TMZ Sports - Page 50

"I love her so much, and I’m going to make her proud."

That's UFC star Walt Harris telling TMZ Sports how he'll honor his stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, Saturday when he returns the Octagon ... and it's definitely going to be emotional.

"There will probably be some tears shed, I’ll go ahead and let ya’ll know right now," Harris says.

As we previously reported, Walt's 19-year-old stepdaughter went missing back in October -- and after a high-profile search, her remains were found weeks later.

A suspect was arrested and he is now facing murder charges.

Walt -- the #9 ranked heavyweight -- is now set to fight Alistair Overeem on Saturday night ... and tells us getting back work is part of the grieving process.

"It's proof that you can go through the worst thing you can possibly think of in your life, and bounce back," Harris said.

"I’m so grateful to the UFC, and to the fans, and everybody who’s supported me through all of this. And, that’s kinda been my motivation, that's why I want to go in there and put a show on for them Saturday night and say thank you."

Harris said Aniah was his biggest fan who loved to watch him fight -- and he knows she'll be there in spirit on Saturday.

Chael Sonnen is BIG MAD at Anthony Smith's coaching staff for not stopping the fight against Glover Teixeira after the 4th round ... telling TMZ Sports, "You have a towel for a reason!"

Sonnen -- who has 49 pro-MMA fights under belt -- couldn't believe Smith's corner let him continue into the 5th round considering he was literally getting his teeth knocked out in the Octagon.

"If you're in the corner, you have a towel for a reason and that's to stop a contest," Sonnen explained.

Sonnen says he respects Smith's toughness -- but the coach needs to act as the "adult in the room" and make the tough decisions in the heat of battle to protect the fighter from himself.

"I've heard the term 'A Rocky Moment' -- man, Rocky was in the movies! Rocky wasn't really getting beat up like that!"

Sonnen said he spoke with Smith at length after the fight -- and Smith explained that he refuses to quit in a fight no matter what.

But, Sonnen says that's MORE of a reason for his corner to make the tough call when it becomes clear he can't win the fight.

Did Mercury coming out of retrograde cost Aaron Judge the rookie home run record?!?!

That's what Pete Alonso's saying ... admitting once the smallest planet in our solar system got back in line last summer -- his bat suddenly woke up from a weeks-long slump!!!

And, yeah ... the Mets superstar is DEAD serious about it!!!

"I saw something on Twitter," Pete said on "The Cookie Club" show this week, "I was in a rabbit hole one night after the game and it's like, 'Mercury is out of retrograde, and if you're born in a certain month, then it really affects you in a negative way and your performance at your job.'"

"And I'm like, 'Oh, Mercury's in retrograde!'" Pete added. "'It comes out of retrograde on this day, and I can't wait for that!' And, that day was probably like five days away."

Sure enough, Pete says as soon as that day hit on the calendar -- he went BERSERK at the plate ... and his teammates laughed their faces off over it all!!

"He came in the locker room screaming it," Mets stud Dominic Smith said. "'Mercury's out of retrograde!' And we're looking around like, 'What does that even mean?!'"

Smith added, "And, I was just like, 'Whatever, Pete's back!' And, I'm telling you, he went off! Like I couldn't believe it!"

FYI, Alonso used that game and about three dozen more following it to ultimately break Judge's rookie home run record ... finishing with 53 jacks in one season.

As for Alonso repeating that feat in 2020 ... he seems confident he's got the skills to do it -- although Mercury is set to go in retrograde from June 18 to July 12.

"Hang on one second!"

That's how NFL stud Tyler Eifert bolted from his online press conference to deal with his loose dogs Thursday ... and the video of the canine commotion is hilarious!!!

The new Jacksonville Jaguars tight end was having a virtual meet-and-greet grill sesh with NFL reporters ... when suddenly, his pups began wreaking havoc.

You can see in video of the newser, the dogs were barking up a storm ... and later, a neighbor yelled into his home, "Your dog was in my yard!!!"

That's when Eifert had to get up from the sitdown with reporters to go chase down his dogs -- and when he got back, the guy was straight-up out of breath!!!

"They're back," Eifert said. "And, I got in a little conditioning too!"

HILARIOUS!!!

Normally, we'd suggest a little timeout and no-treat treatment for the bad-behaving doggos ... but look at these faces -- HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY PUNISH THESE GUYS!!!

This video is NUTS!!!

