TMZ Sports - Page 50

"I woke up in a guillotine-ish mood."

That's UFC star Brian Ortega explaining why he chose his trademark GUILLOTINE CHOKE as today's lesson for TMZ's Snapchat show "Fight School" ... and the video is awesome!

T-City joined Paige VanZant to train up our TMZ Sports producer, Lucas -- our human crash test dummy -- in the secret MMA gym in the TMZ office!

Not only did Brian drop all sorts of knowledge on us ... but he also let Lucas try out the move ON HIM!!

Did Lucas actually get Brian Ortega -- the #2 ranked UFC featherweight contender -- to tap?!!?

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's thiiis close to closing a deal to host UFC fights on a private island -- where he would fly in fighters on private planes.

YES, THIS IS REAL!!!

The UFC boss tells us he's laser-focused on keeping the business alive during the COVID-19 pandemic -- starting with UFC 249 on April 18.

White says the location for that event is still top secret -- though he's locked up the mystery venue where it will take place for 2 months and plans on pumping out fights every week.

But, after that, White says he's planning to move the Octagon to the island -- where he will set up shop and host fights involving massive international fighters.

White says the deal for Fight Island isn't done yet -- but it's very close. And, no, we don't know what part of the world it's in.

White also revealed the rest of the card for UFC 249 ... which includes some pretty big fights including Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade and Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Greg Hardy will also be on the card as well as Ray Borg, Jeremy Stephens and more.

White says every person involved in the fights -- from production staff to fighters -- will be screened thoroughly by a medical team before they will be allowed into the venue. White says safety is the highest priority.

White also talked about Khabib Nurmagomedov -- who was initially slated to fight Tony Ferguson in the main event at UFC 249 until the pandemic left him stuck in Russia. White says people should stop blaming Khabib for being out of the fight, there's nothing he could have done.

Rob Gronkowski didn't just host WrestleMania 36, HE WON A CHAMPIONSHIP BELT!!!

The ex-NFL star dropped the mic and took out his homeboy, Mojo Rawley, on Sunday night to win the coveted 24/7 championship belt ... and man, was he PUMPED!!

FYI, the 24/7 title is ALWAYS on the line -- the titleholder can be pinned by ANYONE, any time, any place. And, if a ref busts out a 3 count, it's over!

So, during Sunday's Part 2 of Mania from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando ... Gronk saw an opportunity and pounced.

Mojo had only won the title on Saturday after pinning R-Truth in a sneak attack during Part 1.

And, while he was trying to run away from challengers on Sunday, Gronk decided to jump off of a perch and crushed several wrestlers ion the process ... knocking Mojo out cold and getting the pin!!!

Wasn't this dude supposed to have a bad back?!!

So, hail to the new victor, WWE CHAMPION ROB GRONKOWSKI!!!

If Detroit drafted Carmelo Anthony in 2003, the Pistons would've won not 1, not 2, not 3 ... but ZERO rings!!! -- so says Ben Wallace, who truly believes drafting Melo would've hurt the team.

Remember, the hypothetical argument came up when Anthony and Dwyane Wade talked about their epic draft class on IG Live ... speculating what Melo's career would've been like if Motor City picked him instead of all-time bust Darko Milicic.

"I know I would have maybe 2 or 3 rings," Melo said.

Enter Big Ben ... who says it's actually a GOOD thing the Pistons messed up with the #2 overall pick ... because Melo would've thrown everyone off.

"If we would've drafted Carmelo, I honestly don't think we would have ever won a championship," Wallace said on the 120 Watts Podcast.

"Melo would have wanted to play right away. It would have had the potential to disrupt the team chemistry."

Of course, the Pistons went on to win a 'ship over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2004 without Darko's help ... and Melo is still ringless.

Not everybody on that team feels the same way, though ... Chauncey Billups thinks the Pistons woulda won 3 titles if they drafted Melo.

Derek Fisher and Gloria Govan were supposed to say "I do" this coming weekend, but now that it's postponed they're focused on helping the nurses, doctors and EMTs battling coronavirus.

The ex-Lakers star and current Sparks head coach was on "TMZ Live" Monday with his bride-to-be -- and, like most Americans, their priorities have shifted. The "Basketball Wives" star's restaurant, Gorditos in Granada Hills, is providing food, and even masks, for frontline workers around SoCal.

Gloria, whose sister is a nurse in NorCal, says the couple will donate items to as many frontline workers as possible. It's no small undertaking because, like most restaurants, Derek and Gloria's place is taking it on the chin.

They told us how they're fighting to stay open, and to help out all their employees ... even though they've had to furlough most of them.

As for their wedding -- originally slated for this weekend but postponed around 3 weeks ago -- Derek says they're just like most engaged couples right now ... just wondering when they'll be able to resume their plans.

