TMZ Sports - Page 50

X-Pac tells TMZ Sports there's no way in hell he'd step inside the ring to fight WWE Smackdown women's champion, Charlotte Flair ... saying, "She'd f***ing kill me."

We spoke with the WWE Hall of Famer about Charlotte, daughter of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, this week ... and asked him if the "Nature Girl" should compete against men on a regular basis.

"You know, I'm open-minded about all that," Pac said. "I mean, obviously, I come from an older school of thought, so it's weird for some of us older cats to see that, but I think we should be open to that, man."

"Plus, she's incredible. She's an alpha female if there ever was one."

Intergender wrestling, commonly referred to as mixed wrestling, is not uncommon in WWE. Women wrestle men all the time in tag-team matches, but as far as 1-on-1s, they very rarely happen.

Pac tells us, though, if there's any woman capable of holding her own in singles matches with men, it's the champ, Charlotte.

"You see it in movies," the former DX member said. "Women are strong now, they beat the s*** out of dudes these days."

Pac, who started his wrestling career in the late '80s, admits that some of the guys he came up with in the industry might not support Charlotte fighting men full-time ... but he's "all for it."

"I know some of my friends might not dig it," the 49-year-old told us. "But, I'm all for it."

As for if he'd get in the ring with her ... the KING of the "Bronco Buster" returned to the squared circle a few months ago and looked damn impressive -- but he said don't expect to see him fight Charlotte any time soon.

It ain't ranch, blue cheese or honey mustard ... no, the best sauce in the world, according to New York Jets top pick Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, is BBQ!!!

Gardner dubbed the sweet, tangy dip #1 to TMZ Sports shortly after he was selected with the fourth overall pick in Thursday night's NFL draft ... but he insisted that he does like "all" of the sauces.

When it comes to the heat category ... Ahmad tells us he loves hot sauces, too -- and watch the clip, he revealed his favorite one to us as well.

As for why he's so closely associated with sauces ... Gardner, widely considered the best cornerback prospect in this weekend's draft, said he got the nickname "Sauce" from a youth football coach back in the day.

The 21-year-old said that he was so smooth and quick, his coach called him "A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner." It was later shortened to just "Sauce."

Turns out, Ahmad is a huge fan of dipping sauces too -- and thus, the nickname has stuck for over a decade.

Rob Font will absolutely take the fight, but the UFC contender tells TMZ Sports he doesn't believe a win over Chito Vera on Saturday will propel him to a title shot ... he thinks he still has work to do.

We talked to the 34-year-old, #5 ranked bantamweight as he began to cut weight earlier this week (Note: Font ended up missing weight, and will lose 20% of his purse) for his fight with Vera at UFC Fight Night -- and we asked if he believed a win sets him up for title shot against Aljamain Sterling.

"It's a great opportunity to get back out there, get some exposure, get another main event. I appreciate that. But, it's not like I go out there and put this guy away, 'I'm getting a title shot,'" Font says.

"But, that's cool, too. I'm coming off a loss. I'm not in denial. Like 'Oh yeah, I deserve a title.' That's why I'm saying one or two away. My main focus is obviously Chito."

It's not the typical response.

In fact, we also talked to Chito ... and although the 29-year-old is ranked a few spots lower than RF at #8, when we asked if a win would put him within one fight of the belt, Vera says the dub over Font could catapult him into the Octagon with Sterling.

"Or, I can fight straight for the belt. You never know what's gonna happen."

Chito continued ... "Winning is everything. You go in there and put on a good performance, you probably get what you wish for."

And, Vera's logic isn't crazy ... "I get in there, put on a great performance, go through him and I become number 5 by next week. And, we go from there. Once you're in the top 5 you're a title contender."

The UFC's bantamweight division is competitive. Aljo just defeated #1 contender, Petr Yan, at UFC 273 a few weeks ago. T.J. Dillashaw, former champion, recovering from ligament injuries he had fixed last summer, is ranked #2. The legend Jose Aldo, #3. Cory Sandhagen, #4. Then Font at 5# ... followed by Merab Dvalishvili, Dominick Cruz, and Marlon at #8.

No easy fights in the top 10 ... but both these men are badasses.

Chito's beaten Sean O'Malley (we know, "still undefeated") and Frankie Edgar. Meanwhile, Font's racked-up wins over Cody Garbrandt, Sergio Pettis and Marlon Moraes.

