TMZ Sports - Page 50

If Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman had any bad blood ... the beef has officially been squashed, 'cause the pound-for-pound king/welterweight champ is helping train "Durinho" for his fight with Khamzat Chimaev.

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns just a week and a half before his highly anticipated fight with Chimaev at UFC 273 ... and when we asked the #2 ranked fighter if he brought in any special training partners, he dropped this bomb.

"Usman came a couple of days to help out," Burns said, "He was helping me a couple of times, not training with me but kinda coaching."

"Very high IQ and very good advice. Was good to have him around."

FYI, 27-year-old Chimaev has risen to stardom in the blink of an eye. He's 4-0 in the UFC (10-0 overall) and has literally been hit less than 5 times in his entire UFC career.

Of course, Kamaru and Gilbert were once good friends and training partners at Sanford MMA in Tennessee ... but as Burns rose the ranks in the welterweight division -- where Usman is the champion -- and became a top contender, the Nigerian Nightmare left the gym.

KU and GB finally fought in February 2021 ... and good, tough fight that Kamaru won by TKO.

Any bad blood is clearly long gone ... and Usman, being a caring friend, wanted to help prep Gilbert for one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.

Here's what's interesting ... there's a good chance Kamaru and Gilbert will fight each other again, and soon.

That's why Burns dropped this movie analogy on us about his relationship with Usman.

"That's Rocky and Apollo," Burns said.

On the eve of the biggest event in sports entertainment -- WrestleMania 38 -- Browns tight end David Njoku is in Texas to support his younger brother, Evidence, at his WWE tryouts.

TMZ Sports is told David made the trip to Frisco, TX ... for his little brother who was showcasing some of his athletic pedigree in front of WWE officials. We're told he took part in a 3-day talent tryout WWE is hosting in conjunction with Mania.

We're also told Evidence Njoku was one of 50 college athletes who took part in the event ... and David attended the workouts for moral support.

Njoku, who's played five seasons in the NFL, also got a chance to step inside the square circle -- and, the best part, he got to chat it up with WWE exec Triple H.

In the video, HHH is telling David some of the ins and outs of being a professional wrestler ... and how it's up to the talent to protect one another inside the ring.

The pass-catching tight end was joined by newly signed WWE superstar, Gable Steveson, an NCAA & Olympic champion, Bellator MMA star Valerie Loureda, and upcoming prospect, AJ Ferrari.

Of course, Gable is one of the most promising young wrestlers in the company ... with many in the biz predicting the Olympic gold medalist will go on to superstardom one day.

As for David Njoku ... even though it was his bro trying out, ya have to wonder if the NFL star has any interest in professional wrestling after he hangs up the pads.

Eric Church is extending an olive branch to thousands of pissed off fans for scrapping a concert to attend the North Carolina vs. Duke game ... by scheduling a completely FREE show later this year for anyone impacted by the cancelation.

The MASSIVE Tar Heels fan came under fire earlier this week for bailing on his upcoming gig ... all so he could watch his beloved team play in the Final Four against their hated rivals and coach Mike Krzyzewski (for the very last time).

Fans were super upset, though, with many storming his Facebook page to blast him for the decision.

The country star released a statement regarding the controversy on Friday ... saying he's grateful for the opportunity to check out the game -- and promises to make up for it.

"Thank you San Antonio for letting me take my family to this game," Church said. "It took a minute to figure out how and when I could properly express my thanks."

Church says he'll return to Texas in September for a "one of a kind" free gig for anyone who bought tix ... in hopes of getting back in good graces with the Church Choir.

Will it work?? We'll see ... but at least EC can now enjoy the game without feeling too guilty.

Crushing news for X-Pac ... the former WWE superstar says he tore his bicep last month in his highly anticipated return to the ring, and will require surgery to fix the injury before getting back in the squared circle.

49-year-old Pac, government name, Sean Michael Waltman, posted the gruesome pic of his injury on Twitter and an update on his health status, and it was pretty tough to digest.

"I tried to keep this on the down-low," X-Pac wrote, "but I tore my bicep in the tag match a month ago."

"I'm going to have surgery soon & then have a few more matches."

Pac joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) last month ... and told Mike & Mojo he was returning to the ring after a 3-year layoff to resume his wrestling career.

Sean announced that he would be fighting under the independent wrestling promotion Game Changer Wrestling, and his first match would be a tag team match.

The 2x WWE Hall of Famer joined forces with "The Bad Boy" Joey Janela to fight Brian Myers and Mojo's old WWE tag team partner, Matt Cardona in his first match back.

