MMA

Urijah Faber's foot got bulldozed so hard by a car in Asia this week that he nearly whooped the driver's ass for hitting him!!

It all went down in Singapore -- where Faber's visiting for a UFC event ... when the MMA superstar stepped out into the road without looking and got straight-up run over!!

"It felt like an alligator like, bit my foot," Faber told TMZ Sports.

That wasn't even the worst part ...

Faber says after he was trucked -- the driver got aggressive ... so the UFC stud nearly threw hands!!

"He puts his hand on me, and he's like trying to calm me down, and told me, 'You shouldn't be standing in the street.' And I'm like, 'Dude, get your hand off me, bro.' I was about to lose it."

The funniest part ... Faber says the dude looked like the "asian Bob Marley!"

Cooler heads prevailed -- Faber realized it was probably his bad ... and the foot ended up being just fine.

UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw agrees with Dana White ... CM Punk showed a lot of balls by getting into the Octagon -- but admits his performance was trash.

T.J. joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) -- where he talked about his upcoming rematch with Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227 in August.

Even though the two have had bad blood in the past, T.J. says he respects Cody and anyone else who gets in the Octagon to compete ... including CM Punk.

"Yeah, sure, he did not look good at all -- but he still went out there and did it ... respect."

Tyron Woodley has gone from wanting to murder Conor McGregor -- to being his biggest supporter -- and he's revealing the REAL reason he's rooting for the Irish star to beat his felony bus attack case.

Remember, the two nearly came to blows back in 2016 during a backstage altercation at the UFC 205 weigh-ins. It got bad.

But now, Tyron says ... he wants to be connected to Conor in a big way -- and kept it 100 on "The Hollywood Beatdown."

There's more ... Tyron also explains why he wants to end Colby Covington's life -- and makes the guy a REAL offer he hopes the UFC fighter can't refuse.

Plus, Woodley goes after Tekashi69 and breaks some news about his rap career.

Conor McGregor's quest to prove he's nothing close to a violent beast continued outside of a swanky New York City restaurant Friday -- when he smiled big for cameras and signed a TON of autographs for fans.

The Irish superstar rocked a pink shirt and grey sweatshorts, and made sure to give a shout-out to all of his supporters as he left Nello in NYC.

"Thank you so much, thank you guys!!" the UFC star yelled multiple times.

This latest spot of pleasant Conor comes on the heels of him taking his fam -- little baby Conor, and all -- for a sweet bike ride Thursday afternoon.

UFC star Derrick Lewis says he was genuinely impressed with Greg Hardy's 57-second knockout ... but tells TMZ Sports he's REALLY HAPPY that it means he's one step closer to fighting the ex-NFL star.

Remember, Lewis has previously told us he has real hatred toward Hardy because he believes Greg DID brutalize the ex-girlfriend he was accused of attacking back in 2014.

Hardy was initially convicted of domestic violence, but appealed -- and won -- and the conviction was overturned.

Lewis tells TMZ Sports his stepfather abused his mother -- and he still has a lot of built up anger he wants to take out on Hardy.

Conor McGregor just walked out of an NYC courtroom where he appeared for a hearing for his bus attack case ... and told the media, "I regret my actions that led me here today."

He continued, "I understand the seriousness of this matter and I'm hopeful that it gets resolved soon."

Inside the courtroom, Conor's attorney told the judge the UFC star is negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. They're due back in court July 26.

McGregor was hit with multiple charges -- including felony criminal mischief -- for attacking a UFC bus at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 5 ... injuring multiple people including some UFC fighters.

If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 7 YEARS in prison.

Conor was escorted inside the courtroom by armed police officers who were controlling the crowd and keeping the peace.

Conor looked stylish -- wearing a suit and tie. His demeanor was much different than the last time he was in court -- no billionaire strut this time. He was very reserved.

Conor was joined by his manager, Audie Attar.

Greg Hardy says he's feeling extremely "positive" after his impressive UFC performance on Tuesday -- and says he wants to prove to his haters that he's truly a changed man.