Check out the clips ... there's more talk about the actual fight.

Even Shakur Stevenson -- one of the most talented boxers in the world -- is admittedly surprised he's a big favorite over undefeated opponent, Oscar Valdez, straight-up telling TMZ Sports he doesn't get it.

"I actually don't understand it. I'm thinking like the odds are gonna be closer. I was willing to go put my whole fight check up for this fight, but you gotta give him the respect he deserves ... but I don't think the fans are," Stevenson says.

"Well, not the fans but the betting odds and the people and all that, I don't think they giving him a fair shake which I understand 'cause it's me but at the end of the day, I don't understand it either."

But, don't mistake Shakur's honesty for a lack of confidence in his ability ... he's just keeping it a buck, saying what educated fans know -- Valdez has hands.

FYI, 31-year-old Valdez, who has been working with Canelo Alvarez, has never lost a professional fight ... he's 30-0 with 23 knockouts.

Stevenson is younger ... just 24 years old, and is also undefeated at 24-0 with 9 KO's.

Despite the career accolades, Oscar is a sizeable underdog ... especially for a champion. In fact, many sportsbooks require you to lay down (-)$800 simply to win $100. Believe Valdez will win (like Canelo)? You'll only have to risk $100 to win (+)$500.

Obviously, Shakur's not overlooking Valdez ... and when we asked him if it was the toughest fight of his career, Stevenson was inclined to agree.

"On paper. On paper when they look at the records and what Valdez has done in the sport of boxing already, it looks like it's the hardest fight of my career but we never know until we get into the ring."

"Stylistically, it might be one of the easiest fights or it may be the hardest fight at the end of the day. You never know until you get in the ring."

A third woman has come forward and accused Trevor Bauer of crossing the line during sex ... claiming the pitcher choked her unconscious and slapped her in the face without consent back in 2013 and 2014.

The accusations were published just hours after MLB handed Bauer a 2-year ban for violating the league's domestic violence and sexual assault policy. The woman claims she spoke with league investigators during its 10-month-long probe.

The woman claims she met Bauer on a dating app in April 2013 ... back when he was a member of Cleveland's minor league team in Columbus.

The woman makes it clear the sex during their relationship was always consensual -- but claims during intercourse, "things happened outside of my consent," according to the Washington Post.

Among the allegations, the woman claims Bauer choked her during sex, which she agreed to "to a certain point." However, she says in ensuing encounters, he grabbed her throat until she passed out, which she says she was against.

She claims Bauer choked her unconscious dozens of times ... and he would only stop if she "got pissed and was like desperate about it" or if she passed out.

The woman says on one of the occasions, after she regained consciousness, Bauer was anally penetrating her without her consent.

The woman says she actually has video of at least one of the alleged choking incidents ... 'cause Bauer allegedly recorded their sexual encounters with a GoPro camera either mounted on a tripod or strapped to his head.

The accuser is represented by high-powered attorney Joe Tacopina, who claims he has seen the video -- "She’s clearly struggling to breathe and tapping his arm to let go, and you see her skin color darkening," the attorney told the Post.

The allegations are similar in nature to that of Bauer's other accusers ... who say their sexual encounters all started consensually, but went to a place that was beyond their approval.

Bauer -- who hasn't pitched since June 2021 -- has vehemently denied any wrongdoing since the first accusations were made public ... and has vowed to appeal his 2-year ban from MLB.

Police and the district attorney investigated claims made by Bauer's first accuser in California ... but officials opted not to file charges. This week, Bauer filed a lawsuit against her, claiming she tried to ruin his career.

Future NY Giants star Kayvon Thibodeaux was shinin' brighter than the Las Vegas lights -- with this insane 40-carat diamond pendant the DE rocked while being drafted 5th overall by the G-Men.

Jeweler Saki Diamonds tells TMZ Sports he made KT the iced out chain to honor his "Jream" (pronounced dream) foundation ... where Kayvon helps underprivileged kids.

"It meant a lot to me," Saki, a former football coach (before he switch professions), told us.

The pendant looks just like the Jream logo ... with a little boy reaching for the stars in the cloudy sky. It's filled with 40 carats of canary yellow, black and white VVS diamonds.

And, if the piece wasn't cool enough ... the chain and pendant are both reversible!

