TMZ Sports - Page 50

Justin Gimelstob -- an ex-tennis star and current broadcaster -- pled not guilty to felony aggravated battery after he was accused of beating the hell out of a man during a trick-or-treating run on Halloween.

Gimelstob -- a former doubles champ who coaches tennis stud John Isner -- was arrested on the suspicion of roughing up a guy named Randall Kaplan while the man was trick-or-treating with his family in L.A. on Oct. 31.

In a restraining order Kaplan filed in November, he claims the tennis coach hit him from behind, pinned him down, punched him "more than 50 times" in the face and head and threatened to "f**king kill" him.

Justin showed up in court Wednesday in L.A. to face the battery with serious bodily injury charge -- a felony -- and pled not guilty.

If convicted, Gimelstob faces up to 4 years in prison AND a fine of up to $10,000.

While dealing with his case, Justin has reportedly taken a leave of absence from his role as an analyst at the Tennis Channel.

How much would you pay to grab dinner with one of the hottest young couples in sports??

For 3 lucky (and rich) Cleveland Browns fans ... we're told the answer is a whoppin' $32,000 each for a night out with Baker Mayfield and Emily Wilkinson ... and it's all for charity!!

The Browns stud and his fiancee were the hot item at the Providence House's Deck the House auction event on Tuesday night ... with their dinner date starting a fierce bidding war.

The original plan was to auction 1 dinner ... but when the price started to skyrocket, Baker agreed to 3 separate evenings out -- ultimately raising $96,000.

FYI -- the Providence House is a crisis nursery that protects at-risk children and families in crisis ... and the couple has been very passionate about the cause ... spending time with the kids at a recent visit a few weeks ago.

We're told Baker was the star of the night ... and even tried his hand at auctioning off some of the items.

On top of the dinner dates ... Baker's game-worn cleats went for another $14k!!

Bake also got in on the action ... bidding $9,250 to win a purple guitar autographed by PRINCE!!

Post Malone says he has the perfect opponent for Wiz Khalifa's first real MMA fight ... and it's UFC all-time LEGEND Anderson Silva ... which has us at TMZ Sports asking an important question ...

Why does Post Malone want Wiz Khalifa dead?

Wiz has been training MMA at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Performance gym for a while now, and he looks GREAT, but Posty's answer on who he should fight first left us scratching our heads.

"I wanna see Wiz and Silva. They got the same type of body type, long and skinny." Post said when we got him out in L.A.

Yes, that Anderson Silva ... the same one that ran off a 17-match winning streak in the UFC and is regarded by some as the finest MMA fighter of all time. That guy.

Post and Wiz have worked together for years -- as a matter of fact, Wiz was instrumental in the early success of Post's breakout hit, "White Iverson" -- so we're not sure when Post decided Wiz had to die.

On the other hand ... maybe Post really thinks Wiz could compete with Silva.

Say no to drugs kids.

Aaron Donald says if you're jumpin' off the Rams bandwagon after their ugly loss to the Bears ... you're gonna regret it -- 'cause the big DL tells TMZ Sports, "We'll bounce back!!!"

L.A. got punished in Chicago on Sunday night -- lookin' like a soft team afraid of the cold in a 15-6 loss -- and many are callin' the 11-2 Rams a fraud now.

But, when we got their superstar D-lineman at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year ceremony at The Beverly Hilton ... his message for L.A.'s haters was simple.

"We'll be fine. It's a learning experience. It ain't going to do nothing but make us better, make us stronger. We ain't worried about it. We'll bounce back!!!"

Donald's probably not wrong ... L.A. likely won't have to go anywhere other than the Coliseum or the Superdome in the playoffs -- which means no more chilly temps for the squad.

But, A.D. wasn't guaranteeing a win over Chicago if they rematch in Los Angeles, telling us, "We're going to see!"

Canelo Alvarez is sick of trading insults with Floyd Mayweather -- he wants to trade punches ... telling TMZ Sports the time has come for the two to finally get back in the ring.

Just this week, Floyd trashed Canelo again -- saying he was an "old man" (at 36) when he beat Alvarez back in 2013 ... claiming Canelo was "some of the easiest work I had."

So, when we spoke with Alvarez on Tuesday, we asked if he had a response.

"The truth is I have nothing to say to him," Canelo told us ... "He’s bothered and I don’t know why. In reality, he said he was old, but I was too young for that fight."

"Those are just arguments that he can have and that I can have as well. It looks like it’s getting to him."

Canelo says a rematch would not only be great for boxing, but also for Floyd's bank account -- the insinuation from Alvarez is Mayweather ain't exactly as rich as he claims to be.

And, how would the rematch go? Much different than the first fight ...

"I’m different now, I have more experience and more confidence in the ring and it would be a different result, I can assure you of that and it would be a better fight and I know that the public would walk away very happy from wherever in the world that they’re watching."