Aside from announcing his return to in-ring competition, Pac also revealed that he'd been wrestling with a torn ACL for about 14 years, but said he felt better thanks to surgery.

Now, the former D-Generation X member will again need to go under the knife.

Hope Solo, U.S. soccer legend, was arrested Thursday in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest ... and cops say her two children were in the car when she was busted.

The 40-year-old retired goalkeeper -- a 2x Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner -- was taken into custody in a Walmart parking lot off Parkway Village Circle in Winston-Salem, North Carolina ... and was taken to the Forsyth County jail for processing.

Officials tell us Solo was booked for impaired driving (DWI), resisting arrest, and misdemeanor child abuse.

It's not the first time Hope, who was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world during her time with the USWNT, has been in trouble with the law.

Solo has previously been arrested for domestic violence. She was accused of berating a police officer in 2014, and threatening to "kick his ass." She was also busted for allegedly getting into a physical confrontation with her teenage nephew.

Solo is married to ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens. Hope and JS have two young kids together, twins, who just celebrated their 2nd birthday. It's unclear if the kids in the car were Jerramy's ... but it seems likely.

If Solo is ultimately convicted, she could face time behind bars.

Logan Paul went balls-out for his birthday -- literally.

The YouTube/boxing/WWE superstar got buck nekkid to celebrate 27 laps around the sun on Friday ... showing off his bod for his 22.5 million Instagram followers.

Of course, the Maverick doesn't show EVERYTHING ... he made sure to have a conveniently placed mirror covering his Mr. Happy area.

All of Logan's closest friends wished him a HBD in the comment section of his steamy post ... with some even jokingly asking him to start an OnlyFans page.

It's a pretty exciting time for Paul -- not only is it his birthday, he's one day away from entering the ring alongside The Miz at WrestleMania 38.

As we previously reported, Logan is taking his appearance VERY seriously ... and Miz said he's been absolutely crushing training leading up to the big match.

While Logan may not have too much time to party ahead of WM38, we're sure his bro, Jake, will help make it extra special ... as the guys posted pics together on a private jet as they headed to Dallas.

Jake also sent a special shoutout to Logan via Instagram ... sharing a bunch of throwback pics and even their oldest YouTube video together -- adorable.

Now, Jake would never pass on the opportunity to check out his bro's big moment ... but ya gotta wonder if he'll be involved in the event somehow.

UFC legend Stephan Bonnar revealed his home was "burned to the f***ing ground" in a horrible fire this week ... but in at least a modicum of positive news, he says he was able to salvage some of his famous MMA memorabilia from the wreckage.

The 44-year-old shared a video of his Nevada home after a fire ravaged it earlier this week -- and, sadly, he said the flames completely gutted the place.

"No more casa," the former fighter said in the footage. "Lost everything in it."

But, Bonnar said after jumping through a window and scraping up his legs in the process -- he was able to find some of his old UFC gear and save it from the rubble.

Bonnar showed off gloves from his Hall of Fame fight with Forrest Griffin -- as well as a couple other cool items from his fighting career, including a signed jersey from the athletes he competed with on season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Bonnar then sent well wishes to everyone from the show who's had a rough past few months.

"It's been a f***ing s*** year for me too," Bonnar said. "So, all right. Peace guys, I'm out."

As we reported, the Henderson Fire Department knocked down the flames about an hour after the fire started at Bonnar's place, but were unable to save it from being destroyed.

Eli Cramer -- a Milligan University track star -- was tragically killed after he was struck by a car while running in Virginia on Thursday.

He was only 20 years old.

The Virginia State Police confirms to TMZ Sports that five members of the cross country team were running along Williamsburg Pottery Road around 6:02 PM when three of them were hit by a Scion.

The driver -- identified as Jose Efrain Hernandez Mancia -- allegedly tried to flee the scene, but ended up crashing into a median on Route 199.

The injured Milligan track team members were transported to the Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center ... with two of the athletes suffering minor to serious injuries. Cramer, however, passed away as a result of his injuries.

Alex Mortimer -- one of the injured victims -- released a video from his hospital bed after the horrific crash saying he had a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder.

"I wanna exhort and thank you all for praying for me, the Milligan team and the university and institution," Mortimer said.

"Moments like this make you realize what is and is not important in your life."

Cramer was a star on the track at Milligan ... just last month, he ran a sub 15 minute 5K (14:30.46) in the Rams College Invitational.

