TMZ Sports - Page 50

Joanna Jedrzejczyk ain't gonna like this ...

Weili Zhang -- the reigning UFC strawweight champ -- says Joanna is washed up and does NOT deserve a shot at her belt, despite beating Michelle Waterson this past weekend.

Remember, Zhang won the title by DESTROYING Jéssica Andrade in 42 seconds when they fought back in August ... and now she's ready to defend her belt.

Joanna told TMZ Sports she deserves a title shot -- but Zhang adamantly disagrees, saying the Polish superstar's best days are behind her.

"I don't think shes the fighter that she used to be," Zhang says ... "She's not in the condition she used to be. I'm not very interested."

Joanna went on an impressive 14-0 run to start her MMA career -- but lost 3 out of her last 5 ... twice to Rose Namajunas and once to Valentina Shevchenko.

In fact, Zhang says she's WAY more interested in moving up a weight class and fighting Shevchenko for the Flyweight belt than taking on Joanna.

"I want to fight the best," Zhang says ... "Right now I think Valentina is one of the best."

Zhang says she'd also consider a fight against Rose ... but she hasn't made up her mind yet.

There's more ...

Zhang also weighed in on the political drama between her home country, China, and the United States ... saying she hopes she can help repair relations through sports.

Speaking through a translator, the 30-year-old said ... "Hopefully I can be the bridge between all countries and the U.S."

Dear Jesus ... PLEASE SAVE PATRICK MAHOMES' ANKLE!!

That's the message going down in a Kansas City church, where the K.C. faithful are begging the Lord up above to heal up their franchise quarterback after 2 straight losses.

Seriously ... the Asbury United Methodist Church is planning a "healing service" on Sunday morning for Patrick's left ankle -- which he injured in Week 1 and reaggravated this past weekend against the Texans.

"With the last two games, we kind of thought that they may need some type of help," a rep for the Church told FOX4KC ... "We knew that his ankle was injured so we decided to possibly have a healing service to help him heal that ankle quicker."

They're even advertising the prayer service on the sign outside the building -- hoping to recruit some extra parishioners to help out!

There's a bit of a timing issue though ... the Chiefs play the Denver Broncos TONIGHT -- so, hopefully, they're putting in some prayer work TODAY too!

NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to make it clear he did NOT apologize to the Chinese government for Daryl Morey's pro-Hong Kong tweet ... but he still wants to save the NBA's relationship with the foreign power.

"I'd hate to see this relationship end over this incident," Silver told TMZ Sports in New York.

When asked specifically if he would be open to going back to China to play more NBA exhibition games next year, Silver told us, "Nothing is off the table."

"We do need to reset with the Chinese government and everybody has to establish what the rules of the road are going to be going forward."

Silver touched on a variety of China-related topics during our conversation ... here are some of the hit points:

-- Silver says he's spoken with Daryl Morey several times since the initial "Stand with Hong Kong" tweet to make sure he's "getting through this okay."

-- Silver says Morey has been getting "pressure" from hundreds of millions of Chinese people but he's also happy Daryl is getting support from people in the U.S.

-- Silver says he has NOT spoken about the issue with Donald Trump but has had conversations with people in Trump's administration.

-- Silver has consulted with NBA player Enes Kanter about the situation. Kanter, who's from Turkey, has caught hell back home for speaking out against the Turkish government and he ripped LeBron James for the comments he made condemning Daryl Morey.

-- Silver also says he consulted former NBA commish David Stern about the issue since Stern is still an adviser to the league.

-- Silver also admitted he was "bothered" that the league's initial statement about the Morey tweet was interpreted by many to be an apology to the Chinese government.

The initial statement read, "We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable."

"While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them."

Silver explained to TMZ Sports ... "It bothered me that in saying we regretted upsetting hundreds of millions of Chinese fans while at the same time supporting Daryl Morey’s speech, it bothered me, I’d say, that it was interpreted as an apology to the Chinese government."

"We certainly didn’t apologize to the Chinese government."

