TMZ Sports - Page 50

Freak play in the NHL on Monday ... a puck made its way through a tiny window in the glass and hit a photog so hard in the jaw -- the dude needed a bandage to stop the bleeding.

The unlucky shot went down in the 1st period of the Capitals vs. Sabres game in Buffalo, NY ... when defenseman John Carlson tried to clear a puck by sending it up the boards.

The problem ... the puck somehow made its way into the small cutout of glass where photographers place their camera lenses through -- and it caught a man right in the face.

You can see in footage of the fluke play ... the puck went right through the window at a high speed and left the guy's chin a bloody mess.

Fortunately for the photog, KeyBank Center officials were able to get him a towel and a bandage and he stayed in the game to keep shooting the action.

The Washington Capitals certainly appreciated the resilience ... they said of the whole incident, "Photographer is a certified #HockeyGuy - gonna shoot thru the pain. #Respect"

Great news for Stipe Miocic ... the UFC heavyweight champ says his injured eye is healing up really well ... and he expects to fight Daniel Cormier in just a few months!

"Eye is really good actually," Stipe told us in NYC while promoting his Fire Dept. Coffee brand ... "Getting healed up. Getting better every day. Getting back in the gym slowly."

Remember, 37-year-old Miocic suffered a torn retina in his August 2019 victory over Cormier -- and while both Stipe and DC are down to run it back, everyone's waiting on the eye to heal up first.

Stipe says he's still battling some issues with the eye -- he sometimes sees "spots" -- but overall, Miocic says the injury has "not really messed with my vision, so I'm happy about that."

As for the 3rd fight between the two heavyweight stars, Stipe says it's "looking like summer" ... since the UFC is already booked up with a bunch of sick PPV fights in April and May.

Stipe definitely ain't lacking confidence -- telling us when the guys do face-off, it'll "suck" for Cormier because "he's gonna lose again!"

Cormier beat Stipe the first time they fought back in 2018 -- but Miocic got his belt back when they clashed in the rematch at UFC 241.

DC says the rubber match with Stipe will be the last fight of his UFC career -- win or lose.

As for Stipe, seems he'll keep fighting as long as he's healthy. And, then it's likely to the UFC Hall of Fame for both guys.

Sean O'Malley beat the hell outta Jose Quinonez this weekend ... dropping him with a devastating head-kick that Suga compares to being SMASHED in the dome with a solid wood bat.

TMZ Sports talked to O'Malley -- fresh off a 1st round TKO at UFC 248 -- and the 25-year-old star walked us through the combination that left Quinonez in the fetal position on the Octagon floor.

"That head-kick ... that was a powerful and heavy head-kick! It's pretty much like if I had a baseball bat. I swung as hard as I could at him. Kind of lifted him off, threw him to the back of the cage."

The finish was super impressive ... not only did Sean land the heavy head-kick, he also crushed Jose with an uppercut ... before raining down a flurry of hammer fists -- before the fight was stopped.

It was O'Malley's first fight in over 2 years ... so while the MMA world mighta been shocked at how quick he took Quinonez out, Suga wasn't.

"I knew going into any of my fights, the 1st round finish is always an option. Especially that first five minutes. I mean, I feel superhuman in there. I'm so fast, I'm so accurate. I put on some size, ya know, so I'm just more powerful," Sean says.

"So, I knew a first-round finish, I knew that could happen and honestly I kinda saw it going like that."

That's not all, as we previously reported, O'Malley told us the post-fight celly was gonna include a lot of medicine (the green kind) ... and Suga, who says he hadn't smoked in 3 weeks, had a bad case of the munchies.

UFC star Valentina Shevchenko -- one of the top MMA fighters on the planet -- thinks the judges got it wrong ... and Joanna Jedrzejczyk should have gotten the decision over Weili Zhang.

"I don't believe [the judges got it right]," Shevchenko told us in NYC ... claiming Joanna landed "more clear strikes" than her opponent.

In fact, when you watch our clip with Valentina ... even though she's very respectful about Weili, it's pretty clear she wasn't super impressed with Zhang's performance.

We asked Valentina if she would be interested in dropping down a weight class to fight Zhang, but Shevchenko doesn't think Weili wants the smoke.

The long story short ... VS says if Weili struggled to beat Joanna, she'd get DESTROYED by Shevchenko, who beat up Joanna pretty decisively when they fought in 2018.

"She's a good fighter," Valentina says ... "but it's not enough for the high league competition."

As for Valentina, she's currently on a 5-fight win streak with victories over legit fighters like Katlyn Chookagian, Jessica Eye and Joanna.

Valentina's only losses in the UFC have come from Amanda Nunes, who's widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all time.

World Series champ Matt Holliday is parting ways with his incredible Florida mansion ... and the new buyer copped the pad for a whopping $8.5 million!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Holliday's old home was custom-built in 2013 ... in a Jupiter neighborhood that's currently home to superfamous athletes like Serena Williams, Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka.

