MMA

If Conor McGregor ever returns the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be ready -- so says Khabib's manager.

We asked Ali Abdelaziz about the grudge match on the heels of Khabib winning Conor's lightweight title at UFC 223 ... and Ali told us he'd "of course" try to broker the big-money fight.

Conor's gotta face the music for his UFC bus attack first, though ... and Khabib has already made it clear he wants to fight GSP before he gives McGregor a shot.

Speaking of the attack ... Ali tells TMZ Sports he really ain't that pissed at Conor for Thursday's incident at the Barclays Center -- instead pointing the finger at McGregor's crew of yes-men.

"I don't think Conor McGregor's a bad guy," Abdelaziz said. "F**k his team, his whole entire team ... they're using Conor to get to places."

Ali also told us Conor's goons are lucky the rest of Khabib's team wasn't with them on that bus, 'cause if they were -- "we would've been burying bodies."

Nick Diaz just posted a cryptic message on social media strongly hinting he's stepping back inside the Octagon after over 3 YEARS away from the UFC.

And the timing couldn't be better ... 'cause Nick's eligible to fight in 8 days!!

You might've seen the news -- Nate's older bro accepted his retroactive punishment from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency the other day ... a 1-year ban for his "whereabouts failures" from 2016-2017.

In other words -- Nick flipped USADA the proverbial bird instead of checking in like he was supposed to.

But, seems like things are all good now, going off this photo Diaz shared with the caption -- "Back where we left off."

Remember -- Dana White told us Nick was interested in fighting a couple months ago ... so it really seems like this is happening.

Now, pleeeeaaaase don't go crazy on 4/20, bro!

Conor McGregor will almost certainly cop a plea in his malicious mischief case, and the deal may include a felony ... law enforcement sources connected with the case tell TMZ.

McGregor has been charged with felony criminal mischief in addition to 3 counts of misdemeanor assault and attempted assault. Conor did $8,000 worth of damage to the tour bus when he threw a dolly at the vehicle, shattering the window and injuring 3 passengers.

Our law enforcement sources say as of now ... there's a good chance the deal offered will be felony criminal mischief. In other words, prosecutors will make the offer and Conor will have 2 choices ... accept it or go to trial.

One source in contact with Conor and familiar with the case says the UFC fighter's team is well aware ... going to trial is too risky ... a conviction is all but certain.

If Conor pleads no contest or guilty to felony criminal mischief, he could go back to court after 1 year and ask the judge to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor, assuming he keeps his nose clean.

Things got very real for Ronda Rousey during a session with Tyler Henry -- when the "Hollywood Medium" made a connection with her father ... who took his own life when she was only 8-years-old.

Henry -- a self-described "clairvoyant medium" -- told Ronda he was seeing imagery connected with a a vehicle and someone's final moments.

Ronda instantly become emotional and revealed that her father took his own life inside of a car after suffering from a debilitating medical condition for years.

The UFC legend (turned WWE superstar) began recalling memories of her father and started to tear up during the episode which airs Wednesday on E!.

UFC star Paige VanZant says she was gang raped in high school by a bunch of boys who got her drunk and assaulted her when she couldn't defend herself.

The 24-year-old described the incident and the impact it had on her life in her new book, "Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life."

"They move me around ... They change my position. I fail each time I try to resist, my limbs like wet cement on my body, my brain a heavy fog. I am awake and conscious, but my body feels dead."

"I know what is happening but can do nothing to stop it. I have no voice or choice but to submit and pray that it ends soon."

It's unclear if VanZant went to the police. We're trying to find out.

Paige says the bullying she experienced after the rape was unbearable -- and led to her changing her last name from Sletten to VanZant because the kids at school nicknamed her "Slutton." Her family ultimately moved from Oregon to Nevada to give her a fresh start.

Here's Conor McGregor trying to convince you he's a not a monster who savagely attacks innocent people ... he's just a family man doing the best for his kid.

