TMZ Sports - Page 50

Floyd Mayweather sang his damn heart out to celebrate his 45th birthday ... and he called on Kanye West, Aaron Donald and Antonio Brown to be his backup singers!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- TBE hosted a private party at David Grutman's Sushi Fly Chicken in Miami on Wednesday to celebrate his big day ... and the karaoke machine was getting put to good use.

The 50-0 boxing legend donned a baby blue plaid blazer and pants for the rager ... and he was certainly in great spirits -- dancing with a huge smile on his face.

The whole room was getting in on the fun -- singing along as Donell Jones' "Where I Wanna Be" blasted over the speakers.

But, the most surprising performance of the night?? AD and his wife, Erica, rapping along to "Set It Off" by Boosie Badazz -- and Floyd was loving every second of it.

The party then made it to Gold Rush Cabaret strip club ... where Floyd was honored with cutouts and signs -- including a shot of him beating up on Conor McGregor during their fight in 2017.

FC Schalke 04, a professional German soccer club, is removing the patch of a Russian majority state-owned energy company after Vladimir Putin's armed forces invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation.

"Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts," the club announced in a statement.

"It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead."

Gazprom -- the largest natural gas company in the world -- is the club's biggest sponsor ... and the company name is prominently displayed across the player's chests on their jerseys.

Of course, after weeks of increased tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a full-fledged attack against the country.

Dozens of people have already reportedly died.

FC Schalke 04 wasn't alone in working with the powerful energy company. UEFA, the governing body that oversees European soccer, also has a business relationship with Gazprom.

Unlike FC Schalke 04, UEFA hasn't opted (at least not yet) to cut ties with the company ... though they did release a statement condemning the attacks.

"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion of Ukraine."

That's not to say the soccer body hasn't taken any action against Russia. The country was scheduled to host the Champions League final in Spring, but UEFA decided to pull the game.

They haven't yet named a replacement city.

Not everyone is happy about the $24 million settlement between the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation -- Hope Solo says the deal is "infuriating" and is calling out Megan Rapinoe in the process.

"This settlement is not a 'huge win,'" the 2-time Olympic gold medalist said via Instagram on Wednesday.

"It's heartbreaking and infuriating. A 'promise' of equal pay from the Federation and backpay for a select group of players isn't equal pay and it's not what this fight was about."

As we previously reported, the USSF agreed to dispense $22 million amongst the players ($2 million for post-career ventures) after players sued for "institutionalized gender discrimination" in 2019.

Solo says she went through all the details ... and felt some type of way about the "Contingent upon the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement" part.

"It doesn't exist yet and is not guaranteed," Solo said.

"If the players had ever been successful in negotiating an equal CBA, there would've been no reason to sue the Federation in the first place."

Solo also slammed former USWNT teammates Rapinoe and Alex Morgan for accepting the deal -- just a day after Rapinoe said on "Good Morning America" that she was proud of all the hard work.

"Throughout the entire process, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan were the two most agreeable with the Federation," Solo said, "and to this day, continue to accept terms that are nowhere near what we set out to do."

D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown says several MMA fighters have hit him up since cornering Joaquin Buckley to a win last weekend -- but unfortunately for those other fighters, the deadly self-defense expert tells TMZ Sports he's only rockin' with JB!!

We broke the news last week ... Buckley (14-4, 10 KOs) hit up Brown, a viral sensation, to be one of his cornermen for his matchup against Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night in Vegas.

Buckley won by decision ... and Commander Brown says Buckley utilized some of his moves during the tightly contested fight.

"I will say he did use some techniques," Brown says, "that are associated with my training."

And, ever since then, the Detroit Urban Surviving Training star says other fighters have been blowin' up his phone -- trying to get their own Buckley-type treatment.

"We've had several just the past couple of days reaching out, emailing, texting, trying to reach out and see if they can come by the facility and see what we can do to coordinate and collaborate."

But, sorry fightin' folks ... Brown says he's only gonna work with Buckley.

"We're #teamBuckley so that's not gonna happen."

