TMZ Sports - Page 50

Sean Strickland's the UFC Middleweight champ today, but by the end of 2024, Brendan Allen believes the top of the division will look different ... he expects to be the titleholder!

TMZ Sports talked to 27-year-old Allen, the #10 ranked 185-pounder in the promotion, ahead of his UFC Fight Night main event scrap with #13 ranked Paul Craig on Saturday in Las Vegas ... a big fight for the rising star.

We asked Brendan for his assessment of the division.

"I think I'm the best in the world. It's up to me to prove it," Allen said, adding ... "I think Sean [Strickland] will be there for a little bit. Hopefully, ending of next year it'll be 'And new' for me. That's the goal. I don't care who's there when it's my turn. But obviously, the goal is 'And new' when I get my turn."

Allen, 22-5, is coming off a win over Bruno Silva in June ... his 5th straight victory.

35-year-old Craig had lost two in a row -- against Volkan Oezdemir (July '22) and Johnny Walker (January '23) -- before rebounding against Andre Muniz in July. Paul's 17-6-1 over his pro career.

Brendan also weighed in on Paul's decision to go from 205 lbs. to the 185 lb. division ... a move that could come around to bite Craig, according to Allen.

"I think the weight cut will play a role, but it's not the sole or main reason [I'll win]. I just think that I'm gonna be too good, too fast, too strong. He may be bigger, but I'm just a different guy when it comes to this weight class, and I'm gonna show just that.," Brenda told us.

We also talked to Craig ... who is going to do his best to (at least momentarily) stop the Allen hype train.

The NBA is admitting it's forcing LaMelo Ball to cover up his new neck tattoo ... claiming the Charlotte Hornets star's ink is violating league policy.

The 22-year-old got the "LF" put just below his left ear back in September ... to represent his middle name as well as his LaFrancé clothing line.

But, recently, he's covered it up with a bandage ... and on Friday, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement to ESPN it's because "players are prohibited from displaying commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair during games."

"We try to enforce the rule reasonably, in accordance with its purpose, and taking into account players' efforts to express themselves in a non-commercial manner," Frank added. "But LaMelo Ball's neck tattoo is in obvious violation of the rule and, accordingly, he's required to cover it."

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ball has been fighting the ruling ... and is still in talks with the league about coming up with an alternative solution.

The scenario is similar to one Ball's older brother, Lonzo Ball, had to deal with back in 2018 ... when the league made him cover up a "Big Baller Brand" tattoo he had gotten on his arm.

Suni Lee -- the Olympics star who won gold in Tokyo in 2020 -- just revealed her kidney issues this year caused her to gain 45 pounds.

The 5-foot gymnast made the revelation in an interview with USA Today this week ... just a few months after she left Auburn to get a handle on the ailment.

"I couldn't fit into any of my clothes," Lee told the outlet. "My eyes were swollen shut. It was just so scary."

Thankfully, Lee says she's doing better now ... and, according to USA Today, she looks "very much like the gymnast" who competed in the Games nearly three years ago.

"I haven't had a really bad day in a while," Lee said. "But in the beginning it was like I was waking up swollen. My fingers were so swollen they wouldn’t fit into my grips and I couldn't hold on to the bar."

She added, "My whole body was swollen because I was retaining water, so I couldn’t do a flip. … So it was really different and I had to learn how to work through it."

Lee said she's made some changes to her diet -- eliminating a lot of her sodium intake -- which has allowed her to reignite her pursuit of more medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

"We're still working on trying to figure out how to balance all of it because I do have good days and bad days," Lee said. "But with the good days I just take advantage of what I'm able to do, and on the bad days I just do basics and try and stay as safe as possible."

Shaquille O'Neal continues to give back ... this time the Big Fella refurbished a basketball court at a Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles, and then spent the afternoon hangin' with the kids, and they were over the moon!