FYI, that's well under a 5-minute mile pace.

"He held a contagious energy that was integral to his team and our campus community," the university said in a statement.

"Please continue to pray for Cramer's family as they begin to make sense of yesterday's tragedy. Pray for our entire cross country/track & field team, their coaches and our entire community."

26-year-old Mancia was arrested and charged with DUI-1st offense, DUI-involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, one felony count of hit-and-run, DUI-maiming and refusing to submit a breath/blood sample.

St. Peter's star Doug Edert is striking while the iron's hot -- the NCAA tournament hero is cashing in on his new fame by charging $100 for personalized vids on Cameo!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old Peacocks hooper is raking in the dough on the video platform ... and so far, he's getting great reviews.

In fact, 17 reviews have been left on Edert's page ... and they're all 5 stars!!

The price tag is pretty interesting -- especially considering North Carolina star Armando Bacot charges 60 bucks.

But, it shouldn't be too shocking -- Edert became a fan-favorite during St. Peter's Cinderella run in the tourney ... as he helped knock off 2-seed Kentucky in the first round with 20 points.

The Peacocks ended up making it all the way to the Elite 8 before being booted by UNC.

During their epic run, Edert also made the best of his spotlight by securing deals with Buffalo Wild Wings and Barstool Sports.

Shout-out to the NCAA's new NIL rules ... 'cause now athletes can finally get what they deserve.

The felony strangulation charge that Chael Sonnen was hit with following his alleged meltdown at a Las Vegas hotel last year has been dropped ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, prosecutors declined to move forward with the battery by strangulation count that they had previously charged Sonnen on last month.

The records show five other battery charges -- all misdemeanors -- against Sonnen were dropped as well.

We've reached out to the Clark County District Attorney's office for comment on the decision -- but so far, no word back yet.

Sonnen is still facing five misdemeanor battery charges in the case after officials claim he absolutely lost it in a hallway at the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18.

As we reported, Sonnen is accused of beating up several men and one woman in a fit of rage inside the hotel.

According to police docs, Sonnen told officers at the scene he had no recollection of his alleged actions -- explaining to them that he had taken a sleeping pill and "could not recall" anything after that.

Things got a bit handsy between Johnny Manziel and his new lady on Thursday -- the duo raged at the clubs in Miami ... and the quarterback couldn't help himself but cop a feel.

The Fan Controlled Football star was spotted having a blast with Kenzie Werner ... just two days removed from their sunny football toss on the beach.

As we previously reported, JM and KW have been spending a lot of time together all over the country recently ... and their Miami trip has been filled with expensive food, boozing and some R&R.

While Manziel's return to the football field is on the horizon, he was in party mode in South Beach -- dancing on the tables and putting Werner on his shoulders as the music blares in the background.

The two have picked things up on social media as well -- Johnny confirmed their romance in the comment section on IG ... replying to a Werner bikini pic with, "BM ❤️"

Johnny also shared Werner in a post on Thursday ... saying, "So much for a sneaky link 🤷🏻‍♂️"

More drama between Brooks Koepka and his fans ... TMZ Sports has obtained video showing the golf superstar snatching a phone from a guy who was trying to talk to him after one of his rounds over the weekend.

We're told the incident went down shortly after Koepka beat Jon Rahm at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

In the video, you can see a fan put his phone near Koepka's face as the 28-year-old was carting around the course with his wife, and asked him about beating Rahm.

Koepka can then be seen ripping the phone from the man, and telling him, "Get it out of my face, man! Get it out of my face!"

We're told Koepka actually took the phone for a brief moment -- but the golfer's manager returned it to the fan just seconds later.

We're told the fan was not upset over the incident and did not seek to press charges.

It's the second time this month that Koepka has been less-than-pleasant with his fans ... you'll recall, at the same WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event last week, Koepka channeled "Tin Cup" to shut down some autograph seekers on the course.

"I don't come to your job asking for your s***, do I?" Koepka told a group of people who were yelling for him to sign. "I don't think so!"

Koepka, while brash, has not generally been known to clash with fans on the course.

Sad news for Stephan Bonnar ... the UFC legend's family says its Nevada home was destroyed in a fire this week.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Henderson Fire Dept. received a call for a residential fire at 2:40 PM on Monday ... and when help arrived on the scene, fire and smoke were visible from outside the home.

Due to high winds and the closeness to the neighboring homes, the first responders called on the Clark County FD for backup in order to get the blaze out. The fire was extinguished nearly an hour later.