However, Dale says he's down to with celebs like Odell Beckham ... who paid homage to Commander Brown after scoring a touchdown this season for the Rams.

In fact, Brown says he met Rick Ross after the Buckley-Alhassan fight -- telling us he showed the Miami rapper a nose-press technique.

"Training entertainers, training their staff, bodyguards -- anybody out there looking for advanced training."

Forget poppin' bottles at the club -- Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric celebrated the biggest night of his career with burgers and milkshakes ... telling TMZ Sports he partied it up at a Steak 'n Shake!!

We spoke with the 23-year-old fresh off Sunday's victory in Florida ... and he told us he went to the famous burger spot with his whole crew to fuel up after the race.

"We took everybody -- including the Harley J. Earl trophy -- and we went to Steak 'n Shake," Cindric told us. "We closed the place down after midnight, and they stayed open for us, and we killed a bunch of burgers and milkshakes."

Cindric opted to keep things simple ... telling us he knew he'd have a busy day ahead of himself the morning after the race -- and who's got time for a hangover?!

The Ohio native says he went back to his hotel room with his dad and called a few friends and family members to include them in the special moment ... and then it was time to call it a day.

Austin's win was a big surprise -- he entered Sunday's race -- the Super Bowl of auto racing -- with 25-1 odds to win it all ... meaning if you wagered $100 on Cindric, you'd win $2,500.

Cindric overcame the odds and said that winning a race of this magnitude at his age (he's the 3rd youngest to win the Daytona 500) was everything he could imagine -- and more.

"It's a dream come true," Cindric said. "It's every racer's dream to just go to the Daytona 500 and compete."

"But to do it with an overtime restart with everything on the line," he continued, "and be able to come across and win the biggest race of the year, it was awesome to get it done."

Kyle Rittenhouse intends to sue LeBron James ... after he says the NBA superstar defamed him during his murder trial late last year to his 50+ million fans on social media.

And, he's not just going after The King ... he also says he's going after President Joe Biden and Whoopi Goldberg, among others.

As you know, 19-year-old Rittenhouse was charged with 2 counts of homicide, 1 count of attempted homicide, in addition to other charges, for shooting 3 people -- 2 fatally -- at a protest in Kenosha, WI.

During his trial, Rittenhouse took the stand ... and became emotional when talking about the events of August 25, 2020.

But, not everyone was buying the tears. Most notably, LeBron, who sent out a tweet mocking Rittenhouse's breakdown to his millions of followers.

Now, Rittenhouse -- who was found not guilty on all charges -- is fighting back.

During a lengthy sit-down interview with Turning Point USA, Kyle said he was going after all the people who defamed him before and during his criminal trial.

KR obviously saw Bron's message, and now he intends to sue the hooper.

Of course, recently, Rittenhouse reacted to LeBron's tweet, saying he actually used to be a fan of LeBron but has since said, "F*** him!"

As for Biden, Rittenhouse says the U.S. prez called him a white supremacist ... so he too can expect "papers," as Kyle phrased it.

Longtime Seattle Mariners second baseman Julio Cruz -- who worked as a broadcaster for the team following his playing days -- died on Tuesday, his family announced.

He was 67 years old.

No cause of death was revealed ... but Cruz's family said in a statement he "passed away peacefully."

"At the time of his passing, he was at home, and was surrounded by his loving family," the Cruz family said in a statement.

"Our family is grateful for your well wishes and support, and we ask for privacy at this time."

Cruz played for the Mariners in their first-ever season in 1977 ... and went on to log time with the team until 1983. He later played for the Chicago White Sox, before he left the game following the 1986 season.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with his loved ones," the Mariners said in a statement Wednesday, "including his wife, Mojgan, three sons, Austin, Alexander and Jourdan, and their families."

In 2003, he began his role as a part of the Mariners' Spanish-language broadcasts, and he worked there until his death.

Cruz finished his career with a .237 batting average and 343 stolen bases.

Disgusting claims from MLB ace Marcus Stroman ... who says New York Mets fans called him the n-word and hurled death threats at him during his time with the team.

