TMZ Sports - Page 50

There was a hot Hollywood quartet out in force this weekend for a UFC event -- which felt like worlds colliding and a generation gap being bridged ... all in a good way, of course.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were seated side by side next to none other than Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox Saturday night for UFC 260 down in the Vegas area.

The two power couples were seated in their own private booth ... and while a few people behind them had masks on, they all seemed to be relaxing without a worry in the world. The fact guests could even come to this is a sign that ... yes, things are getting back to normal.

Everybody played to the camera when the lens was on them -- MGK and Meg were enjoying their beverages as they flashed different greetings ... while KK and Trav were a bit more on the same page in presenting themselves as a duo. That lollipop choreography was slick!

Seeing all of four of them together is like looking at two sides of the same coin in a way -- the big difference, really, is age. Travis and Kourtney are about 10 or so years older than Kelly and Megan ... but we gotta say, they hold their own with the young bucks, even out in public.

Houston Tumlin -- the kid who played Ricky Bobby's son in 'Talladega Nights' -- grew up to proudly serve his country, but sadly suffered from PTSD and depression as a result, which led to his suicide ... his mother tells TMZ.

Michelle Tumlin tells us ... her son honorably served in the U.S. Army for nearly 6 years, earning many accolades as an E-4 specialist in the 101st Airborne Division.

Houston's awards include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, but Michelle says he was most proud of earning his Air Assault wings.

Michelle says, "Houston received a different set of wings" this week, and while the family is hurting from the loss, she says they want to stress to anyone who is suffering to reach out and get help.

She says ... "Houston Lee Tumlin was so much more than a child actor from 'Talladega Nights.' My beautiful boy brought joy to everyone he encountered and made them feel special. Houston fought his battle for years, and we will continue to fight for him."

We're told Houston will have a full military funeral, and his family marched in an event over the weekend in Helena, Alabama to raise awareness for veteran suicide and PTSD support.

We broke the story ... Houston died by suicide Tuesday at his home in Pelham.

Along with his military service, he was best known for playing the foul-mouthed Walker Bobby, the eldest son of Will Ferrell's character, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Houston was 28.

Cristiano Ronaldo was enraged after his team was robbed of a win ... and he showed his displeasure by storming off the field during a World Cup qualifying match.

Portugal was playing Serbia and the game was tied 2-2 when -- during a last-buzzer attempt -- Cristiano made what sure looked like a winning goal ... despite the fact the shot was cleared by Serbia's Stefan Mitrovic. The TV cameras caught it, but the ref did not, so the shot was declared a miss.

The Portugal captain was furious ... slamming his armband into the ground and then marching off the field, but not before protesting the call.

Ronaldo was booked for protesting the referee's call.

After the match, Ronaldo said, “I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed.”

Hercy Miller -- rap legend Master P's H.S. hoop-star son -- is one of the best players in the country ... but despite being recruited by basketball powerhouses, he's taking his talents to an HBCU!!

TMZ Sports talked to P and Hercy -- an 18-year-old, 6'3" senior point guard at Minnehaha Academy in MN -- moments after the younger Miller announced he was choosing Tennessee State over the likes of USC, UCLA, Missouri, LSU and other Power 5 conference programs.

We asked Miller why he passed on schools that produced NBA stars like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Ben Simmons, and DeMar DeRozan ... and his answer was powerful.

"I want to go a place with a good school, and I feel like if I go to a HBCU, I can put a spotlight on for all the HBCU’s around."

Hercy continued ... "I want to make a change. I want to make a difference. I’m the type of person, I want to be a leader, I want to lead my people. So I feel like going to Tennessee St. University is where I can be a part of the community and be a player at the same time."

Hercy -- whose brother Romeo played 2 seasons at USC -- says he has plans to play in the NBA ... something Master P says will NOT be an issue coming from an HBCU.

"If you look at the conference, Ja Morant played in the same conference. This is not just a regular school. This is a big conference that put a lot of pros into the league."

Of course, Morant went to Murray St. and was the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft ... right after Zion Williamson.

Robert Covington -- Portland Trailblazers small forward -- attended Tennessee St. ... and has had a very solid NBA career.

As for P -- a legendary musician who played in the NBA, made movies and earned millions in the business world -- where does watching his young son commit to play college ball rank on his list of accomplishments?