UFC fighter Marvin Vettori tried to fight his scheduled opponent Karl Roberson in a hotel lobby ... hours after Roberson pulled out of their scheduled bout due to weight cut issues.

AND MAN, VETTORI IS FUMING!!

Vettori vs. Roberson was supposed to be on the main card for the "UFC on ESPN+ 29" event Wednesday night in Jacksonville.

But, according to the UFC, Roberson experienced "medical issues unrelated to COVID-19 after his weight cut" and was subsequently pulled from the fight.

Well, Vettori wasn't happy -- he's been training for months -- and when he saw Roberson in the hotel where the fighters are staying, he exploded.

"Let's f*cking fight," Vettori screamed across the lobby ... "If you're a fighter then f*cking fight!"

Vettori's crew grabbed him and escorted him away from Roberson.

Now, Vettori is hoping to find another opponent ASAP -- as the UFC is hosting ANOTHER event in Jacksonville on Saturday.

Jon Jones says he's dead serious about a fight with Francis Ngannou -- and now he's asking the UFC to "send the deal."

There's been talk about a possible Jones vs. Ngannou match at heavyweight for a while ... but things escalated after Francis destroyed Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds at UFC 249 over the weekend.

The two exchanged some minor trash talk on social media late Wednesday night ... but now Jon says he's done talking, he's ready for action.

"If you guys think I wouldn’t take this fight you’re insane. I have absolutely nothing else to prove as a light heavyweight. I’d love that big money fight right around now. Send the deal."

Jon currently fights at light heavyweight -- but says he's willing to go up for a bigger payday ... and let's be honest, who wouldn't want to see Jones vs. Ngannou?!

In fact, back in October, we asked Francis about a possible Jones brawl ... and he was all about it!

"Listen, let's be clear about something. If that's what you want to know, if I would fight Jon Jones if he goes up to heavyweight!? Of course!"

"I would say the same thing as he says -- it's inevitable. If Jon Jones goes to heavyweight. I'm gonna fight him."

LET'S GOOOOOO!!!

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are threatening to take a woman to court for continuing to claim Tristan's the father of her child -- and they say DNA proves he's not.

The lawyer for the co-parenting exes -- pit bull attorney Marty Singer -- fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Kimberly Alexander, saying ... "We demand that you immediately stop defaming them with malicious defamatory lies and specious fabrications" about the paternity of her child.

According to the letter ... Tristan had previously taken a paternity test in which it was "unequivocally proven" he's not Alexander's child's father, but she's continued to spread lies about Khloe and the NBA star, including claims they falsified or "fixed" the test.

Singer says the test was performed at one of the nation's more reputable labs and was approved by Kimberly's lawyers.

The letter also alleges Alexander has defamed Khloe by claiming she has paid people off to shut them up, as well as Tristan ... by claiming he's a deadbeat dad.

Finally, Singer says even though one test has already proven Tristan's not the father, he agreed to take a second test to confirm ... but Alexander refused, and subsequently lost her legal counsel.

Singer adds of Alexander ... "It is obvious that the reason you are spreading these lies about my clients is because you want your 15 minutes of fame."

Khloe and Tristan are demanding Alexander stop defaming them on social media and elsewhere, and remove any damaging posts about them ... or she'll be sued.

And, speaking of paternity ... just a reminder that Khloe is NOT currently pregnant with Tristan's baby either, despite persistent rumors she is. They are together in this legal battle, though.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell says there's no way in hell he's stepping on the mound for a penny less than his guaranteed salary ...  slamming the MLB's recent proposal in an emotional Twitch stream.

Of course, the league came up with a plan for a shortened season and a 50-50 revenue split between the owners and players earlier this week ... in hopes of salvaging the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Y'all gotta understand, man ... for me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof," The Cy Young winner said Wednesday.

"It's a shorter season, less pay."

FYI -- 27-year-old Snell is in the middle of a 5-year, $50 million deal and was set to make $7 million in 2020.

He continued ... "I gotta get my money. I'm not playing unless I get mine, okay? And, that's just the way it is for me. Like, I'm sorry you guys think differently, but the risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I'm making is way lower. Why would I think about doing that?"

When fans criticized Snell's stance in the Twitch comments ... he doubled down.

"Bro, I'm risking my life. What do you mean it should not be a thing? It should 100% be a thing. If I'm gonna play, I should be getting the money I signed to be getting paid."

The revenue split is likely to get rejected when it's officially presented to the MLB Players Association ... considering the league already agreed to $170 million in up-front money to keep players paid during the pandemic back in March.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer also weighed in on the proposal ... and he's siding with Snell.