In the meantime, Canelo is gearing up to fight Rocky Fielding this weekend on DAZN -- and Fielding tells us he's ready for war.

THE SON OF CLUBBER LANG IS COMING ...

That's because Sylvester Stallone says if Deontay Wilder really wants to play that very role in 'Creed 3' ... Sly is all about making it happen.

A little background ... We got Wilder out last week, and the heavyweight champ told us his career after boxing is gonna be on the silver screen -- and his dream role is to play Clubber Lang's kid in 'Creed 3.'

So, when Stallone was leaving Caffe Roma in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, we asked him if he could make Wilder's acting dream happen.

"The answer is yes ... come one, come all."

Before you think Stallone was just giving us lip service, he went on to say he thinks Wilder has a lot of hidden talents, and seriously would have no issue giving him a shot.

We also asked if Wilder could count on any special, one-on-one mentoring from Sylvester, and his answer was pretty definitive.

"No, I don't think so."

Chris Pratt is throwing off signs his relationship with Katherine Schwarzenegger is super serious ... so serious, he's already broing down with her brother.

Chris and Patrick Schwarzenegger hit up the Raptors-Clippers game (the Clips got clobbered) Tuesday night at Staples Center. Katherine was nowhere in sight, which makes the outing even more interesting.

It's not the first sign Chris and Katherine are showing they're in it for the long haul. He and Katherine hang out all the time with his son, Jack. And, Chris has already met papa Schwarzenegger.

Another good sign for Chris and Katherine -- when "Aint' No Mountain High Enough" came on during karaoke time on the jumbotron ... both Chris and Patrick joined in on the fun.

Kiara Mia says there's no way in hell her date with Jimmy Garoppolo cursed the Niners QB ... but the porn star doesn't exactly mind the take, saying, "I'm flattered!"

Of course, Jimmy's season came to a catastrophic end just a few weeks after his famous night out with Kiara ... and some fans pegged her as the bad juju that caused his ACL tear.

But, Kiara says, for as much as she's honored that people think she has that kinda power -- she tells TMZ Sports it's just not possible.

"I'm impressed that people look at me as a God," Kiara says.

"Like, only God has the power to, like, control someone's journey in life. So, I'm flattered people think I have that much power in my life to control somebody's life!"

Kiara tells us she really hasn't been keeping up with Jimmy or his team -- we had to break the news to her that the Niners really suck -- but she says she's already moving on to a new squad.

"I'm Mexican and I'm from L.A., so I have to say the Raiders!"

Sooo ... Derek Carr, WYD???

You knew Wiz Khalifa could scrap in MMA ... but did you know he could box too???

It's true ... at least, now it is -- after the rapper got a private, 1-on-1 fighting lesson from Evander Holyfield!!!

The Real Deal and Wiz hit up Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Performance Center in L.A. recently ... and the "Black and Yellow" spitter got in a dope training sesh with the champ.

Evander gave him some pointers on his defense ... Wiz explained how he's put some weight on his skinny frame -- and Glazer was there to document it all.

So ... why were the two hittin' the mitts together in the first place??

Wiz has a song dedicated to the boxing legend called "Holyfield" -- so, seems only right Evander gave him some fighting pointers in return.

Wiz has told TMZ Sports in the past he'd take -- and maybe even WIN -- a pro-MMA fight if the money was right ... but the question now is -- would he do the same for boxing?!?

Stay tuned ...

Jim Bridenstine -- the head of NASA -- says Steph Curry just HAS to be joking about his moon landing theory ... telling TMZ Sports, "I can't imagine he really believes that!!"

The Warriors superstar sent space nerds into a frenzy Monday when he declared on The Ringer's "Winging It" podcast that the moon landing in 1969 never happened.

Enter Bridenstine ... who says Curry's claim is so outrageous -- the point guard just cannot be serious.

"I think it's funny," Jim tells us ... "I can't imagine he really believes that. It's outside the realm of what's possible."

In fact ... Jim REALLY set Steph straight, saying, "Here's the thing, we didn't just go to the moon once, we went to the moon six times! And, we did it from 1969 to 1972!!!"

Bridenstine also doubled down on NASA's invitation to have Curry come check out all their evidence -- saying he'd LOVE to prove Steph wrong and get him involved in the space program afterward!

"My son is a HUGE fan of Steph Curry. So, if we can get him involved in space, I'm for it!"

Oscar De La Hoya says he's got big plans for Canelo Alvarez once he runs through Rocky Fielding this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports a 3rd fight with Gennady Golovkin will definitely happen.

Oscar confirmed that Golden Boy Promotions has locked up T-Mobile Arena in Vegas for Canelo to fight on May 4 -- but said he's not ready to announce the opponent.

When we asked if he was gunning for Gennady Golovkin, Oscar downplayed it.

