TMZ Sports - Page 50

10:40 AM PT -- Arnold's people just told us the following ... the procedure was "to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997. That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement. During that procedure, an open-heart surgery team was prepared ... in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed."

The rep says Arnold's recovering from surgery and is in stable condition. His first words after waking up: "I'm back." Naturally.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has undergone emergency open-heart surgery ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to Arnold tell TMZ, the 70-year-old Schwarzenegger went to Cedars-Sinai Thursday for a catheter valve replacement. We're told the surgery is somewhat experimental and he developed complications.

Doctors were prepared in case the catheter valve replacement failed ... and quickly decided Arnold needed emergency open-heart surgery, which we're told lasted several hours.

This is not the first time Arnold has gone under the knife for heart surgery. He had an aortic valve replaced in 1997. At the time doctors didn't feel the procedure was urgently needed, but Arnold decided to do it while he was still young. He also said at the time the condition was congenital and had nothing to do with steroids.

As for his condition ... we're told he's stable.

Steve Nash says Zion Williamson should have no regrets about his injury at the McDonald's All-American game this week ... telling TMZ Sports it's all part of the game.

Zion -- who's quite possibly the most popular H.S. hoops player since LeBron James -- hurt his right thumb while trying to brace a fall in the 2nd half of the all-star showcase on Wednesday.

We asked Nash if it's too big of a risk for young H.S. prospects to play in meaningless games before getting the chance to cash checks ... and Nash shoots down the idea.

"You're a basketball player ... You have to play every day to be the best you can be and to compete. People get hurt."

It turns out Zion's parents say he's gonna be okay ... but it was a scary incident for the Duke commit.

Buffalo Bills receiver Zay Jones says he's thankful to see his 23rd birthday ... breaking his silence after his naked, bloody arrest last week.

We broke the story ... Jones was arrested for felony vandalism after a bizarre, nude altercation with his brother at an L.A. apartment. We're told Cayleb -- a Minnesota Vikings player -- was fighting to keep him from jumping out of a hole he kicked out a 30th floor window.

Zay is finally speaking out for the first time since the incident -- on his 23rd birthday -- saying "thankful to be alive. thankful for another year. more life."

There has been an outpour of support for Jones since the arrest -- from Bills coach Sean McDermott to Johnny Manziel.

Zay won't face criminal charges from the incident after his family agreed to cover the cost for repairs ... but the league is still investigating.

UFC champ Demetrious Johnson says he wipes the floor with Rampage Jackson every time they fight ... in the virtual world, that is.

You might've heard -- Demetrious is a HUGE gamer with over 150k followers on Twitch ... so when he isn't wrecking guys inside the Octagon, he's crushing plebes in games like Fortnite and PUBG.

One of the MMA stars DJ gets down with is Rampage Jackson ... and we had to ask what happens when they strap on their headsets.

"We go back and forth. Rampage is pretty damn good," Johnson told TMZ Sports.

That said -- "Fighting game, I'll mop him. If it's a first-person shooter, anything can happen."

Canelo Alvarez is suspended, but his rematch with Gennady Golovkin -- only 36 days away -- will go on, according to Dana White ... 'cause there's too much damn money on the line.

We saw Dana in L.A. and asked him about the most anticipated rematch in boxing ... and whether there's any shot in hell the fight happens May 5.

Remember ... Canelo was temporarily suspended after twice testing positive for a banned substance (he blamed contaminated beef). This week, the Nevada State Athletic Commission hit the champ with a formal complaint -- meaning he is facing a year suspension.

Still, Dana believes the almighty dollar will prevail, and come Cinco de Mayo, Canelo and GGG will fight.

"Yeah, I think it will. There's too much money involved."

Heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder says most boxers' worst fear is his fantasy ... telling the world he desperately wants to KILL A MAN IN THE RING before his career is over.

Wilder sat down with Charlamagne Tha God & Angela Yee (DJ Envy probably already walked out of the interview) on "The Breakfast Club," when he made the incredibly frightening statement.