Joe Buck says multiple networks, including Fox, are seriously considering using fake crowd noise during NFL game broadcasts to try and replicate a "normal viewing experience" ... but he wants to make it clear, nothing is set in stone.

Of course, with the COVID-19 pandemic still in full swing, there's a real chance fans will NOT be allowed to attend NFL games in person whenever the 2020 season kicks off.

Buck appeared on ''Andy Cohen Live'' on SiriusXM on Wednesday ... and said the networks are kicking around some ideas to try and replicate the usual NFL watching experience at home.

"I think Fox and these networks have to put crowd noise under us to make it as a normal viewing experience at home," Buck said.

Andy Cohen asked, "You think they'll do that?"

Buck replied, "I do. In fact, I know they'll do it."

"It's pretty much a done deal. I think whoever's going to be at that control is gonna have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how a crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field."

"On top of that, they're looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands so when you see a wide shot it looks like the stadium is jam-packed when in fact it will be empty."

Buck added on Twitter on Thursday, "It doesn’t have to be over the top."

"But, something has to be there," Buck said ... "Crowd reactions are an enormous piece of the TV puzzle. All reactions by a crowd are valuable and to be used -- as far as I know."

"I use it as much as I can and still keep my job. Big moments -- like the MN Miracle -- are MADE on tv because of the crowd noise."

As for the virtual-fans part of the TV equation ... Buck told Cohen that Fox is trying to work on the logistics of all that, before adding on Twitter, "They are working every day on ANYTHING to make our shows the best on TV."

Khabib Nurmagomedov's father -- who trained the UFC star for most of his life -- is reportedly fighting for this life in a Russian military hospital ... where he's said to be in a medically-induced coma.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is VERY close with his superstar son -- they've traveled together to meet Vladimir Putin on multiple occasions following Khabib's high profile victories in the UFC.

But, the 57-year-old Dagestani reportedly fell ill at the end of April after coming down with pneumonia ... and things have gone from bad to worse.

Multiple reports say Abdulmanap was initially treated in Dagestan -- but was later flown to Moscow in early May where he is now under the care of specialists.

UFC fighter Islam Makhachev -- who's close with Khabib -- confirmed the situation ... saying, "[Abdulmanap] is in Moscow. He is in critical condition."

UFC president Dana White has also issued a statement.

"Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is a true martial artist who lives a life of pride, honor and respect," White said.

"He instilled those same values in his son, world champion Khabib, at an early age and was always in his corner throughout his career."

"I know how close Khabib is with his father and I’m saddened to hear about his current state. My thoughts are with Abdulmanap and the Nurmagomedov family as he continues to fight."

We've reached out to Khabib's camp for comment -- but so far, no word back.

Did you know Barry Zito had a hell of a curveball AND an amazing voice?!?!

It's true ... the former World Series champ sang his face off all season on "The Masked Singer" -- with his voice even making Nicole Sherzinger cry before he was eliminated from the show Wednesday!!

The 42-year-old sang a rendition of Tim McGraw's "Humble And Kind" under the guise of The Rhino ... and it was so good, the Pussycat Dolls star was moved to tears.

Check out the footage ... Zito's twangy sound really had Nicole wiping away the waterworks!!

But, as it turns out, even that wasn't enough to save the former Cy Young winner from elimination ... he was booted from the show just short of making next week's finale.

Of course, it was a valiant effort from the ex-San Francisco Giant ... he finished in fourth place, and the judges praised him for being super authentic throughout the competition!!

BTW, Zito's been doing the music thing for a while -- and told us back in 2017 why he hopes to add a Grammy to his trophy case one day.

Also, don't feel too bad for Barry about the exit -- it's pretty much the only L Zito is taking in 2020 ... he just had a new baby, and his family is cute as hell!!

UFC stud Anthony Smith didn't just lose his fight Wednesday -- he lost his teeth -- spittin' chiclets during his war with Glover Teixeira.

31-year-old Smith started off strong -- but 40-year-old Glover asserted his dominance in the later rounds ... beating up Smith so badly, he was literally knocking out Anthony's teeth.

At one point, you could see Smith trying to grab a tooth off the Octagon mat to hand to the referee.

"I couldn’t keep my mouthpiece in place due to the missing tooth,” Smith told ESPN's Ariel Helwani after the fight.

"I looked down and it was on the canvas. So, I grabbed it and handed it to him."