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-NFL star after his 57-second knockout victory over Austen Lane on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series ... and you can tell he's excited about his MMA future.

"I'm feeling great. I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling excited. I'm ready to go ... ready to take this next step and see where it takes us."

Hardy knows his new UFC contract will come with scrutiny because of his troubled past -- including allegations of domestic violence -- but says he hopes people will give him a chance to prove he's not a monster.

"It would be best to meet me, give me an opportunity," Hardy said ... "I think I can win a lot of people back over to my side."

As we previously reported, Dana White wants Hardy to get a couple more fights under his belt before he matches up with a major UFC opponent ... but Hardy says he's already got his sights on Derrick Lewis.

Mark Wahlberg says his offer to give Conor McGregor a piece of his UFC ownership stake has expired ... telling TMZ Sports, the dude has already been compensated enough!

Mark -- along with a bunch of other big stars like Sylvester Stallone, Tom Brady and Ben Affleck -- got a piece of the UFC back in 2016.

And right after Conor had defeated Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez, Mark offered to sell him part of his ownership stake after McGregor had griped that he wasn't getting paid enough.

But that was BEFORE Conor made $100 MILLION fighting Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 ... and apparently, that has changed the circumstances for Wahlberg.

Don't feel bad for either guy ... they're both gonna be fine.

Dana White was so impressed by Greg Hardy's 57-second knockout on Tuesday, he wants to get him back in the Octagon as soon as he can ... telling TMZ Sports he's shooting for August.

"He's got a lot of raw talent," White said from his gym ... "He looked good in his showing there."

White says he wants to get Hardy more experience before he puts the ex-NFL star on the main UFC stage -- and the ideal situation would be a second fight in his Tuesday Night Contender Series.

"In a perfect world what I'd love to do is turn him around and have him fight again in the last fight of the Contender Series."

FYI, the series finale is reportedly set for August 7 ... which would give Hardy exactly 8 weeks to prep.

White says if Hardy wins that fight, he'd still like to see him rack up a few more wins before he gets a major UFC fight.

As to the criticism that comes with signing Hardy -- who was convicted of domestic violence (which was later overturned when Hardy appealed) ... White says he's ready for it.

"What I respect about the guy is he did something really bad and horrible. He went through everything you need to go though after you do something disgusting like that. Then he hit rock bottom, picked himself back up, started to work his way up to become not only a better human being but a better athlete."

Some real talk from UFC rising star Sean O'Malley ... who tells TMZ Sports he's a BIG fan of Wiz Khalifa, but knows the dude would get crushed if he took a real UFC fight.

Remember, Wiz has been training like crazy at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable gym -- and even UFC champ Tyron Woodley says he's been very impressed with the rapper's fighting skills.

In fact, Wiz told us he believes he could compete in a pro MMA fight -- but won't do it unless someone offers a TON of cash.

But, O'Malley says when push comes to shove ... Wiz has "no chance" in a real UFC fight and gives the hard truth about why Khalifa would get smoked for real.

It's not personal, O'Malley's just being honest ... and tells us he still REALLY wants to smoke with Wiz.

There's more ... O'Malley also updates us on his recovery from his foot injury and tells us why he's become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Fortnite.

Greg Hardy made one hell of an impression on Dana White -- knocking out his opponent 57 seconds into his UFC Contender Series fight.

Hardy was matched up against another former NFL lineman Austen Lane Tuesday night -- and the winner gets an opportunity to earn a UFC contract ... if White feels like the fighter has earned it.

Hardy -- who was undefeated in his previous 3 amateur MMA fights -- hit the Octagon like a violent tornado ... and rocked Lane -- who was 2-0 with 2 KOs in his previous pro fights -- with a couple of devastating haymakers.

Lane went down ... and the ref called it immediately for Hardy.

Tyron Woodley says he's gonna do way more than kick the hell outta Colby Covington ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to KILL CC in the Octagon ... and it doesn't sound like he was kidding.

Covinginton (again) called Woodley out this past Saturday after his victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 ... referring to Woodley as a "coward" and a "b**ch."

