TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez breaking down Wednesday's big 76ers vs. Timberwolves NBA brawl ... and it's pretty great.

Alvarez -- who was the lightweight champ in UFC and Bellator -- LOVED the way Ben Simmons applied a perfect rear-naked choke on Karl-Anthony Towns ... but thinks there's room for improvement.

So, the Philly native tells TMZ Sports he reached out to Simmons and the two will connect in the next few days for some real MMA training so the team can step up their fight game.

Eddie also has some advice for Karl-Anthony, too -- pointing out the MAJOR mistake Towns made during the brawl that left him fully exposed.

Bottom line, Eddie says he was super IMPRESSED with Ben's fight skills -- same with Joel Embiid -- and he cant wait to hit the mats with the guys.

Another Halloween, another spooktacular day at the office for the TMZ staff!!!

We brought our A-game once again on October 31, with a wide variety of costumes honoring -- or poking fun at -- some of the year's biggest stories and the most notable names.

Robert Kraft, R. Kelly, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift and many more celebs were all fair game ... along with the college admissions scandal and the chicken sandwich wars.

Of course, there's gotta be some movie love, and we didn't disappoint with characters new and old like Mr. Rogers, the Genie from "Aladdin," Harley Quinn, Jack Torrance, the dog from "Legally Blonde" and the entire main cast of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, went ALL-OUT for their Halloween costumes -- bringing in some of the top hair, makeup and fashion people in the country ... and the results are AWESOME!

Check out Edward Scissorhands and Medusa ... and no, these ain't your typical Halloween store purchases.

Savannah's dress was custom-made by former "Project Runway" star Michael Costello -- one of the top designers in the country. In other words, dude doesn't come cheap!

The makeup -- which was done by Alex Faction, a YouTube superstar who specializes in recreating famous Hollywood movie characters like The Joker and Freddy Krueger.

The props -- from Savannah's headpiece to Bron's scissor hands -- were made by Ellimacs SFX.

The couple LOVED the final product -- with LeBron posting, "Happy Halloween folks from LeDward Scissorhands ⚔️ & Sadusa."

Hey, beats that weak-ass Luigi mask from the other day!!

Bodybuilding superstar Shawn Rhoden -- 2018 Mr. Olympia -- will return to competition for the first time since being accused of rape ... and it's all going down at Arnold Schwarzenegger's big event.

Rhoden has DENIED sexually assaulting a female bodybuilder back in Oct. 2018 -- but the mere allegations led to the org. behind Mr. Olympia to suspend him indefinitely.

Just a few weeks ago, the 44-year-old had told us he was unsure about his future in bodybuilding ... but now, he's making his return at one of the biggest muscle events of the year.

It's called the Arnold Classic -- every year, the top muscleheads from around the world take over Columbus, Ohio, to flaunt their bods for coveted titles and prizes. It's one of the most prestigious events in the sport.

FYI, the last winner of the Arnold Classic, Brandon “The Prodigy” Curry, earned $130,000 for first place and got a personal congratulations from Arnold himself.

Rhoden isn't just competing at the event, he's one of the faces of the overarching Arnold Sports Festival ... and they're using his face and body on promotional material.

In fact, Rhoden posted the flyer for the event, saying -- "Ready or not here we come."

As for Shawn's chances ... last time we saw him out, he was looking big as hell -- and HAS to be considered one of the favorites to win the event.

Benson Henderson is the ONLY pro MMA fighter with wins over both Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal ... so, naturally, we asked him for his prediction on the 1st ever 'BMF' main event!

First off, Benson LOVES the whole "Bad Mother F*cker" belt concept -- praising the UFC for a "great marketing ploy." He also has a lot of respect for both fighters.

Benson famously defended the UFC lightweight title against Nate back in 2012 -- and won that 5-round fight via unanimous decision.

Then in 2015, Henderson took on Mavidal at "UFC Fight Night" in South Korea and won that fight via split decision.

So, who wins when Diaz takes on Masvidal at UFC 244 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden???

Benson says there's one guy who clearly has the edge if they fight a traditional MMA fight.

