TMZ Sports - Page 50

Sean Strickland is upset Natan Levy didn't really kick the crap out of his troll last month ... telling TMZ Sports if he had been in the same situation, he would've straight-up carved a "J" on the guy's forehead with his elbow.

Levy, who's Jewish, knocked the dog snot out of a social media heckler in Las Vegas in August after the guy had defended an antisemite in an exchange on X ... but Strickland says he wished the beatdown had gone even further.

"Like, if that was me, broken bones in the face, blood," the UFC star said. "But, Natan's a nice guy. I think we're gonna have to work on him to be a little bit more savage."

Strickland, who's teammates with Levy at Xtreme Couture in Nevada, said the troll's actions were so disrespectful, he would've tried to permanently scar the guy if he were wearing Natan's gloves.

"Like if it was me," Strickland said, "I would've tried to carve a big ol' f***ing 'J' in the forehead."

Of course, Strickland hasn't had much time to devote to the issue recently ... he's been preparing for a title fight with Israel Adesanya that will go down later Saturday night.

Shannon Sharpe tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely fired up for Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes, saying he hasn't seen something more popular in Colorado since weed was legalized there!!!

We got the NFL legend out at LAX just days after Coach Prime's squad shocked TCU ... and he told us he's pumped to see what's going down in the state he called home for more than a decade during his playing days.

"I haven't heard people talk about Colorado so much since weed was legalized," the 55-year-old said.

"I'm excited for him, I'm excited for the program," Sharpe continued. "Obviously, everybody knows I spent 12 years in Colorado so I'm excited for Time and what he's bringing to the table."

Sharpe and Deion have a long history together ... they battled on NFL fields for years -- and in retirement, they've become super close. In fact, this past offseason, the two sat down together for a podcast ... where they exchanged plenty of jokes and laughs.

All that being said, though, Sharpe still isn't sure the Buffs are quite ready to be considered a national championship contender just yet.

"I think they're a couple of years away from that," he said, "but I'm excited for what they're doing right now."

Themba Gorimbo won't give up his couch at the gym just yet ... 'cause even after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought him a new apartment, the UFC star tells TMZ Sports he'll still be catching Zs on that sofa!!

"It belongs to me," Gorimbo said about his beloved furniture he famously rested on at his gym in Florida.

"When the fight camp kicks in, six weeks from the fight, I'll probably go back to the gym and sleep on that couch."

Don't get it twisted, Themba LOVES the apartment The Rock hooked him and his family up with earlier this year -- as a matter of fact, Gorimbo was sitting in the living room when we spoke with him.

But, that gym couch has sentimental value and serves as a reminder ... as it's the bed Gorimbo slept on during the start of his UFC career, before he linked up with the WWE legend.

Gorimbo added he still can't wrap his head around the great lengths Johnson has gone to help him out after hearing about how he only had $7 to his name.

"With the blessing that he gave me, you know, giving me a place to stay, and having to do everything that he's done for me ... for me, it's a blessing from God," the 11-4 fighter said. "It is really, really, really surreal."

Gorimbo says everything The Rock has done for him has made him more determined to become a UFC champion ... and it's also placed a target on his back amongst other fighters.

Gorimbo -- who won his last fight against Takashi Soto in May -- isn't fazed at all ... and is anticipating his next match in December.

"I believe that once we sign a fight to fight each other, I'm gonna beat you and I'm gonna win," Gorimbo said.

Lisa Lyon -- a game changer in professional women's bodybuilding -- has died, TMZ has learned.

A close friend who has been helping Lisa and her family tells us, Lisa died Friday at her home in the San Fernando Valley, where she was in hospice care. We're told the cause of death was stomach cancer.

Lisa famously posed for Playboy back in 1980, and the year before she won the first International Federation of Bodybuilders Woman's World Pro Bodybuilding Championship. It was a huge achievement that really put women's bodybuilding on the map.

She became a staple on the TV talk show circuit, also appearing in a slew of health and fitness magazines. She even wrote a book -- "Lisa Lyon's Body Magic" -- which was published in 1981.

She also modeled for iconic photog Robert Mapplethorpe.

Lisa was inducted into the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federal Hall of Fame back in 2000 ... for helping to elevate bodybuilding into an art form.

And speaking of elevating bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger told TMZ, "She is the best. I love her."

Lisa was 70.

Tristan Thompson has taken over as caregiver for his younger brother in the wake of his mom's death, and is now taking steps to make his guardianship official.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tristan's asking the court to become guardian of Amari Thompson. The documents state Tristan took over the responsibilities of care for 17-year-old Amari after their mother, Andrea, died in January.

The documents also state Tristan and Amari's dad, Trevor, has been absent from Amari's life -- leaving Tristan as his closest family member who is able to provide the care he needs.

Amari has several medical diagnoses that leave him unable to care for himself -- and Tristan will need to help him with his day-to-day as well as with his medical appointments.

What's more, the documents say Amari is set to receive approximately $103,475 as a result of Andrea's death ... and Tristan will protect that inheritance from loss or injury.