"He can have 4 different looks in one chain and pendant," Saki said.

Saki says it also glows in the dark ... "when the lights go off on the pendant, you still see the clouds and the stars."

The Jacksonville jeweler says the 1st round pick came up with the idea and it took two weeks to get the piece ready for his big night.

Kayvon wasn't the only athlete wearing Saki's work at the draft ... former Georgia Bulldog Nakobe Dean copped an iced-out rose gold Cuban link chain and a two-tone Cuban bracelet.

Garrett Wilson -- who went 10th overall to the NY Jets -- was also seen rockin' a Saltwater Akoya pearl necklace and Cartier shades.

Saki -- whose client list ranges from NFL's Marlon Mack to Za'Darius Smith -- says it's an honor they chose him to put something together for a life-changing moment.

A man in Washington just struck gold ... by turning $265 into $200K after hitting a 12-leg parlay bet on a series of MLB games!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the lucky individual secured the bag on Thursday, earning over 700 times the amount of cash he put down.

A rep for BetUs -- the online sportsbook where the winning ticket was played -- tells us they don't release their customers' names, so the identity of the winner remains a mystery.

The sportsbook says the guy bet on 6 teams to win moneyline -- meaning he had to pick a winner outright -- and the rest of his picks were on "over/under" bets or totals.

His bets were as follows:

San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels moneyline.

The over/under or totals were Reds-Padres (Over 8), Pirates-Brewers (under 7½), Rockies-Phillies (over 7), Nationals-Marlins (under 8) Braves-Cubs (under 8½), and Yankees-Orioles (over 8½).

BetUS exec Tim Williams tells us, "Believe it or not, we really do love to see our valued customers hit big payouts -- and this young man from Lakewood, WA sure knows how to pick some winners!"

Williams says he hasn't spoken to the man who won the $200K, but he "hopes he has a great summer" with his new fortune.

Daniel Jones, are you ready?!?

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal -- the New York Giants' top picks in the 2022 NFL Draft -- tell TMZ Sports they can't wait to get started and work towards bringing a Super Bowl back to the Big Apple!!

The Giants were able to snag some of the best athletes in the draft class in the first round on Thursday ... using the #5 pick on Thibodeaux, the edge rusher out of Oregon.

The #7 pick was used to get Neal, the offensive tackle out of Alabama ... a must-have for Jones, who's been punished in the last three seasons with a struggling offensive line.

The stats don't lie -- since 2019, Danny's been sacked 105 times, has 29 interceptions and 36 fumbles ... and let's not forget the infamous fall (although that's not the O-line's fault).

But, that could all change soon ... 'cause we asked Neal if he's gonna keep the 24-year-old QB safe from now on, and he hit us with an, "Oh, yeah!"

"I'm going out there and working my hardest to be the absolute best player that I can be."

And, Thibodeaux -- who won 2020's Morris Trophy as the best defensive lineman in the Pac-12 -- wants to add another Lombardi Trophy in MetLife Stadium's display case ... and has a message for DJ.

"It's time," Thibs said. "We're ready to work!"

The hours leading up to Sam Bruce's death were frantic and tragic ... because a 911 call, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, revealed the former Miami Hurricane was trapped inside of a crashed car while having a seizure.

In the audio, a caller can be heard telling dispatch that Bruce -- a Florida high school football legend -- had just suffered a seizure at around 8:23 PM on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and crashed his car into a pole as a result.

"They can't get him out," the woman on the call said. "And, the car is still in gear."

"People are trying to assist him," she added. "But, the car is still in gear. You can see it because the tires are spinning. Can't nobody seem to get in."

The woman said Bruce, a former wide receiver, appeared to be convulsing as he was locked inside of the car ... telling dispatch, "Every time the seizure hits, the tire spins."

"Nobody seems to be able to get inside the vehicle to assist him."

Cops and medical personnel eventually arrived on the scene ... and a Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. spokesperson tells us they performed CPR on Bruce and ultimately transported him to a nearby hospital.

Sadly, Bruce passed away at the hospital hours later on Thursday morning.

The spokesperson tells us "the circumstances surrounding this incident are not suspicious and foul play is not suspected." A rep for the Broward County Medical Examiner said Friday that a cause and manner of death are still pending.

Bruce was a superstar on the gridiron during his high school football days at St. Thomas Aquinas -- blowing by defenders so often, he earned the nickname "The Samborghini."

