TMZ Sports - Page 50

Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady ... looking for a 6'5" receiver who runs a 4.2 40-yard dash?? Good news -- Usain Bolt says give him a call ... 'cause he's down to play!!!

We got the most decorated Olympic sprinter ever out in NYC this week ... and now that he's retired, we had to ask -- would he be up for an NFL career??

The 33-year-old said yes ... but on one condition -- it's gotta be either with New England or Green Bay!!

"If the Patriots or Aaron Rodgers call me," Bolt says ... "If they call me, I'm ready!"

Think it's crazy?? It ain't ... the former fastest man in the world actually once got offers from NFL teams to tryout for a roster spot back in 2016, but he famously declined.

But, now that the whole track thing isn't in the picture ... seems he's up to give it a shot!!

Conor McGregor has set the date for his UFC comeback ... and there's one guy who wants to welcome him back with an ol' fashioned Irish vs. Irish beatdown -- Paul Felder!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Irish Dragon about The Notorious' return ... and he says it's good news -- most likely because he wants to beat the dude's face in -- but also because he's "holding up the whole division right now."

There have been names like Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier and Frankie Edgar being thrown around right now ... but Felder says he should be in that conversation too.

"I feel like a lot of guys out there aren’t mentioning my name right now, and if they are they’re ranked way below me," Felder tells TMZ Sports.

"I’ve always done nothing but bring violence and bring excitement to the cage. He’s a striker, I’m a striker, you know what’s gonna happen if a guy like me and him fought."

We asked Felder (the 6th ranked UFC lightweight) what his message to Conor would be ... and the dude made it clear he wants to find out who the best Irish fighter is!!

"If you want to fight someone that’s got that Irish blood in them too, who’s an American, why don’t you fight an Irish-American. Let’s get that Irish-American vs the real Irishman and see who’s tougher."

There's more ... "You can talk about me, you can call me a plastic patty cause I’m the Irish Dragon, you can do all that kind of crap. It’s not really gonna bother me."

"I’m a kid from South Philly who grew up in a neighborhood just as tough as wherever the hell you grew up in Dublin and I’m just gonna show the fans what a real martial artist looks like."

Ever wonder how someone who wins a $1,000,000 prize gets paid?!

Allow us to introduce you to PFL 11 winner Lance Palmer ... who took home $1 million big ones when he beat up Steven Siler on New Years Eve 2018.

TMZ Sports talked to Palmer and he walked us through exactly how he got his million bucks.

"The night of the fight you get this one, you get the big check the night of the fight, but actually it comes in as a wire like 2 weeks later," Palmer says.

"They make sure your drug test comes back clean and then after that, you get the wire. That's the craziest feeling ever cause I've never had that kinda money, anything close to that kinda money come in my account. It's wild."

Lance continued ... "I never thought I'd see 7 figures in my account at 1 time."

So, what'd he do with the dough?

Lance says he bought a Dodge Hellcat Redeye ... a ridiculously fast 800-horsepower sports car.

And, get this, Palmer might have another fat wire transfer on the way ... 'cause he made this year's PFL tourney final and will AGAIN fight for a million dollars.

That goes down December 31.

Bellator star Roy Nelson says Greg Hardy can beat up Alex Volkov -- the 6'7" Russian badass -- on only 18 days notice ... as long as he can hit his inhaler between rounds!! 😂💀

Last week, TMZ Sports asked Nelson -- who fought Frank Mir this weekend at Bellator 231 -- if Hardy has a snowballs chance in hell of beating the 7th ranked heavyweight when they fight November 9 ... and the big man threw major shade at the Pro Bowler turned fighter.

"Sure he does," Nelson told us ... "I mean as long as he gets his inhalers, he can puff those between rounds. He should be good."

Remember, Greg fought October 18 -- and won on the scorecards -- before the W was stripped and the fight ruled a no contest 'cause Hardy was seen using an inhaler between rounds (a big no-no).

