes there's enough evidence to prove Manziel struck his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, with his hand ... and then "forced [her] into a vehicle and against a vehicle dashboard."

As we previously reported, Crowley claimed the QB hit her several times during an argument in their car while leaving a Dallas bar. Crowley claimed Manziel ruptured her eardrum.

Officials kicked the case over to a grand jury to determine if charges should be brought against Manziel -- and moments ago, they officially handed down the charge.

If convicted, Manziel faces up to one year in jail.

Did you know ... table tennis is an Olympic sport -- and MMA is not?

Well, Kevin Costner ain't happy about it -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the powers that be should bring the fighting sport to the Olympic games, ASAP!!!!

Costner says MMA has already "established itself as one of the greatest sports out there" ... adding, "I think it's where the real tough guys exist."

BTW, Costner's not the first high-profile dude to call for MMA in the games ... Randy Couture's been banging this drum for years.

#NoDisrespectToPingPong

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's still working to get Nate Diaz to fight at UFC 200 in July -- and says Diaz can essentially fight anyone he wants ... with one giant Irish exception.

"Obviously, I would like to keep Nate [in 200]," White told us outside of Mastro's in Bev Hills Monday night ... "Nate stands to make a lot of money in 200, I'd like to keep him in 200, but that's up to him."

Dana says Nate's not even mad that the whole Conor McGregor super fight fell apart -- insisting Diaz is "actually pretty cool about it."

"This is a fight that Conor was really obsessed with and Conor wanted this fight and Nate was like ... whatever."

So, what's the plan? Dana says the ball is in Diaz's court.

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan proved they're not only good hosts ... they're really good actors.

Kelly and Michael locked hands as they walked out ... a little surreal given that they have bad feelings toward each other.

She took the spotlight and was not the least bit contrite about boycotting the show for 2 days ... something she readily acknowledged. To the contrary, she said she got what she was looking for ... an apology from Disney for what she believes is a lack of respect.

Check out the video ... even when she mentions Michael they never show him.

The good news ... Michael Strahan says he's confident the NY Giants should take Ezekiel Elliott in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

The bad news ... who the hell knows if he's still gonna be available when the Giants select with the 10th pick!!

Strahan was out in NYC Monday night -- preparing for the return of Kelly Ripa today -- when we hit him with a curveball ... a football question.

Even if the G-Men don't take the Ohio State running back, it's clear Strahan likes the guy personally saying, "He's a good kid."

Jumping ship from 'Live' was an easy call for Michael Strahan ... he wanted to work where his co-host wasn't tormenting him.

Sources connected with the production tell us, Michael had his fill of Kelly Ripa long before the 'GMA' opportunity surfaced. Sources say Kelly couldn't stand the fact that he stole some of her shine. Strahan became an instant star and got lots of attention, and we're told she hated it.

One source says it got to a point where she was "bullying" him, although on camera you couldn't tell. But another source says the notion Kelly was bullying Michael is "a joke."

The 'GMA' job gives Strahan more money, a group of co-hosts he likes and who like him, and the right to continue his sports stuff. He also wants to grow beyond interviewing celebrities.

As we reported, after Strahan broke the news to Kelly he texted her Tuesday, trying to create an atmosphere where they could co-exist for the duration of his time on 'Live.' We're told she did not respond until Saturday, and it was "short and superficial."