TMZ Sports - Page 3

Linda Hogan is putting her family drama to the side to honor her late ex-husband on Monday ... sharing an emotional tribute to Hulk on what would have been his 72nd birthday.

Linda -- who was married to the wrestling icon for 26 years -- posted the message alongside a throwback picture from their early dating days ... showing them sharing an embrace as they posed for the camera.

"Me and Hulkster .. 1981 Happy Birthday Terry .. I love and miss you so much ..," Linda said.

Bill Belichick's current girlfriend and his former one crossed paths yet again over the weekend ... but unlike one of the last times the two connected, there were no fireworks.

Jordon Hudson and Linda Holliday were both seen at a swanky fundraiser event in Nantucket on Saturday night -- in what's believed to be their first public run-in since that infamous Christmas party encounter last year.

Hudson hit the Boston Pops on Nantucket bash with her pageant queen bestie, Melissa Sapini -- as Belichick was back in Chapel Hill getting his Tar Heels football team ready for the start of its season.

Dana White and the UFC will have a new streaming home beginning in 2026 ... Paramount has acquired the U.S. rights to the MMA organization in a massive $7.7 BILLION deal!

TKO announced the pact Monday morning ... revealing the agreement with the Skydance Corporation is a seven-year one that's worth an annual price tag of $1.1 billion.

"The historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes," White said. "For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform."

Tristan Thompson protects the net on the basketball court, but his new side hustle is all about delivering it to unconnected people worldwide!

TMZ Sports has learned 34-year-old Thompson secured the C-suite gig with telecommunications company World Mobile ... where the NBA champ will serve as Chief Digital Equity Officer.

The NBA champ isn't cashing a check to serve as a spokesperson. We're told Tristan believes in WM's mission -- connecting people across the globe, many in underserved communities -- with an internet connection.

NASCAR racer Connor Zilisch was forced to pump the brakes on celebrating his big Xfinity Series win in New York Saturday when he tumbled from his car and broke his collarbone.

The horrific ordeal was caught on video -- Connor was climbing onto the roof of his No. 88 Chevrolet racecar to celebrate his W when his left foot seemingly got stuck in his window ... making him take a hard fall to the ground.

Paramedics quickly arrived to render aid ... and he was transported from Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International to a local hospital "awake and alert" for further evaluation.

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are in real-deal negotiations to fight ... and AJ's longtime promoter, Eddie Hearn, says it could happen "early next year!"

The Matchroom Boxing boss -- who has worked alongside Joshua for over a decade -- joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... and Hearn left us shocked.

"I just thought to myself, this is Jake Paul creating headlines. He's not going to fight Anthony Joshua. And in every conversation I have with [Jake's partner] Nikisa and MVP, I'm like, 'Oh my God, they actually think they can beat him,'" Eddie said.

Bryce Harper in Banana Ball??? If Party Animals star Tanner Thomas had things his way, that'd be a reality sometime in the near future!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former Virginia Tech outfielder while he was working a ceremonial shift at a Raising Cane's ... and he made it clear, out of all the Big Leaguers he could choose from, he'd want Harper on his squad the most.

"Just a Party Animal," Thomas said of the Phillies first baseman. "He just seems like he's got the mullet, the facial hair, hits bombs. That's definitely a Party Animal."

Fantasy basketball players searching for a breakout NBAer in 2025-26, look no further ... Scotty Pippen Jr. just guaranteed to TMZ Sports "this year is going to be big for me!"

The Grizzlies guard -- who's the son of Scottie Pippen -- chopped it up with us out at LAX this week ... and he made it clear, his third season in the NBA will be his best.

He told us he's been training out in Los Angeles ... and while there's still a few months left until Memphis' first game, he's "confident."

Jeffrey Louis Starr -- a former child actor -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed with multiple family members.

Starr passed away last month ... with a family source telling us he took his last breath in a hospital in Carbondale, Illinois surrounded by loved ones. We're told he dealing with an illness before he died.

Jeffrey's brother, Kevin, and sister-in-law, Michele, posted on social media after he passed ... remembering Jeffrey as someone who gave great hugs, had a big heart and seemed to make and have friends at just about every place he walked into.

Alexa Bliss is a champ in the ring -- both for her wrestling performance and for how she looks in the outfits, too.

The WWE star turned 34 on Saturday ... and, we've put together all of her heavyweight hot shots from inside and outside the ring.

Bliss knows how to excite a crowd ... hopping up on the ropes and bending over to give everyone a look at her tight spandex shorts.

Jordon Hudson apparently thinks she's a public relations pro, as good as some of the best in the field ... but then broke down in tears on a call with reporters.

Here's the deal ... Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill -- hosts of "The Sports Gossip Show," which was just acquired by The Athletic -- dished on a few late-night phone calls they had with Jordon.

During the call, Charlotte and Madeline say Jordon agreed with their assessment that she's Bill Belichick's version of Tree Paine. For those of you who don't know, Tree is Taylor Swift's PR point person -- highly regarded and respected in her field.

Piers Morgan is throwing in the white towel ... after calling Jake Paul's fights "boring, staged bulls***," and prompting "The Problem Child" to hire an attorney, the media personality has clarified his comment online.

"What I meant is that his fights have been predominantly against older, past-their-prime opponents, which may be lucrative for both sides, and may have entertainment value, but don’t reveal how he stacks up against currently ranked boxers and therefore are not a good look for the sport."

Morgan continued on X ... "I did not intend to suggest that the outcome was predetermined and certainly didn’t mean to suggest anything illegal."

Patrick Mahomes is opening up about his father's 2024 DWI arrest -- which happened days before the Super Bowl -- like never before.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback admits his dad, Patrick Mahomes Sr., "hurt" him when he was caught up in the law again during an interview for the upcoming ESPN docuseries "The Kingdom," the New York Post reports.

But -- he says things are on the up with Pat Sr., noting ... "I think just knowing that it hurt me, woke him up to know that like you can’t keep doing the same things."

Japanese boxer Shigetoshi Kotari has tragically passed away following a serious injury he sustained in a title fight just 1 week ago.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced on X Kotari died on Friday after his August 2 match in Tokyo against Yamato Hata ... and remembered him as a "warrior in the ring" and a "fighter in spirit."

The super-featherweight underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma following the fight, per a translated press release shared by the Japan Boxing Commission. A subdural hematoma is a type of bleeding that occurs between the brain and skull, per Cleveland Clinic, and can be fatal if not attended to.

Forget Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the man who created "The Match" tells TMZ Sports he wants the next iteration of the famed golf event to feature the Backstreet Boys vs. *NSYNC!

Bryan Zuriff -- a film and TV producer who brought "The Match" to life in 2018 -- said on Friday he's all in on the idea of the boy band battle on the links ... after he heard BSB issue Justin Timberlake and Co. the challenge on TMZ Sports this week.

Zuriff said he's got a big vision for the potential event ... explaining he wants it to go down at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas -- with the Sphere (where BSB are currently performing) in the backdrop!

Aaron Rodgers hasn't made a Pro Bowl in three seasons, but Brett Favre is adamant the quarterback isn't washed ... telling TMZ Sports his former teammate "still has the potential to lead a team to the Super Bowl."

"He can still play," Favre insisted during a recent sitdown. "There's no question."

If Rodgers can still be elite, he'll have to prove it in a different uniform this year ... as he left the Jets this offseason to sign with the Steelers.