MMA

Pro wrestling champ Bobby Lashley says he's ready to return to the CAGE -- telling TMZ Sports he's looking for another big MMA fight ... and wants a shot at the legend Fedor Emelianenko.

Lashley isn't just the reigning TNA world champ -- he's also a pretty accomplished MMA fighter with a 14-2 record. He's also on a 7-fight win streak.

So, we asked him about his fight plans moving forward and the 40-year-old superstar told us straight up -- he wants Fedor.

But before that fight, Lashley will be taking on James Storm on TNA's Impact Wrestling this Thursday on PopTV.

#CantKnockTheHustle

Conor McGregor says Nate Diaz will NOT make it to the 3rd round of their rematch ... predicting a 2ND ROUND K.O. at UFC 202.

McGregor was answering questions on the UFC 202 media conference call Friday -- when he admitted that he underestimated Nate's chin and toughness the first time around ... but he won't make that mistake again.

"He weathered the storm," Conor said ... "I'm just gonna be a lot more prepared for a man that can stay in there with me."

That being said ... Conor said confidently -- "I will K.O. him inside the 2nd round."

"Damn ... I still can't believe that kid is dead" -- Conor McGregor.

The UFC superstar is opening up about the death of Portuguese MMA fighter Joao Carvalho -- who died from injuries he sustained during a fight in Dublin back in April.

Conor was cageside at the fight ... since Joao's opponent was McGregor's training teammate, Charlie Ward. Conor and Charlie had been working out together at the Straight Blast Gym in Ireland.

"It's f****d up," Conor said to Men's Health magazine ... "I wasn't just watching that fight. I helped train a guy to kill someone, and then someone wound up dying."

"This is a f*****g dangerous game. People call it a sport, but it's fighting. I'm just making sure it ain't me. And that's f****d up."

She's 6'2", 238 lbs and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Hall of Famer -- but Gabi Garcia says she's willing to fight a MAN if she can't find a worthy female opponent.

Garcia is 2-0 in the Rizin Fighting Federation -- but tells TMZ Sports her people are having a hard time finding a woman who's willing to take her on in the cage.

So, Gabi (alongside her trainer, Babalu Sobral) told us they're open to a real-life battle of the sexes -- if it comes to that.

Our sources tell us ... there's been talk of a Gabi vs. Man fight in Japan -- but so far, it's not a done deal.

In the meantime, take a look at her workout session ... it's pretty obvious why everyone's scared.

UFC champ Tyron Woodley watched the TMZ Sports video of Nick Diaz going off about a possible fight for the belt -- and says one thing is clear to him ... Nick's an idiot.

Woodley joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Monday night on FS1) and clapped back at Diaz ... saying he was trying to COMPLIMENT the guy as a great fighter to set up a big money fight.

But Woodley says Diaz took the message the wrong way -- "He made no sense."

"It just shows you his I.Q. outside of fighting is not extremely high."

Woodley says Diaz may have blown his shot at the title -- and hinted that he's closer to locking up a fight with Georges St-Pierre.

There's A LOT more in the full interview tonight on FS1.

Nick Diaz is FIRED UP -- telling TMZ Sports he's still the BEST FIGHTER in his weight class ... and he's down to fight Tyron Woodley ... or ANYONE the UFC throws at him, if the price is right.

Woodley called Diaz out after he beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 this weekend -- and now that Diaz finished his suspension and can fight again ... Nick says he's ready to take on the world.

"I want to fight the best guy. I always want to fight the best guy. The thing is I'm on top ... I'm the one on top ... they're dropping MY name."

"I don’t need no fake ass piece of plastic. F*** that! I made PPV without a title. I don't need that fake ass plastic to be somebody."

For what it's worth, we're told the UFC is gunning to get Diaz a fight quickly -- but we're told the name being thrown around is Robbie Lawler.

He breaks up fights in the Octagon, but UFC ref Herb Dean says there's no way in hell he's breaking up fights in the street!

Dean -- considered by many to be the best ref in MMA -- was at LAX when we asked if he's ever seen a real-life brawl and felt compelled to get involved.

The short answer -- HELL NO.

"If I see a fight in real life, I'm running in the other direction," Dean said.

"I've walked by street fights ... and somebody watching will recognize me and say, 'Hey Herb' ... I'm like, 'I'm a professional, this is amateur!'"

UFC fighter Alan Jouban thinks the time is now for Ronda Rousey to return to the Octagon ... saying she dominated the sport like no other female fighter ... and he can't wait for her return.

We got Jouban out in L.A. and asked him what's up with the one-and-done championship runs in the women's bantamweight division since Ronda lost to Holly Holm?

Jouban told our guy the short reigns have less to do with the new fighters ... and more to do with the old one ... saying Rousey was so DOMINANT it made the division look weaker than it really was.