"I want a body on my record. I want one. I really do."

Ummm, yeah. If any of you think he's joking, Wilder actually goes on to give reasons why he feels this way, saying he's not in his right mind when he's in the ring under his "Bronze Bomber" persona.

"That's the Bronze Bomber. He want one. When I'm the Bronze Bomber I don't care. I want that on my record."

In case you were wondering, it DOES happen, and most fighters say it haunts them their entire life. But, Wilder says only part of his split personality would feel remorse, and even then it's part of the game.

"Deontay would feel bad, but we signed up for that."

Yikes. You sure you want that, Anthony Joshua?

Floyd Mayweather couldn't have picked a better teacher for his MMA quest -- so says Jay Glazer, who's convinced Tyron Woodley is the man to mold Floyd into an Octagon killer.

Don't get it twisted -- Jay, an MMA analyst, clearly thinks Mayweather's facing a steep learning curve ... but when it comes to one of his biggest holes, he told us the UFC welterweight champ has him covered.

"He's in good hands. If you want to learn wrestling, Tyron's the guy to learn it from, no doubt," Glazier told TMZ Sports in Hollywood.

Jay also told us why all Floyd's haters need to take a step back ... 'cause anyone trying to master "the toughest sport in the world" should get respect.

Master P's kid Mercy says he isn't scared of ANY young baller in his age range ... even the much hyped LeBron James Jr., telling TMZ Sports he thinks he could take LBJJR down.

We got P, Mercy and star high-school hooper Hercy out in L.A. ... and talked to the kids about their basketball skills 'cause both of them are super highly ranked for their age range.

Hercy told us he's looking at colleges, with big schools like USC already offering him.

Mercy seemed to have his sights set on his peers, saying he isn't scared of anyone in his age (he's 12) or even older, including LeBron's son.

"I'm not gonna put myself under anyone else, but he's good, I watch him."

Of course, we had to (full-court) press him ... and of course, he had to keep it real, saying he thinks he can handle Bronny -- an Internet legend -- if it ever came down to it.

We got videos of both of the kids, and while we'd never pit middle school athletes against each other, we gotta ask the question ... if you're picking up for your squad, who you got?

Adrian Peterson says Baker Mayfield's definitely got some Brett Favre coursing through his veins ... and get this -- Brett totally thinks so, too!!

We spoke to AP about his fellow ex-Sooners superstar ... and Peterson told us he sees a lot of his old QB in the young prospect. So, we went straight to Brett and asked the Hall of Famer if he cosigned the comparison ... and Baker's gonna love this:

"I do. Makes a lot plays with his legs, moving around, buying time ... but mostly his enthusiasm and competitive spirit is what I see,” Favre says.

You might remember -- we spoke with NFL legend Herschel Walker back when everybody and their mother was calling Mayfield the next Johnny Manziel ... and Herschel told us the Oklahoma QB was way more like Favre than Manziel.

Adrian -- Brett's RB during his 2 years with the Vikings -- is 100% down with that likeness, especially after meeting Baker in person ... and he's breaking it down for all you casuals.

"When you think about the young Brett Favre, he scrambled and he ran and he dove for first downs. I feel like he can do those things as well," Peterson said.

Tim Tebow's doing all the right things to make it to the Bigs, but he's still got a looong way to go -- so says Brian Jordan, a guy who used to pull double-duty for MLB and NFL!!

We got the former Major League All-Star (and Pro Bowl alternate) at Opening Day for the Braves ... and even though Tebow just got sent down to Double A by the Mets, Brian told us he's damn impressed with the QB's accomplishments thus far.

"He's progressing along and getting better ... he still has a couple of holes and he's working hard to fill 'em," Jordan told TMZ Sports.

That said, BJ told us not to expect any Tebow sightings at Citi Field for a while 'cause he "still needs a lot of time down in the Minor Leagues."

But don't feel down, Timmy -- Brian also said he's pullin' for ya 100% ... and if we were you, we'd give this 2-sport legend a dial!

