TMZ Sports - Page 50

Paige VanZant was a star in the UFC, but she says her MMA-fighter husband's debut win with the promotion was sweeter than any moment she had in the Octagon!

TMZ Sports talked to VanZant about hubby Austin Vanderford's UFC Fight Night 252 win against Nikolay Veretennikov by second-round TKO ... a fight AV took on less than one week's notice.

Wifey couldn't be prouder.

A special piece of Jackie Robinson memorabilia is about to hit auction ... and TMZ Sports has learned it could fetch over $400K!!

The 1948 Leaf card is regarded as Robinson's true rookie card ... and Heritage Auction has acquired one of only eight that has received a "superior assessment."

The card has an image of Robinson wearing his Brooklyn Dodgers cap in front of a yellow background ... and it's graded a PSA NM-MT 8.

Paddy Pimblett is locked in for his co-main event fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami ... but the MMA star can't help but dream about what could come next -- including a potential mega-fight with Conor McGregor!

TMZ Sports caught up with Paddy "The Baddy" ahead of his big-time showdown with the seventh-ranked fighter in the lightweight division ... saying their scrap is what many consider the true main event.

"I don't think anybody has more entertaining fights than Michael Chandler," Paddy said.

J.D. Vance may have been hoping for a relaxing weekend of skiing up in Vermont ... but, instead he nearly got taken out by another skier -- and called "Putin's puppet" by someone else on the mountain.

The vice president headed up to Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont for a weekend away from D.C. ... and, he hit the mountain Saturday on a pair of skis.

Check out video of the Veep obtained by TMZ ... you can't see his face, but eyewitnesses swear it's him, and he's been photographed skiing in a similar jacket. He's making his way down pretty slow -- though his technique looks good as glides across the fresh powder.

If the boat's a-rockin', ya gotta come a-knockin' ... 'cause it might just be 50 Cent whipping the crowd into a frenzy onboard!

TMZ has obtained video of the rapper surprising a ship full of people Friday night ... after Flo Rida brought him out as a special guest during a performance at a party hosted by Houston Rockets governor Tilman Fertitta's.

Check out the video ... Flo gives his longtime friend a wonderful intro -- calling him one of the greatest rappers ever -- before 50 struts out and drives the crowd wild.

Bethenny Frankel may need to have it out on her 'Just B' podcast with Alix Earle ... 'cause the popular influencer stood her up for dinner this week -- though Earle says she has a good reason for it.

The reality television star shared the news on her Instagram Friday night ... sharing a "get ready with me" vid to her IG before their scheduled dinner.

She talks about how she linked up with Alix originally before adding she's going to see both her and Braxton Berrios for dinner.

Opening Day is still a few weeks away, but President Donald Trump threw one high and tight Friday night ... torching baseball for not enshrining the late legend Pete Rose in Cooperstown!

POTUS, a big baseball fan, unloaded on MLB leadership and HOF voters, blasting commish Rob Manfred (although not by name) and writers for keeping the all-time hit leader out of the Hall, even in death.

"Major League Baseball didn't have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as 'Charlie Hustle,' into the Baseball Hall of Fame," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

FBI Director Kash Patel wants UFC fighters to train his Agents ... and well there's one that is totally down! 🙋🏽 Justin Gaethje.

TMZ Sports spoke to 36-year-old Gaethje, who at the moment is a little tied up preparing for his co-main event scrap with Rafael Fiziev, who was plugged in for an injured Dan Hooker this week.

After the March 8 scrap in Las Vegas, the lightweight contender is down to help the country's top law enforcement agency in any way he can ... training personnel, or just kickin' the ass himself.

Abdul Carter's foot should have zero impact on his draft stock ... so says Manti Te'o, who tells TMZ Sports he still expects his name to be called first on April 24!!

We caught up with the former second-round selection out at LAX ... where we got his take on all things NFL Combine and how it'll impact how things play out in Green Bay in a few weeks.

One big storyline?? Carter's health status.

Ryan Seacrest is getting big with one of his bros in the gym ... sharing a workout video with the guy who replaced him on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" -- Mark Conseulos!

The popular host shared a short clip to social media Friday which shows Consuelos doing sit-ups ... telling fans he's just trying to get a workout in.

But, when he goes back to the ground, Seacrest is revealed to be stretching out behind him ... and, MC keeps ending up right between his pal's legs whenever he's fully laid back.

Kate Hudson’s new series "Running Point" is dribbling its way into Netflix viewers' hearts -- and from the looks of it, filming was a total blast!

The cast and crew, including EP Mindy Kaling, shared a bunch of BTS snaps -- showing all the courtside fun, both on- and off-camera.

From dressing room shenanigans to Zoom calls and between-take chilling, the set looked like the ultimate place to be.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department held a news conference to give an update on the investigation into the deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, this afternoon -- and, it sounds like Gene was dead in the New Mexico home for a week and a half before he was found.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza led the news conference as deputies continue to look into the deaths they labeled "suspicious" in a department application for a search warrant this week.

During the press conference, Mendoza says Hackman's pacemaker shows its last event on February 17 -- indicating that's when it stopped and when he died. Mendoza said autopsies and toxicology reports were pending, but he said both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide, according to the medical examiner.

Former Milwaukee Brewer Willy Adames faced off against his old squad for the first time since legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker's death on Friday ... and after the game, he opened up on just how much the loss affected him.

The shortstop spoke with the media following the Giants' 9-2 win at Spring Training ... and he was clearly emotional talking about the commentator.

Adames said he was hoping to attend Uecker's funeral ... but wasn't able to as his family elected to keep it private.

NFL's Patrick Peterson is passionate about increasing diversity in golf ... telling TMZ Sports he started his own club to introduce new people to the sport!!

Peterson -- who last played with the Steelers in 2023 -- is well aware of the lack of Black representation in the sport ... with Tiger Woods carrying the majority of the weight.

That's why the eight-time Pro Bowler and his friends founded Gold Links Golf Club, which offers plenty of events and opportunities for people to get involved, including an upcoming celebrity tournament with Ne-Yo on April 28th.

Chris Kluwe’s anti-MAGA protest cost him more than a few hours in a jail cell ... his passionate city council outburst also led to his firing from his high school coaching job!

The former Vikings punter revealed he received termination papers from Edison High School on Wednesday -- days after he was arrested and charged with disturbance of an assembly -- following his rant against MAGA at a Huntington Beach council meeting.

"I'm bummed that I won't get to work with the kids anymore, because they always got excited when they figured out I played in the NFL, and I think this exemplifies what MAGA is all about," Kluwe told TMZ Sports on Friday.