Gisele Bündchen is expanding her real estate portfolio, plunking down 7 figures for a sprawling Florida property with a soccer field and an equestrian ring ... and her jiu-jitsu pal Joaquim Valente's sister-in-law helped close the deal.

According to real estate records, the supermodel dropped $9.1 million on the 9-bedroom estate in Southwest Ranches, an affluent area about 30 miles northwest of Miami.

Gisele's new property is 5,183 square feet of pure luxury ... and some of the highlights include a full-size soccer field, infinity pool, hot tub, tennis courts and plenty of space to ride horses.

The grounds feature a state-of-the-art equestrian rink, with 10 large horse stalls. Remember, Gisele is big into horse riding, and so are her kids with ex-husband Tom Brady. She's also gone horseback riding with Joaquim in Costa Rica.

The property sits on 7.5 acres and there's an outdoor kitchen with a hibachi grill, pizza oven, BBQ pit and a wine fridge.

Inside, the first-floor master suite includes a private sitting area, bathroom and a walk-in closet ... and there's a floating glass staircase leading to the rest of the home. The gourmet kitchen has quartz countertops imported from Italy, plus an oversized island with a breakfast bar.

Gisele also owns another home in South Florida, an $11.5 million mansion in Miami Beach ... right across the water from where Tom's building his new place.

Chad Bishop and Saddy Abaunza Delgado with ONE Sotheby's International Realty repped the seller ... and Gisele was repped by Laura Valente with Global Luxury Realty LLC.

Gisele and Joaquim haven't confirmed their rumored relationship ... but they're often seen together, and he picked her up from the airport at the crack of dawn.

Tyler Herro was an actual, real-life hero for at least one boy on Friday ... signing an autograph for a kid that turned the child into a puddle of joy.

The fun, heartwarming moment went down outside a school gym in Florida ... after the Miami Heat star had gotten in a workout on the court inside.

You can see in video from the scene, Herro was putting his John Hancock down for a bunch of young fans -- when, suddenly, one of the kids desperately wanted him to sign his water bottle.

The little boy grabbed it, jumped up and down -- and when Herro put his pen to it, the kid couldn't have been more thrilled.

Herro clearly loved the reaction -- 'cause even he had a big smile on his face when he returned the bottle to the boy.

Of course, Herro gets mobbed like this just about everywhere he goes in Florida -- after all, the dude is a former Sixth Man of the Year who's averaging 17.7 points per game in his career.

The elusive name of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's baby boy is a mystery no more ... we've finally learned what the kiddo's called.

According to the birth certificate, obtained by TMZ, the couple's new bundle of joy is named Riot Rose Mayers. The name follows the tradition of "R" names in the family ... remember, they named their first son RZA.

Sources first told us Riot Rose arrived August 3, but that was off, the actual date of birth was August 1.

You'll recall, A$AP teased the name a bit at the end of last month while out in West Hollywood saying the name reveal was, "Coming soon."

Don't forget, surprises like this are big for Rihanna -- she broke the news of her new baby to the world during her Super Bowl halftime performance earlier this year ... showing off her bump to millions of folks watching the big game.

Sylvester Stallone met one of his biggest fans during a family trip to the Vatican ... the Pope!!!

The 'Rocky' star spent his Friday touring Vatican City, and was actually granted an audience with Pope Francis, who went full fanboy ... telling Sly it's an honor to meet him because he grew up watching the actor's movies.

The video of their interaction is awesome -- Sly was bold enough to shadowbox the Pope, who even threw a few left hooks himself. Seriously, it's almost like the Pope is more thrilled about the meeting than Stallone.

The whole thing was a family affair ... Sly also introduced the Pope to his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three daughters, Sophia, Scarlet and Sistine. You'd think the pontiff might have been impressed by Sistine's name, but was more focused on the movie star of his younger years.

Sly went to the Vatican last September too, when he got to hold the keys that open every door in Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel, and this time he got to meet His Holiness.

Kadarius Toney is going ghost after his abysmal Thursday Night Football outing ... 'cause the Kansas City Chiefs receiver just deactivated his X account.

There's no sugar-coating it -- Toney had a bad game in the Chiefs' loss to the Detroit Lions in the opening game of the 2023 season ... missing three targets and deflecting a pass that was intercepted for a pick-six, which ended up being the game-changing play of the matchup.

Toney finished the game with one catch for one yard and one rush for a loss.

Fans were quick to share critical posts throughout the game ... mentioning Toney's account as they expressed their frustrations with his performance.

They can complain all they want, but Toney's tuning out the haters ... 'cause a visit to his "0fficialC2N" profile now reads "This account doesn't exist."

While Chiefs Kingdom and trolls are spewing hate, the guy's still getting support from his team ... as Patrick Mahomes said despite the drops, he has faith in Toney.

"Obviously he would've wanted to catch a few of those in the game, but I've trusted he's going to be that guy that I go to in those crucial moments, and he's going to make the catch and win us some games like he did last year," Mahomes told reporters after the 20-21 loss.

Zach Bryan is speaking out about his dramatic arrest in Oklahoma ... and he's putting all the blame squarely on himself.

In a video statement posted to X, the Country singer gave a detailed account of what happened with law enforcement in Craig County.