"We supported Daryl from the get-go in terms of his ability to tweet. We also made clear that there were consequences from that speech. And, I think that was no doubt frustrating to a lot of people in the NBA community because it was incredibly disruptive. But, you know, we accepted that. Daryl knew we accepted that. There was not much we could do about that. But, I think it bothered me that somehow even though we – I felt were holding the line in a way that many companies haven’t been able to in China, meaning there was no discipline of our employee, there was never a suggestion that we weren’t supporting him."

John Smoltz's incredible Georgia estate -- complete with a baseball field, basketball court, football field, golf course AND a pool -- is hitting the market ... and it's listed at a whoppin' $5.2 MILLION!!!

Not only is the 19-acre property a sports fan's paradise ... it's also got a HUGE mansion with 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms!!!

The crib, listed by Harry Norman Realtors agent Alex McGraw, comes with several master suites, a chef's kitchen, multiple bars and an office.

There's also a room in the house called the "Gentlemen's Study" -- which we think is a super fancy way of saying "Man Cave."

And, if privacy is your thing, this place is locked up tighter than a drum -- double gates to keep out the riffraff and a gated parking court so nobody scuffs your Bentley.

Seriously, check out the pics. The place is awesome.

The Hall of Famer had the home built in 2002 -- and has put it on the market in the past -- but we're told he's more motivated than ever to sell!!!

According to the listing agent, the estate was appraised earlier this year ... and the asking price is way LESS than its appraisal value. So yeah, you're getting a steal!!!

Of course, Smoltz is an Atlanta legend and spent the majority of his career with the Braves, and reportedly made more than $135 MILLION during his 21-year MLB career.

Matt Ryan has pissed off one of his biggest ATL Falcons fans -- Quavo from The Migos -- who tells TMZ Sports the team needs to bench Matty already ... and start HIM!!!

"Put Matty on Ice, put Quavo in tonight!"

Quavo's not only from Georgia, he's also a HUGE football fan who used to be a STUD quarterback himself back in his high school days.

In fact, Quavo was Gwinnett County, Georgia's all-time single-game completions leader ... and posted a sick highlight video showing him breaking tackles, juking pass-rushers and finding his WRs with the deep ball!

So, when we spotted Quavo leaving Avra in Beverly Hills we asked how his beloved Falcons can get things back on track.

"Matt Ryan is making me mad right now," Quavo said ... "If the Falcons start me, I'll play and I'll throw to Julio Jones every play!"

Hey, it's not a bad plan ...

The Falcons are coming to L.A. to play the Rams this weekend -- and Quavo also has a friendly warning for his pal Jalen Ramsey ... JULIO JONES IS GONNA BUST YOUR ASS!

Here's MLB legend Jeff Bagwell happy as hell he's not on the Yankees right now ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the way Gerrit Cole is currently pitching is straight-up scary!!

"He's the closest thing I've seen to Randy Johnson," the Astros legend says ... "He's tough. He's a monster out there."

Cole has been mowing down lineups all season ... and nothing's changed so far in the playoffs -- especially in Houston's HUGE Game 3 win over the Yanks on Tuesday.

Bagwell -- one of the greatest power hitters ever -- says it's truly impressive what the flamethrower has been able to do over the last few months.

"He's just a different animal," Bagwell says ... "There's something out there when he's on the mound where it just looks like he feels like he's just better than you."

In fact, Bagwell is so impressed by GC ... he says it actually reminds him of when Randy Johnson was shoving for the 'Stros back in 1998!!

Ex-Dallas Cowboys star Marion Barber III was arrested in Texas on Wednesday ... and officials say it all stems from a "criminal mischief" incident from July 2018.

So far, the specific allegations against the 36-year-old are unclear -- all we know is that he was arrested by the Prosper Police Dept. and transported to a Denton County jail.

Barber was booked on at least one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief -- and he's still in custody as of this post.

FYI, misdemeanor criminal mischief carries a maximum punishment of 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

Barber was stud running back for the Cowboys from 2005 to 2010 -- he even made the Pro Bowl in 2007.

Before the NFL, Barber was a standout at the University of Minnesota where he led the Golden Gophers to the Music City Bowl in 2004 and was named the game's MVP.

He was selected in the 4th round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

LeBron James got the "South Park" treatment on Wednesday -- mocking the NBA superstar for the comments he made about Daryl Morey ... and it's pretty hilarious.