TMZ Sports was there at the BGC of Metro LA when the Hall of Famer, local officials, and Icy Hot (Shaq's longtime partner) reps opened the Comebaq Court ... an initiative launched by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation which aims to fix courts and fields for kids across the country.

"I came here one time and I saw the court need to be refurbished," O'Neal told us on Thursday, adding, "I asked about the refurbish. They told me 'yes' and this is the result."

"If we can help one, if we can help 100, we can help 'em all"

FYI, this is Shaq's fifth Comebaq Court to date ... he also has fixed up courts in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, in addition to several other places like Atlanta, Miami, and Las Vegas, where he's spent significant time.

And, there's more to come.

O'Neal may get most of the credit from the media, but Shaq is quick to recognize his less-famous partners who made this possible, including Icy Hot and various counselors who helped contribute.

"Those counselors, the one who volunteers every day, they actually should get most of the credit," Shaq said.

"If you need computers, you need laptops, fresh paint -- then you call Uncle Shaq."

The NBA legend made nearly $300 million over his 19-year career in NBA salary money alone. That's not counting all of the endorsements, and lucrative business moves O'Neal has made during and after his basketball playing days.

So, he's got the money, but this is about much more than writing a check. Shaq cares about the kids' well-being ... and that's awesome. At the end of the day, it's things like this that make Shaq one of the most lovable athletes of all time.

With the holidays coming up, we asked the 51-year-old what he was doing for Turkey Day... and in true Shaquille fashion he told us ... "I don't do anything in my house."

12:22 PM -- Joe Burrow just met with media members to discuss the injury ... and he said he felt "a pop" while he was throwing the touchdown pass to Joe Mixon.

As for the brace he had on his hand when he landed in Baltimore earlier this week, he told reporters it was simply a compression sleeve to keep some of his other "bumps and bruises" in check.

"This is a completely different thing," he said.

Burrow added that he's planning to still be around the team the rest of the year despite being out for the remainder of the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals will have to try to win a Super Bowl this season without Joe Burrow.

The team just announced its star quarterback suffered a significant wrist injury that will keep him from playing the rest of this year.

According to Cincy head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow appeared to sustain the ailment just before throwing a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon in the second quarter of the team's Thursday Night Football game against the Ravens.

Burrow tried to play through the pain ... but cameras inside of M&T Bank Stadium showed he just simply couldn't grip a football -- and sat out the rest of the contest, which the Bengals lost, 34-20.

Taylor said his 26-year-old star will "likely" need surgery to fix the issue.

The team, meanwhile, could find itself in hot water over it all ... as the NFL is reportedly investigating whether or not the Bengals knew about a potential problem with Burrow's wrist leading up to the big "TNF" matchup.

Burrow was seen getting off the team plane in Baltimore wearing some kind of brace on his hand -- yet he was not listed on the team's injury report heading into the game.

Regardless, losing Burrow is obviously a huge blow for Cincinnati ... as the signal-caller is widely considered one of the five best quarterbacks in the game right now.

The Bengals -- now 5-5 -- will turn to Burrow's backup, Jake Browning, to try to save their season.

The guy who's been tapped to play Superman in the new installment has looked a bit gangly and awkward to some since his casting was announced ... but not anymore.

David Corenswet -- who's playing the Man of Steel in James Gunn's forthcoming 'Superman: Legacy' -- got snapped in a gym pic by fitness trainer Paolo Mascitti ... who's apparently working with DC to get him nice and hunky for the titular role.

Based on what we can see here ... their regimen is working, 'cause Dave's looking swoll!

You don't see the guy's face here -- but you can definitely get a sense of how his body's shaping up ... and he certainly looks a bit more Superman-ly now. It's a bit of a 180 from what we saw earlier this summer, when Dave hit the beach and bared his hot dad bod.

There was certainly nothing wrong with what he was working with then -- especially below the equator -- but let's just say ... he wasn't nearly as muscled out as he is right now.