The 30-year-old pitcher has been unleashing on his former employer on Twitter recently ... saying he couldn't be happier to be leaving the Big Apple to join the Chicago Cubs.

Stroman provided context as to why he's so excited for a fresh start in response to a tweet on Wednesday ... opening up on the alleged awful treatment he received from fans during his 2 seasons with the Mets.

"Endless death threats, being called a n***** often, hearing black lives don’t matter, and playing for a front office who didn’t care about any of that."

Stroman says he will go into more detail on his podcast when the time is right ... but says no matter how he was treated, he was able to persevere and do his job.

"Still dealt on the mound through all of that! 🗣🤷🏾‍♂️"

Stroman previously said on Twitter back in November he wanted to be back with the Mets next season ... but things quickly turned sour.

Seems pitchers and catchers stick together even in the real estate world ... 'cause MLB legend Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez just sold his Florida mansion to Marlins star right-hander Sandy Alcantara for $3.25 million!!

The Miami pitcher got hooked up in the deal -- which was brokered by The Keyes Company's Ramona Bautista -- because the Weston, FL place is insane.

The pad is on a lakefront lot and features 6 bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms and a media room. It also has a four-car garage, a huge pool and a jacuzzi.

Bautista says Pudge was super cool about selling the crib to the Marlins' All-Star ... saying the transaction was "amazing and smooth."

"'Pudge and his beautiful wife Patricia were so welcoming and supportive of Sandy's family," Bautista said, "and the energy felt at the closing was a blessing."

Pudge and Sandy got along so well during the selling process ... the two actually posed for a fun baseball-themed photo inside of the place's living room.

Tom Brady wasn't unemployed for long ... the 7-time Super Bowl-winning QB is jumping headfirst into Hollywood -- producing and acting in an upcoming film called "80 For Brady."

The 44-year-old recently retired after 22 seasons in the NFL, leading many to ponder TB12's next move.

Now we know ... Brady put down the Bucs playbook for a film script.

The future Hall of Famer is teaming up with Hollywood legends Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The movie, "80 For Brady," made by Paramount and Endeavor, will tell the story of a group of 4 friends who attend the 2017 Super Bowl ... and it ends up being a life-changing trip.

Of course, that's the SB where Brady orchestrated a historic comeback, ultimately beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.

No one is safe from 50 Cent's trolling -- not even the NBA's G.O.A.T. -- 'cause the rapper came after Michael Jordan on Wednesday, clowning His Airness for his handsy embrace with Mary J. Blige over the weekend.

Fiddy just dropped the joke on his Instagram page ... poking fun at the way MJ held on to MJB while posing for a pic at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday in Cleveland.

(BTW, Blige posted the photo to her Instagram page earlier this week. See below.)

50 zoomed in on Jordan's hand, which appeared to be creepin' close to the top of a butt cheek, and wrote, "MJ & MJB, he palmed the ball 🏀LOL"

The "In Da Club" rapper added a pic of a surprised Denzel Washington to make the ribbing extra spicy.

Jon Jones is a single man -- the UFC superstar says his fiancée of 9 years, Jessie Moses, has left him for good following his Vegas arrest.

Jones announced the split via Twitter on Wednesday ... saying, "My fiancée left me about two months ago, today she finalized that she won't be coming back."

Worth noting -- the official breakup comes shortly after footage of Jones' September run-in with police was released ... which shows the 34-year-old head-butting a cop car after an alleged altercation with Moses.

"If you are a Jon Jones hater, have a toast, I feel like s***," he added.

Jones and Moses were together for nearly 20 years -- they were high school sweethearts at Union-Endicott High School in New York, split for a short period, and then were engaged in 2013.

Jones and Moses have three kids together -- two 13-year-olds Leah and Carmen and 9-year-old Olivia.

Jones and Moses appeared to make amends after his domestic violence arrest ... posting a video of the then-couple sharing a kiss in the days following the alleged altercation.