But, if these guys REALLY want to prove who's the baddest MOFO around -- and they stand toe-to-toe and slug it out for 5 rounds -- Benson says that changes everything!

Henderson ultimately makes his official prediction. Watch the clip, it's great stuff.

As for Benson's fighting career, the 35-year-old is coming off 4 straight wins in Bellator -- and is scheduled to take on Michael Chandler in Japan on Dec. 28.

Halloween's a lot like all the other holidays in one major way ... celebrities seem to have more fun doing it.

Huge stars like Drake, Kylie Jenner, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Megan Thee Stallion, Jordyn Woods, Sofia Richie, Kyle Kuzma and a bunch more went all out with their costume selections ... which range from hot Disney princesses to Edward Scissorhands.

Of course, it wouldn't be Halloween if some famous folks didn't dress up as other famous folks, which is why Hart went as his pal, The Rock (in his infamous '90s fanny pack look), Kuzma rocked a Blueface costume ... and Drake got done up like his dad.

Click through the gallery ... 'cause you gotta see Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky's commitment to creepy.

An NBA game turned into an MMA match Wednesday ... 'cause during a bench-clearing brawl, Ben Simmons put Karl-Anthony Towns in a chokehold -- AND KAT TAPPED!!!

The insane scene all went down in the third quarter of the Sixers-Timberwolves game ... when Anthony Towns got pissed over Joel Embiid's aggressive defense.

The two big men pushed and shoved ... and ultimately, EVERYBODY jumped into the fracas!!

At one point -- after Embiid and KAT were separated -- Simmons ended up on the ground on top of Anthony Towns ... and 76ers star began choking KAT out!!!

Karl quickly tapped ... and Simmons let go -- and the whole altercation was crazy/hilarious.

Maybe the best part of the entire skirmish? After Embiid was ejected ... he played it up to the crowd -- AND ANTHONY TOWNS' MOM BEGAN FLIPPING HIM OFF!!!

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed on the court -- the Sixers ended up winning, 117-95 -- but the battle continued to rage on on social media afterward.

"Great team win!!!" Embiid said. "I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight lmao @jimmybutler I missed being part of the 3rd stringers... I got his mom giving middle fingers. That’s some SERIOUS REAL ESTATE #FightNight #IAintNoBitch"

Didn't take long for KAT to fire back ... "I aIN’t nO BiTcH RaiSeD ARoUnD LiOnS #BitchTalk." He also tagged the location as, "All Bark & No Bite"

Amazing.

Todd Gurley kicked off Halloween with a CRAZY bash in Hollywood -- partying with superstars like Drake and Wiz Khalifa ... while giving away tons of pizza and wings!!

The L.A. Rams running back threw his epic Gurleywood Halloween Bash at Poppy Wednesday night in full costume as Verdine White from Earth, Wind & Fire.

The guest list was sick ... Drake (dressed up like his dad), Wiz (dressed up as himself from the "Never Lie" video), YG, Swae Lee and a bunch of smokin' hot models.

Gurley was having a blast ... but got serious for a quick minute when we asked if he would miss his former Rams teammate, Aqib Talib, who was recently traded to Miami.

"Lib a real one," Gurley said ... "Good dude."

Todd said he's gotten close with Aqib's family and that's what he's gonna miss the most.

But, then it was back to partying, and Todd thanked all of his sponsors before reflecting on his life -- "Man, I used to be broke!"

Todd's come a long way ... the 25-year-old signed a 4-year, $60 million extension in 2018. So, yeah ... he's doing well!!

It was absolute PANDEMONIUM after the Washington Nationals won the World Series on Wednesday ... from the locker room to the streets -- and the video is WILD!!

The players RAGED with a booze-filled celebration ... chugging beer and champagne, while dancing around to Latin music, hip-hop and of course, Queen's "We Are the Champions."

Max Scherzer and Juan Soto passed around the Commissioner's Trophy. While Sean Doolittle busted out a blue lightsaber and did his best Jedi impression. It was awesome!

Out on the streets of D.C., thousands and thousands of people were celebrating Washington's first-ever championship -- climbing street signs, dancing and just partying their faces off.