After the fight, The Prince of War told us he takes full responsibility for the inhaler screw up ... and was super pumped to finally get in the Octagon with a "real monster."

It's a huge challenge for Greg -- who's never fought anyone like Volkov -- so we asked Big Country if he had any advice for Hardy.

Cue more shade.

The World Series is popping off as the Washington Nationals face off with the Houston Astros in this year's Fall Classic, but before this MLB season comes to an end, it's time to look back at all the champagne celebrations from the winning teams through the years.

From the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series, to the unforgettable party when Josh Reddick stripped down to an American flag Speedo after the Astros' win against the Dodgers in 2017 ... these striking photos are a home run.

Myles Garrett was one cool hombre after getting sucker punched in the face by a fan in the street -- which you can clearly see here in the body cam footage and 911 call on the day of.

TMZ Sports obtained the footage from the scene after the Browns defensive end had been socked by a dude in the streets of Cleveland, and it's clear he wasn't rattled or even all that injured. Myles just wanted it taken care of, so he filed the necessary report.

In the body cam footage from the responding officers, you see Myles explain what exactly happened. From his words, it sounds like a dude -- whom cops later ID'd as a suspect named Richard Perez based on license plate info -- tricked Myles into a street side photo-op.

Myles tells the officers that he was in the middle lane on the phone with someone, when he noticed somebody in another vehicle next to him waving their phone at him in what he took as wanting to take a pic with him.

He eventually obliged once he was done with his own phone convo. Myles says he cracked his window just enough so the man could get a clear shot, but as soon as he did the man snapped away

We also got a hold of the 911 call Myles placed right afterward, and again ... the guy sounds stoic and matter-of-factly. A testament to his toughness for sure ... we doubt most folks in that sitch would be nearly as collected as Myles is here in both scenarios.

Randy Couture is so damn tough ... HE WALKED HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL AFTER SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK!!!

Just 2 days after the 56-year-old UFC Hall of Famer suffered a heart attack and underwent an emergency procedure ... Couture walked out of Cedars Sinai under his own power.

Couture, clutching an adorable oversized stuffed animal, was surrounded by his family and friends as he walked home Friday ... and told TMZ Sports all about the experience.

"Feeling good, way better obviously," Couture said ... admitting the health scare was a reality check about mortality.

"At some level, you think you're invincible and then you find out you're not."

The good news, Couture says doctors have identified the problem and he'll be following up with specialists to make sure this never happens again!!!

Couture says he's already itching to get back in the gym and resume training with his MMA pals ... but knows he should take it slow. Good luck stopping this man.

Oh, and he's already planning to get back to work in Hollywood -- telling TMZ Sports he's got a shoot for a new movie with Michael Jai White on Tuesday and he ain't missing it!!!

There's more ... Couture says he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from close friends and old rivals ... including Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, who both reached out.

Good news, bad news for "Game of Thrones" fans!!!

The Good News ... author George R.R. Martin is finally giving a timetable on when he plans to finish the final two books from his "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga!!!

The Bad News ... George says they'll come out BEFORE the NY Jets or Giants win another Super Bowl -- so it could be a while!!!

Of course, Martin is a HUGE NY football fan -- he blogs about both teams -- but he's REALLY down on the Jets and Giants at the moment because, well, they suck!!!

But, don't get too upset NY fans ... Martin tells us he's actually warming up to the Giants' infamous Daniel Jones pick!!! So, that's a start!!!

How's this for AWKWARD -- undefeated boxing phenom Shakur Stevenson is fighting his GF's brother on Saturday night ... and he's vowing to bust that dude up!!!

Don't get it twisted, Shakur's opponent is no bum -- he's undefeated 23-0 Joet Gonzalez -- and they're fighting for the WBO featherweight championship!!!

So, how does 22-year-old Shakur feel about trying to knock out his girlfriend's sibling? NOT BOTHERED AT ALL!!!