We're told the 7-bed, 7-bath waterfront estate is fully decked out with a gourmet chef's kitchen, home theater, elevator, wine cellar, awesome pool and spa and an 8-car garage.

If that ain't enough, the property also comes with a 2-bed, 2-bath guest house!!!

The lucky buyer -- repped by Billy Nash of Illustrated Properties -- is the CEO of a publicly-traded company ... but the name was not revealed. Whoever it is, they rich.

As for Holliday ... he made more than $163 MILLION in his 15-year MLB career ... so we're guessing the next pad is probably just as nice.

Did Daniel Bryan's clankers fall out of his outfit during his WWE match Sunday???

YES! YES! YES!

The wrestling superstar wore his usual skin-tight briefs for his brawl with Drew Gulak at Elimination Chamber in Philadelphia, Penn. ... and it didn't take long for things to get hairy.

Early in the match, Bryan went to suplex Gulak over the ropes ... but when Drew grabbed onto Daniel's briefs on his way over -- it exposed a whole lot of Bryan.

Later in the match, an almost identical situation happened ... with Dulak revealing Bryan's junk once again when he grabbed onto the wrestler's briefs on a throw from the top turnbuckle.

Of course, Bryan didn't seem too bothered by the accidental exposure ... he went on to beat Dulak with his famous "Yes Lock."

Daniel hasn't commented on the wardrobe malfunction, and it's unclear if it was never pointed out to him that the family jewels were exposed live on Pay-per-view!

Soccer star Kevin-Prince Boateng is sending a powerful message with his new jewelry haul ... getting a huge chain featuring the words "F#%k Racism."

The backstory is interesting ... back in 2013, Boateng made headlines when he walked off the pitch during the 26th minute of a friendly against Pro Patria after a bunch of racist fans spewed horrible epithets in his direction.

The moment put a spotlight on the racism problem in the soccer world and led to major changes in the game. In fact, FIFA later created a Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination ... and Boateng became a United Nations ambassador, with a focus on combating racism in pro sports.

Now ... Boateng is continuing to share his message -- in diamond form this time ... hitting up Gabriel the Jeweler to make it happen.

We're told the piece is decked out in 70 carats of VVS diamonds sitting on a Cuban link chain.

Of course, Gabriel is the go-to guy for the biggest bling-happy athletes in the game -- from Odell Beckham to Antonio Brown to Boateng's bro, Jerome.

Tom Brady is officially moving!!!

... Into Hollywood, 'cause the future Hall of Famer just announced he's launching a new production company with the guys who directed "Avengers: Endgame."

Brady says the co. -- which will reportedly be producing documentaries, films and TV shows -- is called "199 Productions," an obvious nod to the spot where the Patriots picked him in the 2000 NFL Draft.

And, Tom says its first project, "Unseen Football," will be a collab effort with Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo as well as noted filmmaker Gotham Chopra.

"When I was the 199th draft pick in 2000, I knew I needed to work hard every day to prove myself," Brady said Monday. "Launching a production company is no different."

TB12 added, "I believe in the essence of teamwork, and I have no doubt, our 199 Productions team and partners will create inspiring content to share with the world."

Of course, this doesn't tell us anything about the quarterback's future ON the field ... he's still set to be a free agent later this month.

The Patriots are reportedly still trying to work out a way to keep him ... but could this new project sway him to be closer to Los Angeles???

The Chargers and Raiders certainly hope so!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video moments after UFC star Brian Ortega allegedly slapped a Korean man at UFC 248 ... and you can hear Ortega say, "I told you I'd slap you like a bitch."

It all went down in the stands at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Saturday -- when 29-year-old Ortega approached Jay Park, a Korean musician who recently served as a translator for Korean UFC fighter Jung Chan Sung (known as "Korean Zombie").

Ortega was reportedly upset with Park over comments he made while translating for Korean Zombie during a recent appearance on "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show." Park had claimed Ortega "ducked" a fight with Zombie, which Ortega has adamantly denied.

Things came to a head on Saturday. At 4 seconds into our video, you can hear a slap sound -- followed by commotion and Brian bragging that he slapped Park.

Ortega was escorted out of the arena. Security checked in with Park, who appears to be okay.

After the incident, Park told media he filed a police report with local officials. Unclear if Ortega will be charged with a crime.

A man posing as ex-MLB star Tim Lincecum scammed a Baltimore Ravens player out of autographed gear ... and he almost got away with it if it weren't for the NFLer's agent -- this according to cops.

Here's the deal ... authorities in Monroe County, PA say former NFL 1st-round pick Hayden Hurst contacted them last month to report he had been scammed.

Cops say Hurst told them that on or around May 19, 2019 -- he was contacted by a Twitter account he believed belonged to former SF Giants superstar pitcher Lincecum.