Bruce signed to play receiver for the Miami Hurricanes in 2016 ... but he was dismissed from the school just months into his freshman year. He went to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. and Southeastern University ... and he later played for the Indoor Football League.

Trevor Bauer just got hit with one of the longest suspensions in MLB history -- the ace was suspended 2 years without pay after Major League Baseball concluded its investigation into claims of sexual assault.

MLB launched a probe in June 2021 after a woman accused the Cy Young winner of going too far during two sexual encounters in April and May 2021 ... allegedly punching and choking her unconscious ... resulting in bumps, bruises, scratches and other injuries.

The league concluded after an extensive investigation, he did, in fact, violate the league's joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Bauer -- who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing -- says he will appeal the punishment and expects to win.

"In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league's domestic violence & sexual assault policy," Bauer said in a statement.

"I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings."

Bauer's suspension comes two months after it was determined he would not face criminal charges over the allegations.

"After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the district attorney said at the time.

Bauer went on to sue his accuser and her attorney ... claiming she fabricated her accusations in order to ruin his career and extract money from him.

Bauer hasn't pitched since June 2021 ... and if the suspension holds, will be almost 34 when he will be able to step on the mound again.

Bauer is in the middle of a 3-year, $102-million deal ... and was slated to make more than $30 million in 2022 and 2023. In other words, if the suspension holds, he will lose more than $60 million.

Chris Paul went absolutely nutty yesterday ... breaking an NBA Playoff record while leading the Phoenix Suns to victory over Curren$y's New Orleans Pelicans, but Spitta Andretti is taking it in stride.

The NOLA rap legend was courtside Thursday night in his hometown to witness CP3 shoot a perfect 33-point game. Following the 115-109 victory, Chris still had enough energy to talk smack to Spitta and his manager Mousa in a viral moment on the sidelines.

The footage is hilarious … CP3 was still in go mode as Curren$y eventually playfully pushed him off.

Curren$y tells TMZ Hip Hop of the heartfelt moment "Chris was just talking s***," as they've been pals for a long time. Remember, CP3 started his future Hall of Fame career with the then-New Orleans Hornets.

Despite the loss, Curren$y says the playoff experience unified the city -- "The Pelicans put it all on the court for us and we filled the arena for them," Spitta continued. I feel like this turnaround season is definitely gonna be a booster shot to the season ticket sales."

Spitta's having a personal come-up in 2022, having dropped off 2 projects this year alone ("Land Air Sea" Chopped + Slopped reissue w/ Cash Fargo and "Continuance" w/ Grammy-Nominated producer The Alchemist) -- and recently blazed his way through a heralded Tiny Desk Concert ... dropped, appropriately, on 4/20.

Tennis legend Boris Becker was just sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after being convicted last month on charges he moved a large sum of money after declaring bankruptcy ... in an effort to hide the funds.

As we previously reported, 54-year-old Becker -- a 6-time Grand Slam winner -- was convicted by a jury earlier this month on multiple charges under the Insolvency Act in Britain ... including charges he concealed assets and debts.

Becker was also found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars (well, pounds) from his business account to other accounts after declaring bankruptcy in 2017.

The judge who handed down the sentence said the former #1 ranked tennis player will have to serve half of his sentence, according to CNN.

And, it could've been much worse for Becker ... who was facing up to 7 years behind bars after his conviction.

The judge didn't spare the 3-time Wimbledon champ from taking a verbal beating during sentencing ...  the judge ripped into Boris as a remorseless criminal.

"I take into account what has been described as your fall from grace. You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy," the judge said, according to the Press Association.

"You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy."

The judge continued ... "While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility."

As for Becker ... he seemed somewhat remorseful at times, even saying during his trial that he was embarrassed over the bankruptcy scandal, and even offered to part ways with his wedding ring to help satisfy his debts.

Danica Patrick had her breast implants removed this week ... saying on Friday she believed they were causing her health to deteriorate rapidly.

The former racecar driver opened up about the surgery on her social media page ... explaining that after getting the fake boobs in 2014, she took them out on Wednesday.

Danica said they were causing her "Breast Implant Illness" -- believing the silicone was slowly poisoning her.

Danica did say she was happy with them over the first few years after having them put in ... but in 2018, she started to notice changes in her health. Weight gain, hair loss, dizziness and more affected her, she said.