"He's bothered by the situation," Shakur says. "He's the one who hates me. I don't really hate him."

We asked Shakur if he was going to take it easier on Joet because of the family connection -- and man, he straight up laughed in our faces.

"Hell no! F**k no! I'm not taking it easy at all!!!"

In fact, Shakur says ... "Saturday night I've got something that's gonna make him more mad!"

By the way, Shakur has been dominant in the ring ... and has HIGH HOPES for his pro career -- even calling out Vasyl Lomachenko, widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on Earth.

"Lomachenko. Lomachenko. Lomachenko is my dream fight."

Shakur says the guys have been in the ring together a lot ... 'cause he sparred with Vasyl back in 2017.

The dream could become reality very soon ... as in like the next 2 years, according to Shakur.

"I actually respect Lomachenko, he's one of the people that I think are one of the best in boxing. He's one of the people that I want to take their spot."

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields is getting more and more serious about switching over to MMA -- telling TMZ Sports she's down to fight in 2020 ... and she's getting help from one of the BEST in the game.

Shields is 9-0 as a pro boxer and holds a BUNCH of world titles -- but she admits she's getting a little bored with the lackluster competition in women's boxing ... and wants a challenge.

Shields recently began training in MMA with accomplished wrestler Adeline Gray -- and she's doing really well.

In fact, MMA rising superstar Kayla Harrison was so impressed ... she's offered to step in and help Claressa too.

"I see some true potential there," Harrison says ... "If she wants to continue to work on her [double leg takedown], she's got my number. I'll show her some judo throws. We can make it happen!"

Harrison told Shields there's one catch ...

"As long as you help me straighten out my striking! So far in my MMA career, I've thrown about zero punches on my feet."

Kayla thinks Shields could take a pro-MMA fight in 6 months -- and when we asked Shields if that sounded realistic, she was all about it.

"Yeah! It sounds great! MMA is interesting because I just love fighting, I really do. I love to punch people!"

Ultimately, seems Claressa's goal is to fight UFC superstar Amanda Nunes -- which would be AWESOME!!!

One-handed MMA stud Nick Newell says he's trying like hell to prove he's more than just an awesome story ... telling TMZ Sports he's gunning for star status at Bellator 232 Saturday!!!

Newell -- who was born without a left hand -- has had an unreal career despite his disability ... going 16-2 in pro fights with already one Bellator win under his belt.

But, Nick says he wants much more than that ... and tells us he's going to prove he's among the fighting elite against Manny Muro this weekend.

"I really feel like I’m peaking," Newell says.

"I'm ready to make my way amongst the elite ... so it all starts with me winning this fight and I'm happy to show people things I’ve been saying for years."

Newell last fought back in August against Corey Browning -- winning the tilt by submission ... and he tells us he's actually feeling better heading into THIS fight than that one.

"I'm super relaxed," Newell says. "I'm super comfortable. There's nothing that can happen out there that I haven’t seen already."

No matter what happens in the World Series ... do NOT feel bad for any of the guys on the diamond -- 'cause the Nats and 'Stros are all going home winners, and this gallery proves it!!!

Of course, you already knew that about Justin Verlander ... who, when he leaves the ballpark, gets to go home with Kate Upton.

But, check out the rest of the Nationals' and Astros' wives and girlfriends -- they're stunning!!!

Alex Bregman's girlfriend, Reagan Howard, KILLS it in a bikini ... while Nationals catcher Tres Barrera's wife, Lindsey, definitely knows how to work it in a swimsuit as well!!!

The kids who mercilessly attacked a 12-year-old autistic boy in videos that went viral are facing "swift and prompt" discipline from their Oklahoma school, so says MMA star Justin Wren.

Wren befriended Rayden Overbay when he saw the disturbing footage of students repeatedly mocking and beating the kid because of his disabilities ... and he's leading the charge to make things right.

Wren appeared on "TMZ Live" on Friday and said the school has made it clear to Rayden's family that they will NOT tolerate violent bullying.