Al Kaline -- an MLB Hall of Famer who was affectionately known as Mr. Tiger -- has died at the age of 85.

A family friend of the Detroit legend confirmed the news with the Detroit Free Press on Monday ... although a cause of death was not immediately known.

Kaline was an unbelievable baseball player for the Tigers from 1953-1974 ... making 18 All-Star games and earning 10 gold gloves.

The former outfielder logged 3,007 hits, had a career batting average of .297 and slugged 399 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 ... and his No. 6 was retired by the Tigers that same year.

Kaline also has a statue at Comerica Park in Detroit.

"Such a kind and generous man who meant so much to so many," former Tigers ace Justin Verlander said Monday. "I hope you knew how much I enjoyed our conversations about baseball, life, or just giving each other a hard time."

"I am honored to have been able to call you my friend for all these years.  R.I.P. Mr Tiger, Al Kaline."

The baseball legend worked in some capacity with the Tigers up until his death ... holding various roles as either an announcer, coach or front-office exec.

#RIP

It's official ... Justin Gaethje will replace Khabib to fight Tony Ferguson in the main event at UFC 249 on April 18!!!

So, many questions remain -- like where will the event take place -- but so far, that's all we know.

There will be a fight. It will be live on ESPN+. Tony and Justin will fight for the UFC interim lightweight title (Tony previously held it, but was stripped when he injured his leg. Khabib then fought Al Iaquinta for the interim title).

As for the location, Dana White has only teased it will go down "somewhere on EARTH!"

No matter where the fight takes place, the UFC will most likely restrict fans from attending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unclear who will call the fight.

As we previously reported, Khabib Nurmagomedov was all set to fight Tony -- but he's stuck in Russia and unable to fly out.

So, the UFC locked in Gaethje -- one of the most ferocious strikers in all MMA -- to go after Tony instead.

White has said there will be other fights on the card, but he has not revealed the names of anyone else signed on yet.

Tom Brady just dropped a very long and very emotional goodbye letter to Patriots Nation -- and while he thanked Robert Kraft by name ... Bill Belichick didn't get the same kind of love.

It's all in a Player's Tribune article titled, "The Only Way Is Through" -- TB12 reflects on his 20 years in New England and explains why he's so damn "motivated" to succeed in Tampa Bay.

But, one part of the story stood out to us ... this line.

"But more than any one physical place, it’s the relationships I made in New England that I’ll miss the most. Of course, it starts with the entire New England Patriots organization, and Robert Kraft and the entire Kraft family. It extends to countless other individuals who played such a valuable role in my 20 years as a Patriot. Teammates and coaches, past and present."

See that? Kraft got a shout-out by name. But, Bill was just lumped in with "teammates and coaches."

Was it an intentional diss? An oversight?

We know Tom is very calculated when it comes to the media -- and with the reported bad blood between Tom and Bill, we're guessing it was no mistake.

As for the rest of the article, Brady explained why he's so excited for his new squad in Tampa Bay ... but admits, he's got a lot to learn and realizes he doesn't have much time.

"It will be different," Brady says about Tampa ... "that goes with the territory. Different coaches. Different players. Different programs."

"Right now I have no idea how to get to Raymond James Stadium, or where the meeting rooms are, or where everybody sits. It will be a learning curve, in the same way it was remembering that the Atlantic Ocean is always due east."

As for his physical conditioning, 42-year-old Brady feels his body can still perform at a very high level.

"Physically, I’m as capable of doing my job as I’ve ever been. Now I want to see what more I can do. I want to see how great I can be."

Brady also talks about just wanting a change of scenery ...

"Playing for one team for 20 years has been an amazing ride and experience. But doing the same thing year after year brings its own challenges," Brady said.

"A familiar rhythm can be comforting and great. But it can also make you lose sight of other rhythms, newer ones that remind you of everything that hasn’t been done yet."

He ended on this note ...

"At some point, you have to throw your whole body into what you’re doing. You have to say, Let’s ride. Let’s see what we got. I want to show everybody what I got."

First Derek Jeter's house ... now the best golf club in the state?!?!

Tom Brady is wasting ZERO time finding his niches in Florida ... reportedly becoming a member of the super-exclusive Seminole Golf Club just days after moving into Jeter's Tampa Bay-area mansion this month.

If you're unfamiliar, the Seminole Golf Club -- located in Juno Beach, Fla., about three hours from Brady's new crib -- is the home of one of the best golf courses on the planet.

Golf Digest ranked it as the No. 12 (fitting, right?) place to play in all of the United States in 2019 ... calling it, "one of America's most exclusive clubs."