"This is at the top of the totem pole for me."

WWE star Brian James -- aka Road Dogg -- is bedridden in a hospital after suffering an apparent heart attack ... this according to his wife, who's asking for thoughts and prayers.

Tracy James broke the scary news Saturday, saying RD was having a number of tests done in the hospital to confirm what exactly had happened to him ... this after returning home from work Thursday night and feeling terrible from what she says was a likely heart attack.

She writes, "He has had test run and we’re currently waiting for the results.he has also seen a kidney specialist and will have a stress test done. He’s always been on bp meds for high bp. Just please pray all the test come back for something we can fix."

Tracy goes on to say she's a wreck, but trying to stay positive ... leaving it in God's hands to get her hubby back home safely. She also sent out a somewhat reassuring update.

Sounds like Road Dogg's kidneys are all clear, and a cardiac catheterization is scheduled for Monday to decide the next steps.

Road Dogg's perhaps most famous as part of the D-Generation X tag team collective from WWF's Attitude Era, which was also made up of guys like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rick Rude, Chyna and others ... including RD's partner in crime in the ring, Billy Gunn, who helped make up one half of the New Age Outlaws with Road Dogg.

Road Dogg wrestled professionally in WWF/WWE until the early 2000s, at which point he went off and competed in other leagues until about 2011 ... never coming back into the WWE fold officially ... until he re-signed as a producer and a writer for them, that is.

He's reported as being behind the scenes for several 'WrestleMania' events and the head writer for other WWE shows, including 'SmackDown' and others. And, yes, Road Dogg is a Hall of Fame member too ... having been inducted as part of the Class of 2019.

Stipe Miocic wants to box Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, but not even the greatest UFC heavyweight of all-time is willing to step in the ring with Mike Tyson ... despite Iron Mike being 54 years old.

38-year-old Miocic tells TMZ Sports he's intrigued by a matchup with 32-year-old Fury and 31-year-old Joshua ... the 2 baddest heavyweight fighters in the world.

"I would love [a boxing match w/ Fury or Joshua]. It would be just a different — get out of my comfort zone. Plus it’s a fight, anything can happen and I know I can make something happen.

First, he's gotta deal with arguably the most intimidating guy to ever fight in the UFC ... 34-year-old Francis Ngannou.

"I just got a task at hand right now. I gotta worry about [Francis], that’s all I care about. But, I’d love to dip my toe into that ring.

The only downside ... Fury and Joshua might be tied up with each other. The boxers inked a 2-fight deal that'll likely see them fight in the summer with a rematch in the winter.

But, there's another, slightly older, heavyweight fighter who's looking for an opponent ... Mike Tyson.

Remember, Mike's fight with longtime rival, 58-year-old Evander Holyfield, fell apart this week over money for a trilogy fight.

So, we asked Stipe about fighting Mike -- who ended his 15-year layoff when he boxed Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- anddd, that's smoke Miocic doesn't want.

"That I will pass on. I will pass on that one," Stipe says.

"That dude looked exactly the same when he fought Roy Jones Jr. as he did when he was 20 years old so, no, I’m good. I love Mike Tyson. I think he’s awesome."

NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has sold the AMAZING Las Vegas estate where he's lived since 2017 ... and made a 7-figure profit to boot.

The pad is unreal -- complete with a home theater, basketball court and a massive outdoor pool with waterfalls and a slide!!

Cousins listed the property back in September 2020 for $8 million ... and got pretty close to his asking price ... closing the sale at $7.5 mil.

And, since he bought the place for $6.5 million, it turned out to be a pretty solid investment.

No word on who purchased the estate -- but the new owner will have 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a sports media room ... and there's an elevator inside the home!!

There's also a state-of-the-art gym -- perfect for the COVID-conscious 2021 world we're all still living in.

UFC rising star Sean O'Malley says he's all about doing a crossover boxing match with superstar Ryan Garcia -- but first, he's gotta smash Thomas Almeida.

O'Malley -- who's developing into one of the best strikers in the UFC -- is taking on Almeida at UFC 260 on Saturday night in what's shaping up to be an AWESOME fight.

The 26-year-old is 12-1 and coming off his first pro loss after suffering an injury during his fight with Marlon Vera at UFC 252 ... and he's looking to make a statement when he returns to the Octagon.