The refs eventually stopped the fight in the 5th round after Smith had taken major damage.

Smith was later diagnosed with several major injuries including a broken nose, fractured eye socket and a gash under his right eye.

He also lost TWO teeth during the scrap -- one front tooth and another one from the back of his mouth.

During the broadcast, you could hear Smith telling his corner, "My teeth are falling out."

Many people -- including Daniel Cormier (who was calling the fight) -- went after Smith's corner for not throwing in the towel.

"I would have stopped the fight, corner could have saved their guy from getting finished," DC said.

Bad news for Conor McGregor ... Justin Gaethje will NOT agree to fight the Irishman before he gets his title shot with Khabib Nurmagomedov, this according to Justin's manager.

Conor has been trying to bait Gaethje into a big-time showdown on Fight Island in July -- calling out Justin on social media and threatening to kill him.

But, we spoke with Gaethje's rep, Ali Abdelaziz, who tells us the trash talk strategy just won't work -- Justin's already focusing on fighting Khabib next ... and there's absolutely NO SHOT at changing his mind.

"Khabib will never -- NEVER -- pass Justin Gaethje for Conor. Even if he made more money," Ali says.

"Justin Gaethje has so much integrity, he will never tell the UFC, 'Oh, I'm gonna fight Conor, forget about Khabib.' [Justin] wants to be a champion."

What's interesting ... Ali also represents Khabib -- so it's an easy fight for everyone (including the UFC) to make once the contracts are drawn up.

Plus, with UFC president Dana White recently saying he'd like to see Justin take on Khabib on Fight Island in June, it all but sinks Conor's plans.

Ali also tells TMZ Sports ... Khabib also has ZERO interest in fighting Conor because he feels McGregor has not earned the opportunity for a rematch.

"If [Conor] thinks he's gonna sit out and fight the winner [of Gaethje vs. Khabib] ... NO."

"Especially, if Khabib wins. Khabib said no. [Conor] needs more wins."

Ali added, "The UFC is not boxing. The best will fight the best and at this point [Justin and Khabib are] the two best guys."

That doesn't mean Justin isn't down to fight Conor down the road ... but for right now, he's got his eyes on the prize.

There's more ... we also asked Ali about Tony Ferguson -- who's beefed with "El Cucuy" over the years -- and Gaethje's manager says it's time for Ferguson to stop fighting.

"I believe, no disrespect to nobody, when you take this ass whooping that Tony Ferguson took, he's never gonna be the same."

Abdelaziz says Tony has a wife and kids ... and needs to stay healthy for them.

"This guy has a family. I don't want to see him drinking soup from a straw."

"If he was my guy, I'd be like, 'Yo, you gotta retire.'"

Vince McMahon claims ex-XFL commissioner Oliver Luck "abandoned" his duties when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March ... and that's one of the main reasons Vince fired him, according to court documents.

Remember, Oliver Luck sued Vince McMahon back in April, claiming he was wrongfully terminated from his role as the commish and CEO of the XFL on April 9.

In his initial court docs, Luck redacted many of the details behind his allegations.

But now, Vince's attorney has filed his own court docs spelling out the reasons McMahon axed Luck. The details have now been made public.

First, McMahon claims Luck "effectively abandoned his responsibilities" on March 13 by shutting down the XFL offices in Connecticut ... and instead, working from home in Indiana.

McMahon claims Luck failed to "devote substantially all of his business time to his XFL duties as required by the contract."

Second, McMahon claims Luck approved signing ex-NFL receiver Antonio Callaway without first getting approval from Vince.

By the way, Callaway had previously been suspended by the NFL for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. McMahon claims he ordered Luck to cut Callaway immediately -- but Luck refused.

Luck's argument, according to court docs, is that Callaway didn't violate the XFL's personal conduct policy.

Third, McMahon claims Luck misused an XFL-issued iPhone -- using the phone for personal reasons when it was supposed to be exclusively used for work.

For his part, Luck claims McMahon's allegations are bogus and he's digging in his heels on the argument he was wrongfully terminated.

As for the COVID-19 allegation, Luck claims he simply couldn't return to Connecticut because the state had implemented a stay-at-home order on March 20, and he adhered by the mandate.

Luck claims he did everything he could to continue doing his job while sheltering-in-place.

Luck is demanding $23.8 million in salary and damages. He had signed a 5-year contract in 2018 with a $5 million annual salary and a $2 million bonus.