Well, he got through to Tyron ... because when Woodley came on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (full interview airs tonight at 9PM PT on FS1), he told the guys he was going to do the type of damage to Covington that can't be reversed.

"I want him never to fight again," T-Wood says, "I want to end his life."

Woodley says it's not just the call-out that's got him so pissed at Covington, it's the guy's whole EXISTENCE that ticks him off.

"When you disrespect my division, you disrespect the sport, you disrespect the team that I fight for, and also, just the HUMAN RACE, you're an embarrassment."

CM Punk should NEVER fight again ... according to Mike Jackson, who says if not for the mercy he showed, Punk could've been badly hurt Saturday night.

TMZ Sports talked to Jackson about his UFC 225 fight against Punk ... and, while MJ says Punk is a tough MF'er ... he also says real-life fighting ain't for him.

FYI -- CM went the distance in the fight ... but was thoroughly dominated.

"It's not even a knock on the man and his skills. It's all about his safety. We're in a sport where you're trying to incapacitate someone," Jackson says, "It's a dangerous sport. People's lives, health is on the line."

Jackson goes on to say ... "I never wanted to hurt the guy. I just wanted to beat him up a little bit, so he knows not to do this no more"

"The Truth" also sent a message to Dana White -- who was pissed 'cause he thought MJ was showboating during the fight.

Andre Berto isn't into the idea of a 48-year-old Chuck Liddell taking on a 43-year-old Tito Ortiz, telling TMZ Sports both men are at the age where they need to ride off into the MMA sunset.

Lidell & Ortiz are reportedly in deep talks for a bout this year as part of Oscar De La Hoya's new Golden Boy MMA promotion, which would be the 3rd fight between the two men.

We got Berto at LAX and he told our guy he's not a fan of geriatric brawling ... advising both guys to cool it before they break a hip.

"I been watching Tito, I been watching Chuck for years, man. With us fighters we need to understand, we have that beast in us for a certain period of time, and we need to know when to ease out and tap into some other things."

Berto also talked about the Internet wanting a Mike Tyson comeback ... it's true ... a Tyson highlight vid went viral now people wanna see Tyson vs Joshua ... with Mike at 51.

Andre is obviously against it ... but after watching the highlights video, we're not sure we'd count Mike out.

Greg Hardy is a changed man -- and has earned a 2nd chance to have a career as a pro athlete ... so says Dana White.

Of course, there have been plenty of critics who don't believe Hardy -- who was previously arrested for domestic violence -- deserves a chance to fight in Dana White's Contender series, including Jay Glazer.

For the record, Hardy was initially convicted -- but appealed the decision, and the verdict was later overturned after the alleged victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

White says Hardy has made mistakes in life -- including issues with drugs and alcohol -- but says he's confident Hardy has sobered up and turned his life around.

The former NFL star has racked up 3 impressive victories in his first 3 MMA fights -- and White believes the guy has real potential.

Hardy will be fighting Austen Lane on June 12 -- and if he wins, it's possible White could award him with a UFC contract.

Anthony Bourdain wasn't just a legendary chef ... he was the most influential celebrity Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner -- who helped introduce the martial art to the masses -- so says the guy whose family founded BJJ.

TMZ Sports talked to Rener Gracie -- whose grandfather, Helio Gracie, created Gracie Jiu-Jitsu a.k.a. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu -- about Bourdain's impact on his family's sport.

FYI -- Rener's coached Ronda Rousey and UFC star Brian Ortega ... and occasionally hit the mats with A.B. (check out their training sesh below from 2014).

Bourdain wasn't the only celeb to train ... Ashton Kutcher, Vince Vaughn, Ed O'Neill, Kelly Slater, Guy Ritchie, and Keanu Reeves practice BJJ -- but according to Gracie, Anthony was the most important.

"I think that Anthony Bourdain, A, because of his enthusiasm and his ease of communication, and B, because of his age, is responsible for more people doing Jiu-Jitsu and beginning Jiu-Jitsu, than probably any other celebrity ever who's not a professional fighter."

Rener goes on to say Bourdain's passing leaves a void that might never be filled.