TMZ Sports - Page 50

Matt Hardy doesn't sound too confident about CM Punk's UFC debut ...

Hardy spent years in the squared circle with Punk -- and got to know the guy pretty well before Punk left pro wrestling to become an MMA fighter.

Now, with Punk set to make his debut at UFC 203 later this year, we asked Hardy for his take ... and it's less than optimistic.

By the way, Hardy has some fightin' of his own to do when he squares off with his brother, Jeff, Tuesday night at TNA's "Hardy vs. Hardy: The Final Deletion."

Nick Young came thiiiis close to losing his hand in a stupid fireworks accident ... when the NBA star picked up a tube holding a lit artillery shell ... and it exploded while he was holding it.

It all went down at Nick's massive 4th of July party at his L.A. home -- when Nick saw the lit fuse ... and thought it would be fun if he set it off while holding it over his head.

Lucky for Nick, he escaped from the situation unscathed ... but it was a verrrrry close call.

The whole situation is eerily similar to the story Jason Pierre-Paul told in his PSA where he describes the moment he blew up his hand in a July 4th fireworks accident.

Careful Nick, now that Iggy's out of the picture ... you're probably gonna need that hand.

"If you have a belt, you should have to defend it" ... so says Frankie Edgar who says it's "whack" that Conor McGregor is fighting outside his weight class before defending the featherweight title.

Edgar is currently UFC's top ranked featherweight contender and BADLY wants to beat the title out of the hands of the Irish superstar.

Problem is, Conor's taking his SECOND fight in another weight class (to rematch with Nate Diaz) ... and it's clearly bothering Edgar.

Russell Wilson is in real danger of being murdered by Future ... so claims Russell's fiancee, Ciara.

Ciara just filed legal docs in her defamation lawsuit against baby daddy Future, in which she lays out various threats Future has made. In particular, she notes the football emojis with guns pointing in their direction ... which Future posted a while back.

She also makes mention of the song he dropped last month, in which he says, "Tryna f*** my baby mama, dog what's up with you? You gon' make me get that heat, I'm pulling up on you."

The singer calls Future's conduct, "frightening" and "socially irresponsible ... where there has been a recent rash of gun violence."

Ciara believes the threat is real, but she doesn't explain what this has to do with her defamation case.

Johnny Manziel has a pretty solid witness in his hit-and-run accident -- a U.S. Army soldier who says the QB didn't do anything wrong when he was T-boned in Dallas last month.

Teyana Taylor and her NBA champ husband, Iman Shumpert, celebrated the 4th of July holiday like people with perfect bodies should ... damn near naked.

The couple went down to Puerto Rico (an American territory, so still patriotic) and showed some major skin for all the locals ... and all the folks with Internet access as well.

LOOK AT TEYANA ... and remember SHE GAVE BIRTH 7 MONTHS AGO.

Iman was shirtless as well ... but to our knowledge he has had no children.

Fireworks at Nick Young's house Monday night ... with the NBA star throwing a MASSIVE party at the home he shared with Iggy Azalea in what appears to be a public declaration of his independence.

Kyrie Irving says Kevin Durant to the Warriors is a GREAT MOVE ... at least for Golden State.

Could David Lee return to the Golden State Warriors and join Kevin Durant on one of most dominant teams ever assembled (on paper)? Seems like a real possibility ... based on what Lee said Monday night.

Lee was leaving the big 4th of July party at Nobu in Malibu when we asked about rumors that he might take a pay cut to reunite with Steph Curry and company.

"We're still trying to figure it out," the 33-year-old former All-Star told us.

"Everything goes from what K.D. did and that kind of sets the table for the rest of the league."

Of course, Lee won a championship with the Warriors back in 2015 ... and was a fan favorite for most of his time in the Bay.

Lee didn't make any promises -- but he didn't slam the door on a reunion either.

Jon Jones claims there's one small issue stopping him from joining Floyd Mayweather's Money Team ... Floyd won't call him back ... saying the two men haven't spoken since Floyd made the offer.

Floyd told us the UFC superstar was a perfect candidate for Money Team membership when we got him at his daughter's crazy b-day party ... so when we got Jon out we had to ask about the status of his crewship.

Check out the clip -- seems like there's a little miscommunication going on, 'cause Jon says he'd love to join up with Floyd ... but hasn't had contact with him since he was invited to join.

Weird, you'd think he'd want to brand JJ with TMT gear before he gets in the Octagon at UFC 200 on July 9th.

Joey Chestnut just got sweet revenge ... winning back his title in grand fashion at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Chestnut -- who told us he'd been training like a mad man -- scarfed down 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes ... breaking the record.

Kendall Jenner and Jordan Clarkson were tied at the hip Sunday ... first hanging at Kendall's new Hollywood Hills pad and then making a run for the Bev Hills Hotel.

They've been spotted together before, but it's increasingly looking like Jordan, who just signed a mega-deal with the Lakers, will be spending a lot of time in the hills.

As for why the went to the Bev Hills Hotel ... we're guessing they grabbed some grub at the Polo Lounge.

TMZ broke the story ... Kendall just bought a $6.5 million pad above the heart of the Sunset Strip.

Steve Harvey, Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson and their wives are spending an awesome 4th where people don't even celebrate the holiday.

The trio luxuriated on a giant yacht with a Cavs flag in Portofino, Italy.

A seat at that dinner table would be awesome!!!

Remember when Manny Pacquiao rushed in and pulled the trigger to buy Diddy's old mansion in Beverly Hills last year??

If 6'6'' 265-pound Rob Gronkowski shows up to your house, you better have plenty of extra taco meat.

Luckily for Jeff Ballard -- former rep for Charlie Sheen, Zac Efron and Johnny Depp -- he was well-stocked when he got a text from a buddy asking if he could bring a "random" +1 to taco night.

Gronk was in town and decided to swing by the Sherman Oaks backyard party with a mutual friend of Ballard's. Rob crushed 15 carne asada and chicken tacos with the works. We're told normal humans only threw down 2 or 3.

Gronk stayed for almost two hours, throwing a football around with the guests and chilling poolside. Most shockingly, we're told Rob rejected Coronas and opted for water.

#TrainingCampIsComing

MMA legend Bas Rutten's hands could kill you ... but that's not enough for him ... he had to go all Terminator at an L.A. gun range recently ... and TMZ Sports has video of him popping off some shots.