Hurst told cops the account had the verified blue checkmark ... so when it asked the TE for some signed memorabilia for a charity donation -- he sent over some swag no problem.

Cops say Hurst mailed 2 jerseys to the Lincecum imposter ... including one from a Ravens-Bills game on Dec. 8, 2019 that he personally inscribed, "My guy! 12/9/19 game used, 3 rec 73 yards 1 TD."

The issue? Cops say Hurst's agent, Phillip Walls, later saw the jerseys up for sale online ... and blew the cover off the whole scheme.

Cops say after an investigation ... they tracked down a man named Michael Daily in Stroudsburg, PA. -- and officials claim Daily fessed up to the whole scam.

Police say the 25-year-old told them he used several different accounts in the scheme to obtain NFL jerseys, cleats, gloves, balls, hats, pictures and even WWE championship belts.

Daily was arrested and reportedly hit with multiple charges in the case ... including identity theft, theft by deception and unlawful use of a computer.

A Lakers fan -- who clearly hates the Clippers -- drove the WRONG WAY down a 1-way street ... just so he could scream, "F*ck Kawhi," at Lakers player Jared Dudley.

It was super dangerous and unnecessary ... but also ... kinda funny.

Dudley was hanging in Beverly Hills Sunday after the Lakers beat the Clippers in a 112 to 103 showdown at Staples Center.

We were talkin' with Dudley about LeBron James' statements on coronavirus and how he wouldn't play if the NBA blocked fans from attending games ... when all of a sudden, the heckler appeared.

Fortunately, no one was hurt ... but it got a smile from Dudley and our photog.

Floyd Mayweather is interested in buying a major share of a Premier League soccer team -- and just discussed it publicly at a media event in the UK.

For years, the boxing star has flirted with the idea of purchasing an ownership stake in Newcastle United F.C. -- currently owned by British billionaire Mike Ashley.

But, when Floyd sat down for a fan Q&A in Newcastle on Sunday, the moderator asked Floyd straight-up about a possible deal.

"You're very, very interested in buying Newcastle United," the moderator asked Floyd.

"In the U.S. we call it soccer, but the Newcastle football team is an unbelievable team," Floyd said ... "a hell of a team."

He then smiled and told the crowd, "If the people want me to buy the Newcastle team, let me know!"

Cheers erupted. Floyd smiled.

We called up Floyd's people after the event to find out if he's being serious. We were told  Floyd IS, in fact, interested in buying a stake in the team ... but so far, no official negotiations have taken place.

Newcastle United is currently in 13th place in the Premier League -- they've only won 1 out of their last 5 games. Maybe Floyd can help turn 'em around?

Floyd has reportedly made around $1 BILLION in his boxing career -- and apparently, he's already bought more cars, jets and jewelry than you could imagine.

So, ownership next?

Here's one of the most insane hockey brawls EVER ... courtesy of players AND coaches in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

The Columbus River Dragons were getting blown out 7-3 in the 3rd period of a heated game Sunday against the Carolina Thunderbirds in Winston-Salem, N.C. ... when a fight broke out that escalated QUICKLY.

You can see in footage ... the whole thing starts when Thunderbirds coach Andre Niec and River Dragons manager Jerome Bechard challenged each other at center ice.

Shortly after ... players got involved -- and it all eventually led to punches and wrestling matches ALL OVER the ice.

At one point, a River Dragons player even left the penalty box and bum-rushed a Thunderbird standing and watching the brawl at the red line!!! Oh, and Niec had his shirt ripped off in the fracas too!!

But, the best part of the entire fight? The play-by-play announcer CRUSHED his breakdown of the brawl ...

"Oh, I have never seen this in all my years of covering hockey!" the guy said ... "It's a melee! Everybody from the bench to the ice has a dance partner!!!"

Eventually, refs were able to get everything under control ... with AT LEAST 8 dudes getting ejected.

Ex-Knicks player Chris Childs says ever since Kobe Bryant's death, fans have been bringing up their fight from back in the day ... but those fans need to chill --- 'cause Chris says he and Kobe were cool!!!

"Nah, it was never a beef," Childs says, "It was just something that happened. We let bygones be bygones."

If you don't remember this epic fight ... back in April 2000, Childs and Bryant threw hands during a Knicks vs. Lakers game --- and Childs got the best of Kobe with a 2-piece to the grill.

Since Bryant's death on Jan 26, Childs tells us Mamba fans have been going at him on social media about the fight ...  but he just tries to stay calm and hit 'em back with some positive vibes!

"I just told them let's just pray for the family. Let's not get into the that part of the basketball side. Let that rest right now."

"Let's not be ignorant and continue to talk about something that at that moment, doesn't matter."

In fact, Childs says he and Bryant were fine after that fight -- they would run into each other at UCLA during workouts and there's was NEVER any smoke.

"We always gave each other the head nod, ya know, acknowledging the other person."