"I haven't even spoken to GGG, I haven't even spoken to his handlers. I have that date for Canelo and that's it," Oscar said.

But, he did assure us a 3rd fight is coming -- whenever Canelo feels like it.

"Is he gonna fight GGG again? Yeah, whenever we say he's gonna fight him again. We call the shots now. Canelo beat him so if he's gonna fight him it's gonna be when we say."

Canelo and GGG have fought twice before. The first fight ended in a draw. Canelo took the rematch in a controversial decision.

Oscar said there are other fighters in the mix for Canelo as well -- including Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders and the Charlo brothers.

"They're all gonna get it," Oscar says ... "Canelo fights the best."

Jon Jones is BACK!!

The UFC superstar just got his license to fight in California reinstated -- essentially clearing the way for him to fight at UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Jones tested positive for the banned substance Turinabol (an anabolic steroid) before his fight with Daniel Cormier at the Honda Center in Anaheim in July 2017.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency meted out a 15-month suspension for Jones -- and the California State Athletic Commission said it would honor that punishment.

Even though Jon's upcoming fight against Alexander Gustafsson is set to go down in Vegas, the Nevada State Athletic Commission won't license him unless he's clear in California.

The good news for Jon ... he appeared at a CSAC hearing on Tuesday with his attorney and the board voted 6-0 to reinstate him and granted him a temporary license.

Jones also paid his $205,000 fine.

After he was reinstated, Jon had a message to the California State Athletic Commission -- "Make sure you guys watch."

For his part, Jones has always insisted he never intentionally took the Turinabol -- claiming he's not a cheater.

At the hearing, CSAC executive director Andy Foster actually defended Jones -- saying, "I do not think Mr. Jones is intentionally a doper."

He added, "I just don’t believe it. If he is, he’s the worst doper in combat sports. He fails the one test he knows is coming."

Ever seen a championship trophy get a lap dance before?!!

Well, the guys from the ATL United soccer team made it happen Monday night -- taking the MLS Cup to the legendary Magic City booty club just days after winning the title.

Cup got lit -- getting pulled onstage where it got an up-close and personal twerk session from one of the dancers while people in the crowd made it rain.

Some of the players who accompanied the trophy to the club included Chris McCann, Miles Robinson and Jeff Larentowicz.

The team had a championship parade in Atlanta on Monday -- after beating the Portland Timbers in the MLS championship game on Saturday.

It's ATL's first MLS cup -- in just their 2nd season in the league -- so, why not go big?!

Magic City is probably the most famous strip club in America -- having hosted huge stars like Jermaine Dupri, T.I., Usher, Drake, Future and more.

Wayne Rooney was happy to spread a little Christmas cheer with Donald Trump ... 'cause the soccer legend was 45's guest of honor at the White House over the weekend!!

It all went down at Trump's Christmas party Sunday ... where Rooney and his wife, Coleen, and their kids hit up 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to enjoy some holiday fun.

Of course ... Barron Trump is a HUGE soccer fan and an even bigger Rooney supporter -- so the D.C. United superstar's presence was a big-time gift from Papa Trump.

It's interesting ... many high-profile athletes -- from Steph Curry to LeBron James -- have turned down trips to Trump's White House 'cause of their political beliefs.

Great news from Brian Ortega's camp ... the UFC star is improving by the minute after that bloody loss to Max Holloway this past weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Ortega suffered a broken nose and thumb during Saturday night's fight at UFC 231 in Toronto -- and his left eye was swollen shut. The doctor stopped the fight in the 4th round.

We spoke with Ortega's coach, Rener Gracie -- who's been coaching Brian since Ortega was 13 years old. The two are super tight and Gracie was working the corner during the Holloway fight.

Gracie tells us T-City was initially crushed by the loss ... and even apologized to his team at the hospital for letting them down.

But, Gracie says the apology was completely unnecessary -- telling TMZ Sports he's proud of the young fighter for the tremendous effort he displayed against "one of the best to ever do it."

Now, Gracie says Ortega is "doing much better" -- he's healing up and excited to getting back to work ... and tells us why the loss will ultimately be a GOOD thing for his career.

The Tennessee Titans have launched an investigation into Leonard Fournette's allegations that a fan was shouting racial slurs at him during Thursday night's game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville ... sources tell TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... the Jacksonville Jaguars running back threatened to beat up a fan in the 4th quarter of his team's 30-9 loss in an incident caught on video.

Fournette later told The Athletic the fan had been shouting racist insults like "c**n" and "servant" -- though none of those words can be heard on the video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Now, sources tell us ... the team has launched an investigation to find out if other people seated in the area heard any of the alleged slurs. They're also working to identify the heckler so they can speak with him.

We spoke with the person who shot the video -- who is NOT the heckler beefing with Fournette -- who told us he did not hear any racist language.

The fan said he DID hear the fan hurling insults, but they were based on the score of the game.