TMZ Sports - Page 5

Artem Chigvintsev is firing back at Nikki Garcia (Bella) in their ugly divorce, claiming she completely made up domestic violence allegations that landed him behind bars -- allegations she detailed in a restraining order she obtained Monday.

In new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Artem painted the retired WWE star as the aggressor with anger issues that led to his arrest in late August, ultimately destroying their 2-year marriage.

Artem also filed photos with the court, showing injuries to his hand, elbow and the back of his head ... claiming Nikki was responsible for it all.

An exotic dancer who says she worked at Floyd Mayweather's gentleman's club in Las Vegas is now suing the former boxing superstar ... claiming he slapped her in the face during a dispute at the venue.

But Mayweather -- through his rep, Felton Newell -- told The Athletic this week he "vehemently denies the allegations."

The dancer, Jasmine Woodward, filed the lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada on Monday ... alleging the violent incident with Mayweather happened at his Girl Collection strip joint on April 23, 2023.

Mike Tyson clearly hasn't missed a step after his medical emergency a few months back -- the boxing legend just shared footage from his latest workout ... and his punches look as violent as ever!!

Iron Mike is 42 days from entering the ring against Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium ... and as Nov. 15 approaches, he put to rest any concerns about his health by posting a brief clip of his training -- featuring a number of combos that should send shivers down the Problem Child's spine.

"Final stretch," the 58-year-old pugilist said Thursday. "Less than 50 days left."

Vernon Davis says Travis Kelce did not look like a fish out of water in his "Grotesquerie" debut ... in fact, the former NFL star who's now an actor says the Chiefs tight end "seemed like a natural to me!"

The ex-SF 49er heaped the praise on Kelce while chatting with Harvey and Babcock on "TMZ Live" on Thursday -- some 24 hours after Travis showed off his acting chops on Ryan Murphy's new FX show.

Davis, who just recently acted alongside Morgan Freeman in "The Ritual Killer," told the guys he thought Kelce crushed it ... saying straight up, "He did a wonderful job."

Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield are doing their part to make sure individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can get the assistance they need -- the two NFL stars donated $50k each to a relief fund.

The Falcons and Buccaneers quarterbacks made the combined $100k contribution to Team Rubicon -- a veteran-led humanitarian organization -- to help people who dealt with the impacts of Helene after its landfall back on September 26.

"We stand with those who have been affected," Mayfield said. "Honoring the lives lost and the families that are still in distress. Together, we can make a difference."

Nikki Garcia (AKA Bella) filed a restraining order against estranged husband Artem Chigvintsev Monday, and a judge signed off, after Nikki submitted a sworn declaration to the court saying in detail how Artem allegedly brutalized her.

In her petition, Nikki says Artem "tackled me multiple times and pinned me to the ground while our child was present."

She says since Artem was cut from "Dancing with the Stars," he grew "increasingly angry, snapping at me, and yelling." She said they had discussions about his need to control his anger, adding on the morning of the incident, Artem went off on Nikki over how their 4-year-old son's English muffin should be toasted, screaming that she made their son a "picky eater."

Melania Trump is pro-choice, Will Smith is gassy and Rashee Rice's mom is being accused of sticky fingers ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Babcock break down where Melania stands in relation to her husband on the issue of abortion.

Bronny James officially has a girlfriend -- the Los Angeles Lakers hooper was on the receiving end of an adorable note from Parker Whitfield on Thursday ... which just so happens to be National Boyfriend Day!!

The dating rumors surrounding the young lovers kickstarted this summer ... when they were spotted watching Bronny's dad (ya might've heard of him) and the Team USA basketball team play during the Paris Olympics.

Bronny then furthered the speculation a few weeks later by dropping a cute Instagram comment praising Parker's appearance under one of her posts ... saying, "She so pretty."

Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Scott's expecting ... and her famous father just announced the pregnancy in a new music video.

The rapper just dropped the music vid for "Temporary" -- and in one scene Eminem and Hailie are sitting on a set of stairs on a porch when she hands him a custom Detroit Lions jersey ... that says "Grandpa" on the back.

Hailie also gives her dad a sonogram of the fetus ... and he holds it up toward the camera with a surprised look on his face.

Caitlin Clark just missed out on sweeping the field for WNBA Rookie of the Year ... and it's all thanks to one single vote for her rival, Angel Reese.

The results dropped after the Indiana Fever star was officially named ROY on Thursday ... and considering all the history she made this season, many were shocked to see anyone but Clark earning a vote.

The count was 66 to 1 .... with Clark gathering the whopping majority -- and the Chicago Sky star getting the outlier.

Terence Crawford is confirming he was, in fact, offered a two-fight deal with UFC superstar Conor McGregor ... but the boxing champ ultimately turned the offer down -- 'cause there was no chance in hell he was about to step in the Octagon.

McGregor previously claimed the two combat greats were positioned to make "hundreds of millions" in an epic boxing/MMA showdown ... an ordeal that was pitched by the chairman of Saudia Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

In an interview with Bernie Tha Boxer, Bud said the whole thing was legitimately on the table ... but he was the one to decline the lucrative possibility.

Forget cakes and candles ... Paul Skenes made Livvy Dunne's birthday special this week -- with a custom trading card!!

The MLB superstar hit up Topps for the sweet gift for his girlfriend -- who turned 22 on Tuesday -- and check it out ... the one-of-a-kind present turned out awesome.

The card, which the LSU star gymnast showed off on her Snapchat page, featured Livvy holding her dog, Roux, on the front ... while the back showcased some funny stats of the pup.

Dikembe Mutombo's family is looking to continue the Hall of Famer's many charitable endeavors ... encouraging his fans to donate to a memorial fund following his death -- which will help the causes and organizations he passionately worked on throughout his life.

Mutombo's loved ones -- wife, Rose, and kids Carrie, Jean-Jacques, and Ryan -- released a heartfelt statement on Thursday ... just days after Mutombo passed away from brain cancer at the age of 58.

"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and condolences we have received from people around the world following the passing of our beloved Dikembe," the message read.

Alex Pereira knows he has his hands full on Saturday with Khalil Rountree ... but, the UFC's light heavyweight champion also has his eye on a future goal that'd put him in a class of his own -- winning a title in a third weight class.

It's never been done before. There are fighters who have been champions in two weight classes -- some even at the same time (Conor McGregor, Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes) -- but no fighter has owned belts in three.

If anyone can do it, it's likely Poatan ... who TMZ Sports asked this week about moving up to heavyweight after his main event scrap with Roundtree at UFC 307.

Two moms turned an outing at an indoor playground into a violent scene ... exchanging blows MMA-style in a ball pit in front of their kids, and a surrounding crowd.

Check it out ... the 2 parents are seen wailing on each other, as bystanders try to pull them apart. Even with a kid clinging to one mom's leg, the fight does not cease ... the woman in a white top throws her rival in a cream-colored dress to the ball-covered floor.

The fight escalates as the women slap and claw at each other ... both ladies resorting to hair-pulling at different points of the grapple.

Utah State is joining a growing list of schools forfeiting volleyball matches against San Jose State ... in an apparent protest against a transgender player.

The Aggies are the fourth program to boycott against the Spartans this season ... after it was claimed in a lawsuit, filed by former college swimmer Riley Gaines, that a member of the SJSU roster is a biological male.

Gaines notably competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA championships in 2022 ... and has since become an activist against trans women competing in women's sports.