It's unclear what dues are at the place ... but we're pretty sure Tom can afford it -- he just signed a fully-guaranteed, 2-year, $50 MILLION contract to play for the Buccaneers.

Of course, Brady -- who had previously been a member of at the famous Brookline Country Club in Massachusetts -- is an outstanding golfer ... reportedly an 8-handicap.

In fact, Brady's so good with his irons ... he's said to be in talks to square off in a charity round of golf with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning that could go down next month.

As for practice rounds ... Tom's going to be able to play as much as he wants -- Florida's courses are still open amid coronavirus closures, while NFL offseason workouts have been shut down.

It's all just another reminder ... being Tom Brady is awesome.

Eric Dickerson tried like hell ... but the NFL legend says the L.A. Rams refuse to change their brand-new logos, despite a major backlash from fans (and non-fans) who just hate 'em.

The Rams debuted their new look a few weeks ago -- and man, did they get TRASHED for it!

Dickerson -- one of the greatest Rams players of all time -- said he would make it his mission to convince the execs to scrap the project ... and pointed out the new Ram head logo is shaped like a penis.

That's not a joke. He really said that.

But, even ED -- the Rambassador -- couldn't convince the team to dump the new logos ... and it's clear he's not happy about it.

"I spoke with the Rams front office on behalf of our great fans and former players," Eric said ... "Unfortunately, the front office is set on their new logos."

"I made our feelings crystal clear...why change the best logo in the NFL?"

Dickerson said the old Rams look successfully connected past and present Rams players and fans. He doesn't feel the new logos accomplish that.

"When I was drafted by the Rams in 1983, my dream came true of playing professional football for the best city and best fans. I couldn't wait to put on my Rams uniform and helmet...the best looking uniform/helmet in the NFL! I felt connected to the great Rams legend such as Deacon Jones and Jack Youngblood. My vision was to connect our past, present and future players with our iconic logo."

Floyd Mayweather's daughter, Iyanna, has been arrested for felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, TMZ has learned, and it appears to have been a confrontation over NBA Youngboy.

Iyanna Mayweather is currently in Houston's Harris County jail after getting arrested at 1:30 AM Saturday. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the alleged victim and NBA Youngboy were at his home when Iyanna arrived and told the woman, Lapattra Lashai Jacobs, she was Youngboy's fiancee and Jacobs should leave the house. Jacobs then told Iyanna to leave.

We're told the argument moved into the kitchen, where Iyanna was holding 2 knives. According to our sources, Jacobs stepped toward Iyanna and Iyanna charged at her with one of the knives. Jacobs told cops she didn't feel the first knife wound but then she said Iyanna charged at her with the second knife, stabbing her again.

When EMTs arrived, Jacobs was laying on the floor. She was taken to the hospital. We do not know her condition.

Youngboy, who was home at the time, was briefly handcuffed by cops -- presumably as a precautionary measure -- before being released.

Iyanna told cops Jacobs had incited her by initially pulling her hair outside the house and then running into the kitchen, where the confrontation went down.

Iyanna told cops she had never met Jacobs before.

Mike Postle played some of the best poker known to man -- to the point where it made him a poker god -- all because he underhandedly knew what cards his opponents were holding ... so claims one of them, fellow pro player Marle Cordeiro, in a new lawsuit.

Cordeiro claims over a series of games on the Stones Live Poker broadcast beginning in 2018, Postle won more money than any other player and was often the winningest player on the show on any night he participated ... because she says he cheated using his cell phone.

Cordeiro alleges Postle was able to consistently make the right moves "by engaging in a pattern and practice of using one or more wire communication mechanisms to defraud his opponents by gaining knowledge of their Hole Cards during the play of poker hands."

For the uninitiated -- hole cards are the cards only an individual player can see and are unknown to the other players at the table, but for the purposes of television ... cameras are able to reveal the hole cards to the viewing public.

In the suit, Cordeiro claims Postle was somehow able to get this camera feed to his cell phone ... so he could view their hole cards. She believes he was also "aided by one or more confederates," but she's not sure who they are yet.

Cordeiro claims as evidence, Postle was regularly seen looking down between his legs at his cell phone during gameplay ... and he cashed in 94 percent of the games while playing in the Stones Live Poker games -- an unheard of statistic in the poker world. She says he hardly played in any other tournaments besides Stones, either ... which she claims is odd for a poker star.

According to the docs ... Cordeiro claims Postle also slipped up during an interview and mentioned that the broadcast only showed 2 out of 4 of the players' hole cards during one hand of pot limit Omaha -- something he would not have known unless he had access to the broadcast.

Finally, Cordeiro claims during one no-limit hold 'em hand she went against Postle in a September 2019 game, she would have profited thousands of dollars against him had he been playing legit poker ... but she claims he folded instead, because he could view her cards.