"Thankfully, Rayden's dad says the school has taken swift and prompt action," Wren said.

"I can't speak about whats happened with the kids because they're minors, but they are taking action and they are being held accountable."

Wren says despite what we've all seen in the videos, the school has rallied around Rayden -- same with a local church youth group, which has embraced the 12-year-old.

As we previously reported, Rayden -- who's autistic, diabetic and deaf in his right ear -- was so distraught from the repeated beatings, he was writing suicidal messages on his arm.

Wren says the most important thing to him now is to continue to introduce Rayden to people who will love and support him ... and stand up to anyone who tries to bully him.

Wren has also facilitated meetings with some of Rayden's sports heroes -- from WWE star Mick Foley to the L.A. Chargers.

In the 3 weeks Wren has spent with Rayden, he's changed his life -- getting Rayden medical help for concussions he suffered from the attacks ... and introducing him to fun new foods like cotton candy grapes!!!

Even Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield reached out to offer his love and support.

Conor McGregor doesn't REALLY want to fight Justin Gaethje ... it's all smoke and mirrors ... so says Tyron Woodley who thinks JG would bust him up!

Of course, Conor just announced he's fighting on Jan. 18 -- but wouldn't reveal the name of his opponent. Most people think the front-runners are Justin Gaethje or Cowboy Cerrone.

But, Tyron says his money's on Cowboy ... simply because he thinks Justin poses a much bigger threat that Conor doesn't really want!!!

"If I was him, Gaethje ain't the fight he want. Gaethje punch too hard. His chin is too crazy. He's gonna come forward with all that pressure. I don't think that's the fight."

Tyron says Cowboy is a "safe fight" for McGregor ... and thus, the more likely match-up.

"I think the Gaethje sh*t is just him just talking smoke and mirrors. I don't think he really want that noise. He don't wanna fight guys like me."

There's A LOT more -- Tyron sends a message to his pal Randy Couture, explains why Israel Adesanya is the next UFC superstar and daps up Tony Hawk!

Finn Balor is breaking his silence on his shocking heel turn -- telling TMZ Sports he kicked Johnny Gargano in the head Wednesday because the guy had it coming!

Balor pulled a total sneak attack his fellow good guy on "NXT" sending WWE fans into a frenzy. Seriously, NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!

So, when Finn touched down at LAX on Friday, we asked if the incident officially makes him a bad guy.

"Am I a bad guy or do I just do bad things sometimes," Balor told us ... "I don't know. You tell me."

"Lines are blurred in this day and age. We don't know what's going on."

Now, everyone wants to know ... who does Balor want to take on next? Finn says he's got someone in mind but won't be revealing a name until Friday night on "WWE Backstage" on FS1.

Conor McGregor was attacked by a pissed off Dagestani man in Russia on Friday who threw a water bottle at the UFC star as retaliation for trashing Dagestan.

You gotta see the video ... it's intense.

The man went to a media event in Moscow on Friday specifically to get answers from Conor about why he's been trashing Dagestan lately.

Remember, just Thursday ... Conor said he "wouldn't go to Dagestan to take a s**t" in a tirade bashing his UFC rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hails from Dagestan.

Clearly, people in Dagestan -- a part of Russia -- heard the insult and the man who crashed the media event Friday decided to take matters into his own hands.

He pressed Conor about the statement and demanded answers about why he "hates" Dagestan so much.

Conor tried to justify his hatred saying people in Dagestan have been mean to him (boo-hoo) -- but the answer wasn't satisfactory to the Dagestani, so he fired off a water bottle.

The man shouted at Conor, "All the people? My father, my brother ... you think are all cowards?"

Conor replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

The man shot back, "My father?! What did he do to you?! My brother, what did he do to you?!"

Conor managed to duck out of the way and shouted back, "Shut up, you fool." The man was escorted out by security.

McGregor didn't seem fazed -- he just stood there.