Then, in 2020, Danica said "the wheels came off."

"I had cycle irregularity, gained more weight, my hair wasn’t looking healthy at all and my face was a different shape (weird I know)," she wrote in her social media post. "So I went down the rabbit hole to figure it out. I did every test that could be done."

Eventually, Danica said she did her homework, and discovered the implants were likely her problem.

Immediately following surgery, Danica said she was feeling better -- posting a side-by-side photo to prove the procedure had helped.

"The picture is a snap shot of a couple hours before and a couple hours after," the 40-year-old said. "Within hours after surgery this is what I noticed - my face had more color and less dark circles (no food before the second pic), my face started producing oil again, I could take a 30% deeper breath into my chest already, and I had so much energy when I woke up."

Danica said she's hopeful her story helps impact others who might be going through a similar experience.

"My belief is, it's not if but when you develop symptoms," Patrick said of people who get the implant procedure done. "Some are right away, others are over 15 years later. Silicone is a foreign object and leaches chemicals."

F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo brought his signature "shoey' celebration to "The Daily Show" on Thursday ... chugging champagne out of a shoe with Trevor Noah!!

The McLaren driver -- who commemorates every podium finish by downing bubbly out of his sweaty ass boot -- reenacted the iconic Australian tradition on the desk alongside the host ... and it was hilarious!!

Initially, there were two mugs sitting on the desk ... but Noah quickly swapped them out for shoes and brought out a bottle of champagne to make Ricciardo feel more "comfortable."

But, the shoes weren't just props -- the guys ended up chugging the booze!!

Of course, the shoey has become quite popular in recent years -- Post Malone has done it in the past, and UFC boss Dana White even did one with heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, too!!

Even though Lamar Jackson seemed shocked the Ravens traded Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, the receiver says it's all cap -- claiming the QB knew about it.

The Ravens made the swap with the Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night ... exchanging the 24-year-old wideout and a 3rd-rounder for the 23rd overall pick.

The deal came off as a surprise for NFL fans and players -- including Jackson, who wrote in a tweet, "Wtf."

He also retweeted a fan's comment that said, "WHAT THE F***ING F*** BRO! WE TRADED AWAY HOLLYWOOD 💔💔💔💔💔"

But, Brown says the former NFL MVP knew he wanted out ... saying on the "I Am Athlete Tonight" SiriusXM radio show that he talked to Jackson several times about leaving the Ravens.

"Nah, he wasn't surprised," Brown said. "I talked to Lamar about it after my second year. Then, after my third year leading up to the end of the season, you know, he wasn't playing. I let him know again like, 'Yeah bro, I can't do it.'"

Brown insists his request to leave Baltimore had nothing to do with Jackson, but more about the Ravens' offense in general.

"I love Lamar," Brown said, "The system wasn't for me, personally. I love all my teammates. I love the guys, but it was something I had to think about for myself."

The relationship between Brown and the Ravens ended on good terms, according to the receiver ... who said, "We both handled it the right way."

"I didn't go out and make anything public. I just kept it in house, kept working and it all worked out."

Brown was the first receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft and caught 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Ravens.

Now, he will reunite with his former Oklahoma QB, Kyler Murray, in Arizona.

"Let's run it back!" Murray said after the trade. "Hollywood to the desert … Y'all welcome my boy!"

No need to read NFL draft grades or Round 1 recaps anymore ... Jameson Williams says the Detroit Lions are the clear winners of the event!!

TMZ Sports got the former Alabama superstar in Las Vegas just hours after the Lions took him with the 12th overall pick ... and he told us he believes Detroit won the draft by selecting him and Aidan Hutchinson in the first round on Thursday.

"I think so!" Williams said.

The Hutchinson pick at #2 overall was a no-brainer -- most had the Michigan defensive end as the best player in the pool -- but the Lions had to do some serious maneuvering to draft the speedy Williams.

Detroit dealt picks to Minnesota to move all the way up to 12 ... nabbing the wideout before the Philadelphia Eagles could.

And, Williams clearly believes the moves cemented the Lions as the day's biggest winners.

As for his future in Detroit, Jameson tells us he hasn't spoken with Jared Goff yet ... but says he's feeling good about playing for the Lions and connecting with the QB on some deep-ball magic in the future.