Bryan says it all started three days ago when he was driving through the small town of Vinita and got pulled over for going just over the speed limit.

He says the officer came up to his window and asked for his license, registration and home address. But he refused to give out his address, explaining he didn't feel comfortable since he's a musician.

The cop threatened to take Bryan to jail if he didn't comply. Bryan wouldn't budge, prompting the officer to put him in handcuffs.

Bryan asked why the officer was doing this. The two bantered back and forth until Bryan turned over his address.

At that point, the officer uncuffed and released Bryan with a warning.

Then, on Thursday, Bryan and his security guard were driving in separate vehicles on their way to Boston, Massachusetts.

Bryan spotted a cop pulling over his bodyguard in Vinita. He circled back and parked behind them.

After waiting 15 minutes, Bryan became impatient and got out of his car to see what was taking so long.

The officer demanded Bryan get back into his vehicle, but he ignored the order, leading to his arrest. Bryan was booked into the county jail for obstruction of investigation and later released.

In his video statement, Bryan accepted full responsibility for his actions, calling them ridiculous, childish and immature.

The United States won't be going for gold at the FIBA World Cup ... the squad full of NBA talent just lost to Germany in the semifinals of the international tournament.

Team USA was the betting favorite to win it all this year ... with guys like Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges suiting up for the Red, White and Blue.

But their plans were spoiled on Friday ... as Germany's Andreas Obst, Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis had huge games to help their team move on to the finals.

While it was a close contest through the first half, Germany was able to pull ahead in the third quarter ... and USA found themselves down 10 late in the final minutes of the game. Despite a late push, USA couldn't eliminate the deficit, falling 113-111.

Edwards had 23 points and eight rebounds for the U.S. ... with Reaves adding 21 of his own.

America will now face off against Canada in hopes of winning bronze ... and Germany will play Serbia in the finals.

Jared Goff was gettin' all types of Ws on Thursday night ... 'cause after upsetting the Chiefs in the NFL's kickoff game, he got a celebratory kiss from his swimsuit model fiancée!

The PDA happened after the quarterback and his Detroit Lions shocked the defending Super Bowl champions, 21-20, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Goff's partner, Christen Harper -- who just got engaged to the signal-caller back in June -- shared footage of the postgame smooch on her Instagram page ... showing her getting some lip-on-lip action with the QB after the game from the stands.

"Biiiiig fan of 16," Harper captioned the clip.

Of course, Goff deserved every bit of the love from Harper ... he threw for 253 yards and a touchdown in the victory, taking care of the ball throughout all four quarters of the close game.

Seems the quarterback should be getting used to the PDA from Harper going forward ... because the Lions appear to be the real deal, playing well in all three phases of the game.

A protester glued his bare feet to the concrete in the stands of the US Open on Thursday night ... and it caused such a commotion, it delayed Coco Gauff's huge semifinal match for nearly an hour.

The bizarre scene unfolded just minutes into Gauff's tilt with Karolina Muchova at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York ... when a quartet of environmental activists created a massive ruckus in the crowd.

The four, wearing tees with the words "End Fossil Fuels" printed on them, began chanting, leading authorities to quickly spring into action.

Three of the four were taken into custody after just a few moments without issue ... but the fourth required about 49 minutes of attention to remove due to the glue at the bottom of his feet.

Fortunately, officials were able to eventually extricate the man ... and play resumed.

Gauff ended up shaking off the delay no problem ... beating Muchova to advance to the tournament's final. She'll meet Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to play for the championship.

The protest, of course, was hardly the first one major tennis has seen this year ... back in July, several people rushed the court at Wimbledon, hurling confetti all over the place.

Zach Bryan got arrested in Oklahoma ... TMZ has learned.

The country music star was arrested Thursday in Vinita, OK and booked on an obstruction of investigation charge ... according to online jail records.

TMZ obtained Zach's mug shot, which he took at Craig County Jail, and he's mostly without an expression.

It's unclear what led to his arrest.

On the same day he was arrested, Zach's Instagram account posted a photo of farmland from a car window, with the caption ... "On the road again, gonna go see the birds win."

Zach's an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan and the NFL team plays its season-opening game Sunday against the New England Patriots in Massachusetts ... so it's possible Zach was driving to the game when he got busted.

A ball boy broke the first rule of being a ball boy at the Marlins game Thursday ... grabbing a live baseball in fair play and chucking it into the stands -- costing his team a run.

The epic blunder went down in the sixth inning of Miami's tilt with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Florida ... after Freddie Freeman roped a liner down the right-field line.

The ball flew over first base and skidded into the outfield ... but for some reason, the ball boy in the area thought it had landed in foul territory.

The guy nonchalantly jogged over to the ball, scooped it up, and then hurled it to some fans in the crowd.

Of course, there were big ramifications for the act ... umps allowed Mookie Betts to score -- not knowing if the play would have been made by Miami's right fielder had the ball boy not interrupted.

It ultimately didn't matter too much in the end ... the Marlins got rocked, 10-0 -- and even Miami outfielder Jesús Sánchez came over to let him know it was OK.