Now that Dave seems to have the Clark Kent physique down ... it would appear he's checking all the boxes fans of the franchise want to see in their Superman. He definitely has the face and hair department on lock -- not to mention height -- and now ... he's ripped too.

Time will tell what he ultimately looks like in the blue and red suit ... but this is a sign things are headed in the right direction. Filming for 'Superman: Legacy' is set to get underway in Spring 2024 ... and the flick's being released in Summer 2025.

Floyd Mayweather's returning to the boxing ring to take care of some unfinished business ... the legendary fighter is taking on John Gotti III in Las Vegas over Super Bowl weekend in February, a rematch of their '23 fight that ended in chaos!

TMZ Sports is told the event will happen around Super Sunday (February 11 in Sin City) and will be headlined by 46-year-old Mayweather vs. 31-year-old Gotti III.

Floyd, 50-0, is one of the greatest fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves. Gotti III, grandson of the legendary Gambino family crime boss, John Gotti, was originally an MMA fighter (5-1), who eventually got into boxing (2-0).

The rest of the card will be anchored by Floyd's Mayweather Promotions fighters.

Of course, Floyd and John have history. Back in June, they boxed at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida ... but the bout was called in the sixth round after a bunch of holding and other shenanigans in the ring.

Although the fight was technically stopped by ref Kenny Bayless, it was just the beginning of the fighting ... as mayhem erupted inside the squared circle, and outside of it, too.

In fact, Joseline Hernandez and Big Lex were seen scrapping.

Order was eventually restored ... and reps for the fighters spoke and peaced things up.

Now, the men are set to battle again ... during what was already one of the biggest weeks in all of sports.

And, to make sure there isn't a repeat of the first fight, we're told there are clauses in the contracts that could trigger a financial fine if anyone gets out of line.

The fight, a pay-per-view event airing on Zeus network, will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions, along with partner Hidden Empire Films!

Charissa Thompson is now saying she did NOT fabricate sideline reports despite previously admitting to doing so ... explaining in an apology statement on Friday, "I chose the wrong words."

The famous sports personality set social media ablaze this week when she said on the "Pardon My Take" podcast that she would sometimes "make up" reports when she used to work football sidelines.

She said on the Barstool Sports show that if a coach wouldn't speak to her -- or if she was running out of time on a broadcast -- she'd just pretend she was told something about the action on the field.

"Like, they're not going to correct me on that," she said with a smile. "So, I'm like, 'It's fine. I'll just make up the report.'"

Sideline reporters everywhere, however, immediately dumped on her over the admission ... with longtime ESPN journalist Lisa Salters saying she was straight up "shocked," "disappointed" and "disgusted" by the comments. Molly McGrath, Jenna Laine, Tracy Wolfson and Laura Okmin all chimed in as well.

Thompson, however, said in a statement posted to her Instagram page Friday morning that she misspoke ... and did not actually ever cook up stories while working games.

"I chose the wrong words to describe the situation," Thompson said. "I'm sorry. I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster."

"In the absence of a coach providing any information that could further my report, I would use information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report."

"For example," she continued, "if a team was 0 for 7 on 3rd down, that would clearly be an area they need to improve on in the second half. In these instances, I never attributed anything I said to a player or coach."

A group of Baltimore Ravens fans had no problem adding insult to injury after Thursday Night Football, literally ... after the Bengals superstar quarterback left the game with an injured wrist, they chanted "F*** Joe Burrow" on live TV!

The Bengals QB was forced out of the game during the first half of TNF with a mysterious wrist injury ... and was eventually ruled out.

Of course, Burrow's absence was felt on the field, and the Ravens won the game, 34-20.

The Ravens fans weren't content with the win ... after the game, they made it clear they're no fan of JB.

"F*** Joe Burrow! F*** Joe Burrow!" fans yelled during Prime's post-game broadcast.