But, Sean has big career plans -- and says if he ever gets the opportunity to do a crossover into boxing like Conor McGregor and Ben Askren, he's confident he would wreck shop.

"I feel like I have really good boxing," O'Malley tells TMZ Sports ... "I started off boxing [and] if the money's there, I would love to fight someone like King Ryan, Ryan Garcia. That dude's a stud."

Sean says he's got his priorities in line -- he knows he's got to EARN that opportunity by dominating in the Octagon first.

Jake Paul and Ben Askren finally came face-to-face ahead of their April 17 boxing match … and the level of trash talk was through the roof!!

Ben said he could literally “do a homicide” to Jake if he felt like it.

Jake called Ben a "p***y ass bitch."

Then, Jake FaceTimed Jorge Masvidal — who famously KO’d Ben in 5 seconds — to join in on the fun!!

Yeah, it was bananas!!

Of course, the two guys have been going back and forth on social media for months ... and their first face-to-face definitely lived up to the hype.

The smack talk even got physical after both fighters squared up against each other for their face-off ... with Ben shoving Jake's face.

Jake tried to go after Ben in retaliation ... but the folks working the event quickly brought the mayhem to a halt.

Paul and Askren meet in the ring for the Triller Fight Club on April 17 ... an event packed with fights and musical guests like Justin Bieber and Doja Cat.

It's gonna be a party!!

Oscar De La Hoya -- who's 48-years-old -- just confirmed he's returning to the boxing ring ... and will fight on July 3rd.

"July 3rd, I'm making my comeback," Oscar announced during a news conference for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight.

Oscar then dropped his mic and walked off the stage without naming his opponent.

The fight will take place under Snoop Dogg's Fight Club banner -- which is teamed up with Triller, the social media platform behind the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event.

Oscar hasn't had a pro fight since December 2008, when he lost to Manny Pacquiao -- but he's been talking about a comeback fight for months.

In fact, Oscar told ESPN back in August 2020 that he was starting to train and spar again in the hopes of getting back in the ring.

Oscar finished his legendary career with a 39-6 record when he hung up the gloves back in '08 -- with wins over superstars like Arturo Gatti, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker.

After his fighting career, Oscar became a successful promoter -- who's repped stars like Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia under his Golden Boy Promotions banner.

Clearly, Oscar is inspired by guys like Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., who came out of retirement for an incredible return to the ring back in Nov. 2020.

The Tyson vs. Roy Jones fight was also produced by Triller -- which seems to be the connective tissue through all of these events.

A 74-year-old grandmother says Derrius Guice sexually harassed her at the Superdome back in 2017 ... and she says the ex-LSU superstar was so vile, she's still "scarred" by the run-in.

Gloria Scott explained the encounter to lawmakers during her testimony in front of the Louisiana Senate Select Committee on Women and Children on Friday ... and she got emotional bringing up the memory.

Scott -- choking back tears -- said while she was performing her security job at a Dec. 9, 2017 H.S. game at the Superdome, Guice came up to her and grabbed at his genitals.

Scott says Guice then asked her if she wanted to have sex with him ... even telling her they should "go off and do it."

Scott says she scolded the running back over the nasty gestures and comments ... but she claims Guice just laughed and eventually left.

Scott says she reported the incident to her supervisors, and the complaint ultimately made its way to LSU's coaching staff.

In fact, Scott claims she even had a conversation with Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron over it.

But, Scott says she believes Orgeron and LSU did nothing to punish Guice for his actions.

For Orgeron's part, LSU has said the coach never directly spoke with Scott over the alleged incident.

Scott claims because she had complained about Guice ... she was actually moved from her normal security spot at H.S. games, saying her supervisors told her, "Well if they find out you're putting a charge on Derrius, the football players might have a reaction."

"I said, 'What do you mean a reaction toward me?'" Scott said. "'I'm the victim.'"

Scott told the lawmakers Friday the whole ordeal was horrifying for her ... and she wants LSU to recognize the issues it's had in the past with dealing with sexual misconduct claims and fix them going forward.

Devastating news from the Minnesota Twins ... former MLB player and current bench coach Mike Bell has passed away after a battle with kidney cancer. He was only 46.