Thiago Alves and Mike Perry nearly fought in 2017, but a major hurricane torpedoed the fight ... now the Brazilian Bare Knuckle champ wants another crack at putting hands on Perry -- without Mother Nature interfering.

TMZ Sports talked to the 38-year-old MMA vet -- BKFC's middleweight champion (175 lbs.) -- shortly after 30-year-old Perry beat Julian Lane Saturday night, and then called out the champ.

"I hope we can make this fight happen. It was supposed to happen in 2017. I'm looking forward to that knuckling up," Thiago says.

And, if they do "knuckle up" ... it'll be a huge fight according to Alves. Huge, like biggest BKFC fight ever?

"Without a doubt" Alves said without hesitation.

"Just look what I done in combat sports and MMA. Mike Perry is like the new generation, you know, he has a lot of hype behind me. Didn't do as much as I've done in the sport, you know, I've been a lot longer than he has but as right now, I don't see any bigger fight in the making for the organization. So, Dave Feldman, let's make it happen!"

Alves and Perry have both been around forever ... and have fought some of the baddest men in the world. So, how would a Thiago vs. Platinum Mike fight look? We asked Alves.

"It's gonna be very exciting! I think the fans are gonna go for a super fun night of very bloody, but you know, you're gonna see some beautiful violence."

Naomi Osaka might be young, but she's making big girl purchases -- she just bought a new home in the L.A. area for $6.3 mil.

The 24-year-old phenom grabbed a whole lotta house for her money -- the spread has 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, game room and a media room.

Of course, the 6,855 sq. ft. home has some pretty cool features fit for a tennis superstar ... including, a fitness room, pool, and a basketball court that can be converted into a full-size tennis court.

Naomi bought the home from Nick Lachey from the boy band 98 Degrees. He and his wife, actress Vanessa Lachey, bought the San Fernando Valley mansion in 2020 for $5.1 mil.

Here's a fun fact ... Naomi's on a Nick streak, of sorts. Her last real estate score came in 2019, when she bought Nick Jonas' home in Beverly Hills for $6.9 million.

Looks like those tennis games and endorsements are really paying off big time.

Tom Brady was all about offense, but Gisele Bündchen is the master of the defense.

TB12's supermodel wife put her jiu-jitsu skills on full display in a recent training session this week -- and it's damn impressive!!

Gisele is no stranger to combat sports -- she's dabbled in boxing and kung fu over the years ... but she's taking her self-defense to new levels with her latest martial art.

GB looks solid in a workout with the Valente Brothers in Florida ... working on her striking, chokes and other submissions -- she even flips her instructor!!

BTW, the Valente brothers know their stuff. The family was originally taught by Helio Gracie, considered the godfather of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Gisele spoke about her decision to work on her badass jiu-jitsu skills on Wednesday ... saying, "I believe the more tools we have in our toolbox the better."

"I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense. I feel it’s an important skill for all, but specially for us women."

It makes ya wonder -- with TB12 having a bunch of free time now, will he be joining his wife in the martial arts world in retirement. After all, Tom IS great friends with Dana White, and is a part-owner of the UFC.

Sad news in the hockey world ... Rodion Amirov, the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick in 2020, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and has been ruled out for the season.

Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas announced the diagnosis on Wednesday morning ... saying the tumor was found while the 20-year-old was recovering from an injury he suffered at the beginning of this season.

"During the course of his recovery from this injury," Dubas said, "he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months."

Dubas says the prospect -- who plays in the KHL, one of the best pro hockey leagues in the world -- is now undergoing treatment at a German medical facility and he'll miss the rest of the 2021-2022 season.

"Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process alongside [Rodion's KHL team] and we are in direct contact with the facility on an ongoing basis to monitor his treatment and care," Dubas said.

"Rodion has the complete support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will continue to ensure he receives the best care possible throughout this process."

Amirov is in good spirits despite the news -- his agent, Dan Milstein, said he's working out every day and skating three times a week.

"I want to stay positive, and I want people to think positively about me," Amirov told Sportsnet.

"There are many other people that have their own sicknesses or illnesses. I want to show by example that I can give people hope."