The best celebration went down at Nationals Park in D.C. (where fans gathered just to watch the game on the big screen). It was pouring rain over there but it didn't stop one diehard fat guy from slip and sliding all over the dugout.

Wanna see what $30,000 worth of damage in a fancy Vegas hotel looks like? Feast your eyes on this disaster!!!

Here's the room Esports megastar FaZe Banks allegedly destroyed during a wild Oct. 13 bender at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas -- and it looks like a scene out of "The Hangover."

Smashed tables. Smashed windows. Smashed TVs. Smashed everything. You get the point.

In footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see people still in the room the next morning ... still in awe of the damage. Banks is laying casually in a mostly intact couch.

The problem for Banks -- real name Richard Bengtson -- is that hotel officials weren't amused when they saw the wreckage and went to police.

Cops are now investigating Banks for felony malicious destruction of property, a serious charge that carries a maximum of 5 years in prison.

The good news for Banks ... the 28-year-old mogul is rich as hell (he co-founded the wildly popular FaZe Clan gaming organization) and can easily afford to cover the damage.

Our Vegas law enforcement sources tell us stuff likes this happens in Vegas hotels all the time and the hotel usually drops the case if the damages are paid.

The Rock has moved to the boonies to live in a massive home on an estate that's about as big as the town it's in.

Our real estate sources tell TMZ ... Dwayne Johnson plunked down $9,014,000 for an incredible 46-acre estate about 45 minutes North of Atlanta.

The main house is 14,791 square feet. It has 8 bedrooms, a 12-stall barn, a riding arena with a viewing deck, a pool with a pool house, and a farmhouse built in 1867 that was built for the caretakers.

And, it should be a shock to no one that The Rock paid cash.

So why, you ask, would a world-famous superstar buy a house in a town with barely 15,000 residents? The Rock's fond of small Georgia towns. Back in March ... Dwayne visited his 88-year-old aunt in Jones County and said, "Funny cause it hit me yesterday as I was driving back to Atlanta, that my life is the craziest it's ever been and I didn't know much I TRULY NEEDED to go to a place where things can really slow down for me and I can just breathe."

BUT ... it's not like The Rock will be isolated from civilization ... Powder Springs is just 45 minutes away from the nation's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International.

Justin Gaethje is sick and tired of playing the waiting game with Conor McGregor -- and tells TMZ Sports his new #1 target is Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Conor has said he was scheduled to fight Gaethje before injuring his hand earlier this year ... and recently, there were rumblings Justin was in the mix to be Conor's mystery opponent for his Jan. 18 comeback fight.

But, Dana White just told us he's gunning for Cowboy Cerrone now ... which leaves Justin without an opponent. Justin says Conor only wants Cowboy because he's looking for a "sure win."

The good news ... Gaethje is such a monster, he's down to fight ANYONE -- and explains why his dream matchup is against the guy who SMASHED Conor.

"I want to fight Khabib, I gotta fight Khabib before he goes away," Justin says.

In fact, Justin points out that Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson isn't a done deal yet either -- and he wants the UFC to know he's ready to step up and fill in if Tony can't go.

As for Conor, Justin isn't completely giving up hope on that fight ... and describes in graphic detail what he would do to the Irishman if he actually steps into the Octagon.

UFC star Jorge Masvidal says fighting in front of President Trump will be a "humbling" experience ... telling TMZ Sports he's honored to put on a show in front of POTUS!!!

As we previously reported ... a TON of star power will be watching Masvidal take on Nate Diaz for the "Bad Mother F**ker" belt at MSG on Saturday -- from The Rock to Robert Kraft to yes, the President of the United States of America!!!

Masvidal says politics aside, it's a once in a lifetime moment at UFC 244 ... and he's going to make the best of it, saying some fighters who love Trump will never even get this opportunity.

"Not every fighter can say, 'Hey, the president is showing up to my fight', you know? So, that's humbling in itself."

Of course, with Masvidal being from Miami, we had to ask about Dwayne Johnson being there as well ... and he says the whole event is such a big deal, he can't even think about all of the hype until AFTER the fight.