You buyin' it?

Clearly aware that his image is in the garbage right now ... McGregor went to social media and posted a photo with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their 11-month-old son, Conor McGregor Jr.

Conor is calculating -- so don't think for a second there isn't a plan behind the posting ... he wants to convince you he's not the wild animal he appeared in the bus attack video.

You know ... this bus attack video -- where he threw a dolly at a UFC bus at Barclays Center, injuring Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg so badly they had to pull out of their fights.

Conor McGregor took a giant dump on the UFC and MMA -- so says Bruce Buffer, who's sick to his stomach over the Irishman's violent bus attack.

We got the legendary Octagon announcer after he had a few days to stew on McGregor's window-smashin' rampage ... and he wasn't about to let Conor off the hook.

"It's an insult, it's disgusting," Buffer told TMZ Sports.

"In my 22-plus years of being in the UFC and doing everything I can in my life to build this great brand, to support this fantastic sport ... you s**t on all of us with that one move."

Bruce added that he was "shocked" and "horrified" when he first saw the footage of Conor and his entourage wreaking havoc at the Barclays Center ... and is urging fans not to judge the UFC off this one isolated incident.

He's got two black eyes and bruises all over -- but UFC fighter Al Iaquinta wants ANOTHER crack at Khabib Nurmagomedov ... telling TMZ Sports he's convinced he can win!!

First off ... LOVE THIS GUY!!!

Al not only agreed to fight Khabib just HOURS before UFC 223 this weekend -- but hung in all 5 rounds against a guy many people are calling the most violent fighter alive.

Now ... Al says he truly believes with a proper training camp and the right mindset going into the fight, he'd BEAT Khabib!

Al knows UFC won't just hand him a rematch -- he needs to earn it -- and his plan is to fight his way to the top of the division.

And to the haters who think Khabib carried Al all 5 rounds to give the fans a show, Iaquinta says that's a load of B.S. ... and breaks down why he had a real shot to win the fight.

Conor McGregor should get a 1-way ticket back to Ireland after his violent bus attack -- so says George Lopez.

Like the rest of the world, George saw Conor's dolly-throwing rampage at Barclays Center last week ... and says he was shocked by the UFC mega-star's actions.

"What is that?" Lopez told TMZ Sports. "If you got that much cash, why are you throwing hand carts through the window?"

Our guy then brought up the possibility of McGregor getting a lifetime boot from the US of A, and he voted "yes" ... before making light of Trump's Mexican border wall.

Not sure how exactly that applies to Conor ... but his bottom line -- get the Irishman the hell off American soil!!

Conor McGregor and his gang of Irish thugs were still together in NYC on Sunday night -- this time, without a dolly ... but they did get physical with our photog.

The UFC superstar left the Loews Regency in NYC flanked by Cian Cowley (black hooded sweatshirt) -- the man who was arrested with Conor on Thursday for attacking the UFC bus at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Dillon Danis and MMA fighter Charlie Ward were also with Conor -- both guys were also part of the crew that accompanied McGregor to the bus attack.

This time, McGregor wasn't talking -- but it was definitely a show of force ... with one member of Conor's entourage grabbing our camera to shut us down right on the street.

Shocking Conor is still in the States considering he's facing multiple criminal charges (including a felony) -- but maybe he truly thinks he's untouchable.

Brock Lesnar went full MMA beast mode on Roman Reigns Sunday night at WrestleMania 34 ... raining elbows on his dome and leaving him a leaking, bloody mess!!

We know what you're thinking ... it's all fake, right?

Well, a lot of fans are convinced Brock's hell-bows REALLY sliced Roman's skull ... but even if Reigns snuck in a cut himself, the whole thing was super gnarly.

The Big Dog immediately started gushing like a fountain ... turning the WWE ring into "The Shining" in a matter of seconds.