The fire dept. says two adults, one child and four dogs were removed from the home. Luckily, no injuries were reported ... and no one was transported to the hospital.

Bonnar's wife, Andrea, shared the news on her business' Facebook ... saying, "I am just jumping on to let you know our house burned today and we have lost everything."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Stephan Bonnar was part of arguably the most important fight in UFC history -- the season finale of the Ultimate Fighter 1 against Forrest Griffin. Stephan lost by decision, but the fight was so incredible, the UFC gave both guys contracts.

Add another accomplishment to Chris Paul's resume -- President Biden just appointed the Phoenix Suns guard to his Advisory Board for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the White House announced Thursday.

Joe tapped the NBA star to serve alongside 17 other new members -- including actress Taraji P. Henson, who was also asked to join the board -- as the Biden administration continues to put a focus on advancement through HBCUs.

According to the White House, the goal of the Advisory Board is to advance the HBCU Initiative, which was started by the Carter administration in 1980.

Joining CP3 on the board will be the presidents of five HBCUs -- Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Dillard University in New Orleans and Prairie View A&M University in Texas -- as well as Delaware State University's own Tony Allen -- who serves as the chair.

Allen, president of DSU, says the board "will be will be an eclectic mix of the talent and commitment that defines Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) and those who recognize our tremendous value in higher education and in a smaller, more connected global community."

Paul, who served as head of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013-2021, has made it a point to actively and publicly support HBCUs throughout his career.

CP3 was a part of the push to get HBCU schools featured during the NBA's All-Star Weekend ... and as a result, the men's basketball teams for Morgan State and Howard played each in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic in Cleveland.

The game aired on ESPN2 and TNT, and both schools received a $100,000 donation from the NBA and AT&T to support student-athletes continuing their education.

The runner who was sucker punched in the middle of a high school race in Florida last weekend does not want to press charges ... this according to officers at the race.

A spokesperson for the Osceola County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports officers did attend the event over the weekend ... but say the punched runner did not wish to move forward with charges.

The spokesperson added that the other party involved in the incident -- the one who threw the punch -- also declined to press charges ... presumably over what appeared to be the runner making contact with him in the moments before the swing.

Cops did not provide further details.

As we previously reported, the wild scene all went down at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee on Saturday ... when an athlete appeared to punch a runner in a race after he seemed to be pushed by the boy earlier in the event.

The boys' schools have not provided comment on the situation.

No word yet on if the runner suffered serious injuries, but race results show he did not finish the run.

This will give you the feels ... NCAA tourney breakout star Shaheen Holloway, now former coach of St. Peter's, got some unexpected support during his introductory press conference at Seton Hall University -- his entire former team showed up to cheer on their coach.

And, in what was a really special moment, Sha asked the crowd at Walsh Gymnasium on SHU's campus in South Orange, NJ to give the players a round of applause, and the pumped-up crowd obliged.

"First, I wouldn't be up there if it wasn't for those fifteen young men right there," Shaheen said, alluding to his St. Peter's players who were in the crowd.

The crowd cheered ... just not loud enough.

"Pirate Nation we can do better than that. Pirate Nation, those fifteen young men right there, stand up. Get up!"

Of course, 45-year-old Holloway led 15-seeded St. Peters, a small private school from Jersey City, NJ, with little funding, and unheralded players, to a win over the mighty Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of March Madness.

But, that wasn't all ... the Peacocks went on to beat 7-seed Murray State in the 2nd round, before toppling 3-seed Purdue, sending them to the Elite 8.

Purdue has Jaden Ivey who many experts believe will be the first pick in the NBA Draft in a few months ... but the Peacocks held the stud guard to just 9 points, forcing 6 turnovers.

Unfortunately for Sha and the players, the magic ran out against UNC ... and St. Peters was sent home.

However, it was one of the most improbable and inspiring runs in sports history ... so when Holloway was hired by his alma mater, Seton Hall -- his dream job -- the players he just led clearly wanted to show their leader support.

Back in the late '90s, Holloway was a star at SHU. He spent 4 seasons with the Pirates where he averaged 14 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.

The Pirates coaching gig opened up when traitor Kevin Willard (we kid), who was at the helm for 12 seasons and led SH to 5 tourney appearances (would've been 6 if the NCAA Tourney wasn't canceled over COVID in 2020).

Before getting hired as the head guy in Jersey City, Sha was an assistant coach under Willard. He only left when the opportunity to become a head coach became a reality.

For many at Seton Hall, and for Holloway, the plan was always for him to come home.