Conor McGregor told us to ask the UFC who his opponent will be on Jan. 18 ... so we did. And, Dana White says the fighter they're targeting is Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

But, there's a HUGE catch ... Dana tells TMZ Sports the deal isn't done yet -- not even close.

"We have nothing done, nothing is even close to being done. So, I hate to even talk about this stuff and say it because it might not happen ... it might happen. But, were looking at Cowboy."

White says the fight would be a lightweight bout between the #3 ranked fighter, Conor McGregor, and the #5 ranked fighter, Cowboy ... at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

There are rumblings that Justin Gaethje is still in the picture in case Cowboy doesn't sign the contract ... but based on the conversation we had with Cerrone earlier this week, he's ALL ABOUT IT. Stay tuned on that one.

Meanwhile, White is gearing up for UFC 244 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden ... where President Trump is expected to attend.

We asked Dana if he was concerned about his two outspoken main event fighters saying anything crazy to POTUS when they get the mic after the fight ... and White basically said there's no controlling guys like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.

Ex-MLB slugger Josh Hamilton was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas on Wednesday over an alleged child abuse incident involving one of his kids.

The 38-year-old former Texas Rangers star surrendered to authorities and posed for a mug shot. He appeared in court to face a felony injury to a child criminal charge.

Details surrounding the allegation are unclear, but the allegations stem from an alleged incident involving one of his 3 children.

Hamilton's ex-wife, Katie Hamilton, reportedly filed a restraining order against Hamilton on behalf of one of their kids earlier this month -- and it appears the criminal allegation is connected to that.

Hamilton was released from custody Wednesday on a $35,000 bond ... and one of the conditions was to not have contact with the alleged victim.

Hamilton was also ordered to stay away from any child under the age of 17, according to CBSDFW.com, which broke the story.

Hamilton was seen leaving the courtroom in a grey suit with multiple attorneys by his side.

Surprisingly, Hamilton was smiling on his way into the courthouse and didn't seem too bothered by the heavy allegations against him.

Hamilton was a monster on the baseball diamond -- he's a 5-time All-Star who was the American League MVP in 2010. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 MLB Draft. He's currently in the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.

But, off the field, Hamilton has had several major personal issues ... including a substance abuse problem that he publicly talked about for years. He's tried to get clean multiple times but there were numerous public slip-ups.

Hamilton and his wife -- who have 3 children together -- divorced in 2015 following a relapse.

Hamilton also played for the Reds and the Angels before rejoining the Rangers. He last played in the Big Leagues in 2015.

KSI is eating like the Notorious leading up to his rematch with Logan Paul ... hiring Conor McGregor's personal chef to cook his meals leading up to the fight!!

The 26-year-old British internet superstar gave an inside look into his insane training program for the Nov. 9 bout ... revealing he hired combat sports superchef Eric Triliegi to help him get in fighting shape.

"When it comes to cooking, we needed to upgrade the nutrition," KSI said on DAZN's "40 Days: Behind-The-Scenes With KSI" docuseries.

"We needed something more performance-based and that's why we decided to get Eric in."

As we previously reported, KSI says he's spent $300k of his own money on boxing training and other fight preparation expenses ... dude's taking this extremely seriously.

Chef Eric -- who's worked with pro fighters like McGregor, Anthony Pettis and Miesha Tate -- gave a breakdown on the diet he's cookin' up for KSI ... and it doesn't hurt that the food looks BOMB.

"Our main goal is to give fighters food that enhances performance. If we're not doing that, then why are we even here feeding them?"

Logan also kept the cameras rolling for his 'Countdown to Fight Night' docuseries with DAZN ... which shows the intense training he's been putting into the rematch. There's a cool moment where he puts on the 10 oz. gloves for the first time.

"This shouldn't be allowed. I swear to God, this shouldn't be allowed," Logan said ... saying the 2 oz. glove difference from the 12 oz. gloves they rocked in the first fight will give him a huge advantage.

Logan also had Elvis Grant Phillips -- founder of Grant Boxing Worldwide -- over to his mansion to try on a sick pair of silk-lined gloves, which Elvis says is a first of its kind.

"I feel like I am holding a gun in my hand."