Remember, South Park has been at war with China this month too -- the country blackballed the show over an episode in which they used Winnie the Pooh to mock President Xi.

"South Park" doubled down the following week, with multiple characters on the show saying, "F*ck the Chinese government!"

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and they're still not done -- this time using LeBron's actual quotes from his anti-Morey comments as fodder.

In the ep, titled "Let Them Eat Goo," Cartman gets pissed after the school wants to switch out the usual lunches for healthier options.

At one point, Cartman confronts the protesters and says ... "Yes, we do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you are not thinking about others and only thinking about yourself!"

Sound familiar?

There's more ... Cartman says, "They're trying to change people's lunch! They don't realize it harms people financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually!"

Hilarious moment on the links Wednesday ... Tony Romo was scared crapless by a fake snake -- and it was all because of a prank played on him by ex-NBA star Deron Williams!

Romo -- a near-scratch golfer when he's not broadcasting NFL games -- was out at Maridoe Golf Club in Texas with Williams when Deron decided to have some fun.

The former Utah Jazz superstar laid down a rubber snake by Romo's golf cart ... and fired up his phone's camera.

What happened next was hilarious ... Romo initially walked by it without seeing it, but when he got out of his cart and finally noticed it -- HE ALMOST JUMPED OUT HIS SHOES!!

Once the QB realized he'd been pranked, he smirked and said, "That son of a bitch!" -- while Williams laughed his ass off!!!

"I’m sorry @tony.romo I had to do it!!!" Williams said of the joke. "All this proves is if they put u back there for a few snaps u could shake off them ankle tackles."

Williams plays this trick all the time while he's out on the golf course ... and it's laugh out loud hilarious EVERY TIME!!!

Is LeBron James using fashion to make a political statement? Maybe ...

After LeBron dropped 18 points in the Lakers preseason win over Golden State on Wednesday, he took his wife out for a date while wearing a Nike shirt that says, "No Clout."

A lot of Bron critics would probably agree with the shirt after the way LeBron's been handling the China situation ... so you gotta wonder if Bron picked out the shirt as a way of acknowledging and addressing the backlash.

Or, maybe he just liked the shirt.

We tried to ask Bron about the China situation on his way out of the Highlight Room Rooftop Lounge in L.A., where he had a date night with Savannah ... but it was clear Bron wouldn't go there.

Instead, he engaged with fans, complimented some young girls as "Queens" and got into his car ... he was very nice to everyone.

Seems Bron is looking to get his life back to normal amid the China drama -- he balled out during the preseason game and everyone's talking about this insane no-look, over the shoulder assist.

Are people ready to move on already? We'll see ...

JALEN RAMSEY HAS ARRIVED -- and you better believe TMZ Sports was at LAX for his grand arrival!!!

The stud cornerback touched down on Wednesday (sporting his new Rams hat) where he was greeted by L.A. Rams staffers and what appeared to be a team camera crew to capture the moment.

Ramsey was just traded to the Rams from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a couple of 1st-round draft picks and a 4th-round pick.

The big concern was the alleged injury to Ramsey's back -- which kept him out of his final 3 games in JAX.

But, when we asked the 24-year-old how he's feeling, he shot back -- "I'm feeling good ... I want to play football!"

Great news!!!

Unclear if Ramsey will suit up and play for the Rams this weekend, but they could sure use him after trading away Marcus Peters and losing Aqib Talib to injured reserve.

In case you need a refresher ... Ramsey is widely considered the best CB in the NFL. He's in his 4th year as a pro and already has 9 career interceptions, 2 Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro honor.

Claressa Shields' brother has been charged for the violent attack on Ivana Habazin's trainer at their fight weigh-in earlier this month ... and he's now facing a possible 10 years behind bars for the crime.

As we previously reported, 68-year-old James Ali Bashir was snuck up on and socked in the face at the Shields-Habazin weigh-in on Oct. 4 in Flint, Michigan after things got testy during the fight's promotion.

Bashir was seriously injured -- he was taken from the arena to the hospital and required surgery -- and the whole altercation caused the mega-boxing match to be canceled.