The chants were captured loud and clear on the stream ... and many football fans weren't happy with their actions.

"This is actually embarrassing," a fellow B-more fan said on X. "As a Baltimore Ravens fan since '96, I am ashamed of my fellow fans. Wishing Joe Burrow a speedy recovery."

But, the Bengals may have other issues besides Ravens fans ... the NFL has launched an investigation into the team after they posted a video on social media ahead of the game that appeared to show JB wearing a brace on his hand prior to the game. The Bengals eventually removed the post.

Los Angeles Chargers superfan Merrianne Do is turning her viral Monday Night Football appearance into a keepsake -- she's getting her very own bobblehead!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Do has teamed up with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum to release limited-edition mementos -- depicting the wide range of emotions she showed while watching the Bolts take on the Dallas Cowboys last month.

Fans who want to snag one of the 2,023 bobbles can choose from nervous, sad, happy, angry, and angry with red eyes versions for $30 each ... or get the whole set for $125.

The Bobblehead H.O.F. threw together an artist rendering of what the finished product will look like ... showing an 8-inch, mini Do wearing a blue jersey.

"I'm super thrilled and can’t believe my game-day reactions are turning into bobbleheads!" Merrianne said of the business move. "I think many sports fans can relate to one of more of these roller coaster emotions, and the fact that they are being encapsulated into bobbleheads is so fun!"

Of course, Do's popular fandom was the talk of social media for days ... with many questioning whether she was a paid actor.

Do previously told us that couldn't be farther from the truth ... as she simply just loves the hell outta her team.

Steve Kerr made it clear he's pissed at Draymond Green for choking Rudy Gobert earlier this week ... calling the Golden State star's actions "inexcusable."

The Warriors head coach didn't hold back when talking about Green's role in Tuesday night's on-court fight just before the Dubs' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... explaining to reporters he didn't find Green's actions appropriate.

"He took it too far," Kerr said. "Draymond was wrong. He knows that. It's a bad look."

Kerr added that the five-game ban that Draymond received for putting his arms around Gobert's neck and refusing to let go during the Dubs' loss to the Timberwolves was "deserved."

"It was a terrible visual for the league," Kerr said, "for Draymond and for everybody."

Initially, Kerr seemed to have Green's back following the brawl ... saying Tuesday night he thought his player did what was needed to protect Klay Thompson. In some ways, Kerr stood by that stance a bit on Thursday, telling media members he "had no problem" with Green getting Gobert off Thompson ... but "he's got to let go."

"He hung on for like six, seven seconds," Kerr said.

Without Green on Thursday night, the Warriors got blown out by the Thunder, 128-109.

A Formula One car turned into a flamethrower during a practice run in Las Vegas Thursday night, spitting out a stream of fire that was caught on dramatic video ... forcing officials to cancel the rest of the session.

Check out the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports ... several F1 cars, including a Ferrari, are zooming around the track built along the Vegas Strip for Saturday's celebrity-studded Formula One Grand Prix. Journey, J Balvin, John Legend, Keith Urban and Steve Aoki are all set to perform at the three-day event.

In the 19-second clip ... Carlos Sainz's Ferrari roars down the track past The Cromwell Hotel and, suddenly a burst of flames shoots out from the back of the race car before it disappears from our view. One stunned onlooker reacts by yelling, "Wooooooo!"

It was later revealed the incident was caused when Sainz drove over a loose drain cover, causing serious damage to his car.

Ferrari was forced to replace Sainz's chassis, engine and battery ... which sparked a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

Thankfully, no one was injured ... and the police and fire departments did not have to respond to the scene.

Sainz sounded off on the track conditions in a social media post Friday morning ... saying, "Eventful and long day. We seem competitive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

"However, the situation of the manhole damage and the 10-place penalty is not acceptable, but we’ll deal with it."