Aldon Smith just missed his day in court for violating a protective order stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident with his fiancee ... and there's a bench warrant out for his arrest.

We broke the story ... the troubled NFL star was arrested and charged with 4 misdemeanors -- including domestic violence -- after allegedly beating up his fiancee on March 3.

At the time of the incident, a protective order was issued to prevent Smith from having any contact with his accuser ... which he allegedly violated before turning himself in last Friday.

Smith was scheduled to be in a San Francisco courtroom today ... but he didn't show.

His attorney argues that Aldon never missed a court date before ... and told him he planned to be present.

Falcons star Vic Beasley says Quavo looked so smooth in his high school highlight reel, he's gonna see if he can get Huncho a tryout with their hometown NFL squad!!

We got Beasley at the Braves' home opener (props for the ATL pride) ... and he told us the Migos rap star showed some glimpses of Mike Vick when he was slingin' the pigskin for Berkmar High.

So, with Matt Ryan's $100 MIL negotiations currently on ice, Vic told us his plan to get Quavo under center.

"Talk him up a little bit, talk to Coach (Dan) Quinn, maybe get a shot at quarterback."

Odell Beckham's moves at Sterling Shepard's wedding were so impressive, Rich the Kid says the NFL stars KILLED IT on the dance floor.

ICYMI -- Sterling's groomsmen made quite the entrance at the wedding reception earlier this month ... shoot-dancing their way to the stage while Kid's "New Freezer" played over the speakers.

"They was killin' that sh*t, bro. That sh*t was fire," the New York native tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, OBJ is no stranger to dancing his ass off -- he sent a message to his haters via his sick moves earlier this week ... bustin' out a routine to Flipp Dinero's "Leave Me Alone."

Gary Payton is stompin' out all the LiAngelo Ball-to-L.A. buzz -- saying what the Lakers need is a damn superstar, not Lonzo's little bro!!

GP's son, Gary II, is on a 2-way deal with the Lake Show this season ... so he's been keeping a close eye on the squad and, of course, the Ball fam.

Gary only had nice things to say about 'Zo and LaVar ... but when it came to L.A. grabbing 'Gelo in the NBA draft, the Hall of Famer wasn't having it.

"I don't believe in that," Payton told TMZ Sports. "I don't think teams are ignorant like that ... what the Lakers need is a big-time star, a leader."

Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua's so scared to meet him face to face, he's doing everything he can to prevent an in-ring confrontation after his fight vs. Joseph Parker -- including threatening a restraining order!!

At least, that's what Deontay's hearing.

Wilder says AJ was also planning on beefin' up security at the arena ... so he ain't even gonna bother making the trip out to Principality Stadium in Wales for Joshua vs. Parker.

"I'm starting to hear about restraining orders and all this stuff ... I don't think they want this fight," Deontay tells TMZ Sports.

Willder says it sucks they can't square up after Joshua presumably beats the brakes off Parker ... 'cause it'd be the perfect opportunity to promote their heavyweight grudge match.

Deontay wants his fans to know he's sorry ... but promises DW vs. AJ is a matter of when, not if.

It turns out the L.A. Rams aren't the first NFL team to have male cheerleaders ... 'cause the Atlanta Falcons had dancin' dudes on the squad 30 YEARS AGO.

ICYMI -- reports earlier this week claimed the Rams made history when they announced Quinton Peron and Napolean Jinnies would be joining the squad as the NFL's first male cheerleaders.

But back in 1987, the Falcons had a co-ed squad consisting of 12 women and 12 men ... and we're told they weren't alone. Billy Quercia -- a member of the '87 Falcons cheer team -- tells us the K.C. Chiefs also had a co-ed squad around that same time.

Quercia says they were real-deal cheerleaders -- not just stuntmen -- and were included in all the dance routines.

Quercia says he's not upset about being left out of the conversation. He says it's a "fabulous" move by the Rams to finally add men to the cheer team after all this time ... and hopes more teams follow their lead.