Guy's got a point ... the title has changed hands like three times since Ronda was holding it down ... and now that we know she doesn't have a baby on board ... we're wondering when she'll get another crack at it.

The UFC is cracking down on PED usage in a way boxing DESPERATELY needs ... that's according to former boxing World Champ Paulie Malignaggi ... who says it's HIS sport that needs a scrubbing.

We got Paulie -- the former junior welterweight and welterweight champ of the world -- in NY training for his big Showtime PPV fight against Gabriel Bracero on Saturday and asked him about recent drug scandals in combat sports.

A fair share of those have gone down in the UFC ... where high-profile guys, like Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones, have been popped just recently for doping.

Paulie's been a vocal critic of PED use in boxing for a long time ... but given recent history it's still interesting to hear him say that it's HIS sport ... and not the UFC ... that has the real problem.

UFC superstar Nate Diaz just FaceTimed into the "TMZ Sports" TV show -- and told us he's on the way to his hometown Stockton, CA ... to get ready for the McGregor fight with "the best training in the world."

Diaz says he's been working out in L.A. -- but now, he's kicking the training into high gear -- "I'm going home now where I got all my good s*** at."

It's a good problem to have ... but Dana White says family members are coming out of the woodwork with their hands out after the UFC sold for $4 BILLION ... so he's ignoring their calls!

White was on 'Kimmel' Thursday night -- and was asked how his life has changed now that he's insanely rich (Jimmy estimates he made $360 mil off the deal).

We're guessing Dana was joking about the family -- but says he had a real Howard Hughes moment and locked himself in a hotel room after the deal closed.

Heads up, guys ... yet another Jonas brother is proving he could kick the hell out of you ... 'cause TMZ Sports has video of Joe Jonas getting some hardcore MMA training with a legend in the sport.

Joe posted a video of him training with Cung Le (the aforementioned legend) at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable gym in Hollywood and we gotta say ... the JoBro looks kinda legit.

You might remember his little brother, Nick, got DEEP into the fighting world for his role in the TV show "Kingdom" ... with some saying he got good enough for some actual ring time.

Kimbo Slice's son will follow in his father's fighting footsteps -- and has inked a deal to make his MMA debut at Bellator 160 next month.

24-year-old Kevin Ferguson Jr. confirmed the deal to the AP -- saying he will fight on the undercard on August 26th. He's been training with Bellator fighters like A.J. McKee and Bubba Jenkins.

"I was always around the fight business and everything, so I saw it and I understood what was going on," Ferguson told the media outlet ... "I just knew without a doubt that one day, this was what I wanted to do."

Ferguson says he got his father's blessing to fight before Kimbo died back in June.

NFL linebacker Kroy Biermann says he'd be all the way down to try his hand in a real-life MMA fight ... if his famous wife, Kim Zolciak, would let him. So, we asked her!

Kroy was co-hosting the "TMZ Sports" show on FS1 Monday night when he told us he's a huge MMA fan -- who happens to have a wrestling background.

You gotta see what Kim says when we bring up the plan -- long story short, she shuts him down faster than Conor McGregor shut down Jose Aldo!

BONUS -- we also ask Kroy -- who happens to be a free agent -- where he wants to play next season and if Kim has a say in where he signs. Check out the clip!

He's already a UFC Hall of Famer ... but B.J. Penn could have been EVEN BETTER ... so says Dana White, who tells us the guy had the talent be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

We spotted White in NYC -- and asked if there was a fighter who had insane raw talent ... but didn't have the drive to reach their full potential.

"B.J. Penn," White said ... "B.J. Penn probably should have been one of the best ever ... to ever live ... to ever do it. B.J. was so talented."

"I think B.J. in his own words would go back and do things differently if he could."

B.J. was 28-10-2 in his MMA career -- but couldn't figure out a way to beat guys like Frankie Edgar (lost 3 times) and Georges St-Pierre (lost twice).

WBO junior welterweight champ Terence Crawford says there's one reason he'd never try his hand (or feet) at MMA ... the almighty dollar ... 'cause according to TC there's just not enough money in grappling.

We talked to Crawford while he was promoting Saturday's fight with Viktor Postol -- a fight some think could vault him into super stardom -- and asked if there was a chance he'd ever switch sports.

It's not a crazy question ... former boxing champ Amir Khan has been talking about it ... taking to social media to start the hype machine for a potential rumble with UFC king Conor McGregor.

Crawford says it's a definite no-go for him ... telling our guy there's just not enough money being thrown around in MMA for him to put his body on the line.

He's got a point ... if you're Floyd Mayweather ... other than that, we gotta say the guys and girls prowling the Octagon are definitely holding their own -- and closing the gap -- with boxing.