Genessee County Prosecutors now say they've caught the man responsible for the punch ... and say it's Shields' brother, 28-year-old Artis Mack.

According to prosecutors, Mack was seen by cops fleeing the scene after the punch took place ... and after they followed him into a nearby neighborhood, they arrested him.

On Wednesday, they announced they hit the guy with one charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm ... and say if convicted, Mack could spend up to 10 YEARS in prison.

Mack is currently being held without bond in Genesee County, Michigan.

Boxing superstar Errol Spence has been charged with DWI ... after he crashed his Ferrari and flipped it several times in a terrifying accident last week, TMZ Sports has learned.

29-year-old Spence -- one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world -- crashed his white Ferrari around 3 AM in Dallas after driving at a high rate of speed and driving over the median, flipping at least 5 times.

Spence somehow managed to escape the crash with NO broken bones, but several broken teeth. He was later released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Dallas PD conducted an investigation into the accident ... and on Wednesday he was charged with a class B misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.

Spence's rep released a statement shortly after the crash, saying, "[Spence's family] want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes and are extremely grateful to the Dallas first responders who rush to the scene to attend to Errol after the accident and the doctors who are taking care of him at the hospital."

Boxer Patrick Day died Wednesday from brain injuries sustained during a violent knockout loss on Saturday, his team announced. Day was only 27.

Day (17-4-1) was knocked down 3 times -- once in the 4th, again in the 8th and finally in the 10th -- by 21-year-old rising star Charles Conwell during Saturday's fight at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

The final knockdown was particularly brutal -- Day's head bounced off the canvas and the ref immediately stopped the fight.

Medical personnel rushed into the ring, Day was taken out of the ring in a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance which transported him to a nearby hospital.

Day suffered a seizure after the fight and then fell into a coma. He later underwent emergency brain surgery.

Day fought for days but ultimately succumbed to "the traumatic brain injury" he suffered during the fight and was pronounced dead on Wednesday. He was surrounded by close friends, family and members of his boxing team.

Day's promoter, Lou DiBella, issued a statement praising the fighter as a champion in and out of the ring.

"He was a son, brother, and good friend to many. Pat's kindness, positivity, and generosity of spirit made a lasting impression with everyone he met."

"Patrick Day didn't need to box. He came from a good family, he was smart, educated, had good values and had other avenues available to him to earn a living."

"He chose to box, knowing the inherent risks that every fighter faces when he or she walks into a boxing ring. Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It's how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive."

Ex-Baylor superstar and NFL prospect Shawn Oakman is making his return to the football field -- the defensive end just got drafted by the XFL's Los Angeles Wildcats.

27-year-old Oakman was destined for the NFL before he was accused of sexual assault days before the 2016 Draft. He went undrafted and spent the next 3 years fighting to prove his innocence.

Oakman was exonerated back in February -- with a jury deliberating 2 hours before finding him not guilty. Oakman had long argued the sex was consensual.

Oakman has been training like a maniac ever since his court battle ended in hopes of getting his football career back on track ... and now the XFL has given him his chance, with the Wildcats drafting him in the Open Phase of the draft on Wednesday.

"Look what god made I'm god like (prayer hands)," Oakman said. "The Rebirth Continues."

Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett says he just got sucker punched in the face by a "fan" who asked him for a picture ... and now he's clowning the attacker on social media.

Garrett -- who's 6'4", 272 lbs -- says he was inside of his car Wednesday when the "fan" flagged him down and "hopped out his car to take a picture with me."

"I cracked the window enough for the camera to get my face," Garrett says ... but when the guy got close, he socked Myles right in the face.

23-year-old Garrett -- the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- didn't seem fazed one bit ... comparing the punch to a "pillow tap."

We reached out to police in Cleveland and nearby areas but, so far, no signs of a report being filed.

Instead, Garrett is taunting the guy on social media ... "Hm, put your legs into it might have actually made me flinch."

Garrett says he didn't retaliate because he knows that would make him a prime target for a lawsuit.

The Browns are on a bye week -- so it's unclear if the incident even took place in Cleveland, but we're working on it.

Garrett is a monster in the NFL ... he's widely considered one of the best pass rushers in the game and he already has 9 sacks in the 2019 season.