Wouldn't have been the first time Brock went a little overboard. Back in 2016, he left Randy Orton in a pool of his own blood at SummerSlam -- hitting him with a shot that needed 10 STAPLES to close!

For Roman's sake, we hope this was all part of the script.

Bruce Buffer slays the mic every time he steps inside the Octagon ... but can the legendary UFC announcer deliver when ya put him on the spot?!

We put that to the test earlier this week when our guy, Michael J. Babcock, tossed Buff all the craziest names of fighters competing at UFC 223 on Saturday.

Bruce CRUSHED it -- nailing ridiculous tongue-twisters from Karolina Kowalkiewicz to Joanna Jedrzejczyk to Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and belting 'em out with extra sauce!!

Buff's pipes are so money, international EDM superstar Steve Aoki just released a track (and music video) paying tribute to his iconic catch-phrase, "It's time."

BB gave us the inside scoop on how it came together ... and the wild video call he got from Aoki once he produced the track!

Conor McGregor had cameras following him as he went berserk on a bus full of UFC fighters ... and new footage from the melee shows another angle of his now infamous dolly toss.

UFC just dropped episode 5 of its "UFC 223 Embeded" series, and it showcases all the mayhem at the Barclays Center loading dock as McGregor and his crew attacked the bus. The footage also reveals a close-up of an injured Michael Chiesa after Conor's window smash cut him up.

The 'Embedded' ep. also features Dana White addressing the incident with fighters who were affected, and interviews with other UFC stars about what went down.

We broke the story ... White slammed conspiracy theories that this was all one big publicity stunt, and based on the raw reactions seen in this video -- it seems like the craziness was 100% legit.

Conor McGregor isn't just a disgrace to his sport, "HE'S A DISGRACE TO MANKIND" ... so says Tyron Woodley.

The UFC welterweight champ says he's shaking his damn head over Conor's violent attack on a UFC bus -- and questions, "How do you get away with this?!"

"You need to get your life together," Tyron said on "The Hollywood Beatdown" on the TMZ Sports YouTube channel.

"We ain't homies. We ain't friends. But, you're fighting in the UFC, you're a peer of mine ... get your sh*t together, bro."

"You're making us look bad."

Tyron also tells us if he thinks Conor will ever fight in the UFC again.

There's more ... Tyron also reveals some bombshells about his upcoming RAP ALBUM -- and daps up Ronda Rousey for her accomplishments in the WWE.

Justin Bieber isn't ready to write off Conor McGregor just yet ... telling TMZ Sports when it comes to the UFC's violent attack, "We all make mistakes."

Bieber has been following McGregor's career for years -- and publicly supported him when Conor fought Nate Diaz back in 2016.

He even vouched for McGregor's toughness before Conor fought his old friend, Floyd Mayweather.

So, when we saw Biebs out in Beverly Hills following a gym workout with his crew, we had to ask if he was concerned for Conor moving forward.

"I think Conor will be fine," Justin says ... "We all make mistakes."

The big question now ... will Dana White be as forgiving as Bieber when it comes to Conor's future?

UFC 223 still has a main event!!!

Khabib Nurmagomedov will be scrappin' with lightweight contender Al Iaquinta, who's steppin' up after Max Holloway got yanked from the fight during weigh-ins ... the UFC announced.

After Max got pulled, it was rumored former champ Anthony Pettis would step in ... but he was reportedly asking for too much cash.

So, the honor of facing the UFC's scariest dude goes to Ragin' Al -- a lightweight contender most famous for feuding with Dana White and the UFC brass. Iaquinta's currently riding a 5-fight win streak.

FYI, Khabib's still eligible to win the 155-pound title the UFC is stripping from Conor McGregor ... but it appears Al is not in the running for the belt.

It's been a crazy sequence of events to determine Khabib's opponent. Last Friday, Tony Ferguson suffered a freak accident -- tripping during a media sesh. Then, Holloway answered the call ... but doctors abruptly forced him to stop cutting weight Friday morning.