Much of Clips Nation is panicking over the team's disastrous start with James Harden, but not the team's most loyal fan, Clipper Darrell, who tells us he has complete confidence that the squad will not only turn things around but will also be a top seed in the Western Conference!

And, they could even compete for an NBA title.

Yes, Darrell Bailey is doubling down on the Clippers ... despite them being winless at 0-5 since acquiring the former NBA MVP from the Philadelphia 76ers about 2 and a half weeks ago.

"Anytime a new person comes in, especially of James Harden's caliber, it's gonna take time," Clipper Darrell explained, before making it clear he still has faith in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the roster's ability to mesh with The Beard.

"I still believe in this team. I know we're having a hard time right now, but this team is definitely going to prosper."

Not everyone feels the same way ... Darrell admits much of the fan base is, let's call it, highly concerned.

"Oh no, they're freakin' out, they're freakin' out! They're goin' crazy! 'I told you, I didn't want him!' But hey, ya gotta believe. It's early in the season. Now if this was March, Babcock. Come on! I'd be pulling my hair out."

The good news for the 3-7 L.A. ... the NBA season is still young. We asked Darrell to look in his crystal ball and predict where the team stands after the full 82 games.

"Second seed," CD said, continuing ... "We definitely gonna be a top 3 team, but I'm looking at second seed. I want first, but I ain't gonna be greedy."

The tee clearly doesn't fall far from the green in the Woods family ... 'cause Tiger's son, Charlie, just helped his high school win a golf championship!!

The 14-year-old freshman competed alongside four others for The Benjamin School's boys team at Florida's FHSAA Class A state championship this week ... and with his two scores of 78 and 76, he helped his squad raise the coveted trophy on Wednesday afternoon.

Charlie finished fourth out of five on his team ... and tied for 26th overall in the tournament. Dad was at the scene for the entirety of the week -- cheering on his boy throughout the competition.

In addition to snagging a title medal, Charlie also had one of the best highlights of the week ... sinking a long chip that elicited a very Tiger-like fist pump from the teenager.

Charlie now has some bragging rights over his Pops ... as Tiger never won a state championship when he was growing up.

Tyreek Hill says his marriage to Keeta Vaccaro last week was a bit of a spontaneous one ... admitting to reporters on Thursday the idea to officially tie the knot with his longtime fiancée came about only recently.

"I was spending a lot of time with my kids, spending a lot of time with her, and the conversation just came up," the Dolphins star told a gaggle of media members in front of his locker.

"I was like, 'Babe, we've been engaged so long, are you ready to tie the knot?' It kind of caught her off guard. She didn't believe me because we've been engaged ever since 2021. It was like, 'OK, let's go do it.' She was like, 'Show me you're for real.' And we did it."

Hill and Vaccaro headed to a courthouse in Travis County, Texas back on Nov. 8 to formalize things ... and while it surprised many, Hill still described it all as ultimately being "perfect timing."

"It was about time, man," he said. "You feel me?"

Hill added he and Keeta will now have a more formal -- yet still small -- ceremony to celebrate the nuptials in the near future.

Jim Harbaugh is waving the white flag in his fight against the Big Ten -- the Michigan head football coach has agreed to accept his three-game suspension as a result of the program's sign-stealing scandal.

U of M released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying all sides resolved their pending litigation, with the conference closing its investigation.

"Coach Harbaugh, with the University's support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field," the school said.

"The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh's involvement in the allegations."

Harbaugh's punishment means he will now miss Michigan's game against Maryland -- plus its massive rivalry with Ohio State ... which has a lot riding on it, as both schools are ranked in the top four.

Thursday's decision, however, doesn't mean Coach is out of the woods just yet -- the NCAA is still looking into the whole saga involving staffer Connor Stalions, who is accused of buying tickets to games to decipher the sideline signals of Michigan's future opponents.

The school stated it will continue to cooperate with that investigation.

Harbaugh will be able to coach during the week ... but he will be persona non grata on gameday for the next two matchups.