"The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the death of current bench coach Mike Bell, who passed away today at the age of 46 from cancer," the team said in a statement Friday.

"At the request of the Bell family, we will play tonight’s game in honor of Mike."

Bell was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft ... and played 7 seasons in the minor leagues.

He made his MLB debut in 2000 with his hometown Cincinnati Reds ... hitting 2 home runs and 4 RBI before returning to the minors. He retired from playing in April 2005.

Bell's family has a long history in baseball -- Mike's brother, David, played 12 years in the MLB and is the current manager for the Reds.

His dad, Buddy, had an 18-year playing career in the majors before coaching from 1996-2007.

Mike's grandfather, Gus Bell, is in the Reds Hall of Fame.

Earlier this week, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised Bell ... saying he was "absolutely invaluable to what we do," according to the Star Tribune.

"I feel fortunate, I really do feel lucky, that I've had the opportunity to work with [him],"

COVID has just ruined yet another sports team's season ... Michigan men's ice hockey officials said Friday the squad will have to pull out of the NCAA Tournament over positive tests.

The school made the announcement in a lengthy statement ... explaining the team had multiple positive results within U-M's Tier I testing group.

"I'm devastated for these players," Wolverines head coach Mel Pearson said. "These student-athletes have done a wonderful job all year of making sacrifices to get to this point of the year."

"It's unfortunate. I don't completely understand the final decision but I have to respect it."

Michigan -- the tournament's #2 seed -- was set to face two-time defending national champion Minnesota Duluth on Friday ... but the game has now been ruled a no contest.

As a result, Minnesota Duluth will now automatically advance to the quarterfinals ... where it'll play the winner of North Dakota vs. American International.

Another global superstar is saying goodbye to social media -- this time, it's soccer superstar Thierry Henry, who says he's logging off until the platforms do a better job of combating racism and bullying.

Of course, Chrissy Teigen deactivated her Twitter account on Wednesday ... saying, "This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that's the right time to call something."

Now, Henry -- who has 2.3 MILLION followers on Twitter and another 2.7 mil on Instagram -- is throwing up the deuce to all his social media platforms, penning one last message on Friday.

"Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright," the Arsenal legend said.

"The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability."

He added ... "It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous.

"Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I'm hoping this happens soon."

Find someone who's loyal to you like Jamal Crawford's loyal to his Blackberry.

Yep, in the age of iPhone and Android .. the 41-year-old NBA star still rocks a Blackberry device -- AND HE'S DAMN PROUD OF IT!!

The 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year was outed as a Berry-user during a Thursday interview with Candace Parker on "NBA on TNT" ... and once J.C. copped to the using the relic, Shaq and the rest of the crew came with the jokes!

"They still got BlackBerry?" one voice said while Shaq and Candace piled on.

So, why is Crawford so adamant about living in the past when it comes to his phone?!?!

"It’s the keyboard," Jamal said proudly ... "You know, I don’t gotta spend time erasing stuff. It’s the keyboard. It shows my loyalty. Once I switched over to Blackberry I never left."

Crawford’s loyalty came with a price … explaining his NBA teammates had to send him separate messages since he couldn’t join the group chats.

"With my teammates, I couldn't be on the group texts. They had to send me stuff on the side since I didn’t have [a smart phone] ... it was coming up green."

For the record, it looks like Crawford's rockin' a Blackberry Key2 -- which came out in 2018 and features a full QWERTY keyboard.

NFL star Marshon Lattimore -- a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback -- was arrested in Cleveland around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

The 24-year-old New Orleans Saints star was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail early Friday morning ... where he posed for a mug shot while wearing a COVID mask.

Details surrounding the incident are unclear -- we're working on getting more info -- but Cleveland.com reports Lattimore was taken into custody by "Cleveland police’s gang investigators."

Lattimore -- the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has been a star player ever since ... making the Pro Bowl in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Lattimore is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract -- which means he's expected to renegotiate for a TON of money ... but the arrest could seriously affect his contract situation.

Before his NFL career, Lattimore was a star at Ohio State -- where he was named 1st Team All-BIG 10 in 2016.

Lattimore grew up in the Cleveland area -- and was a star at Glenville High School where he was touted as one of the best defensive backs in the country.

Story developing ...