UFC

Did you know ... table tennis is an Olympic sport -- and MMA is not?

Well, Kevin Costner ain't happy about it -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the powers that be should bring the fighting sport to the Olympic games, ASAP!!!!

Costner says MMA has already "established itself as one of the greatest sports out there" ... adding, "I think it's where the real tough guys exist."

BTW, Costner's not the first high-profile dude to call for MMA in the games ... Randy Couture's been banging this drum for years.

#NoDisrespectToPingPong

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's still working to get Nate Diaz to fight at UFC 200 in July -- and says Diaz can essentially fight anyone he wants ... with one giant Irish exception.

"Obviously, I would like to keep Nate [in 200]," White told us outside of Mastro's in Bev Hills Monday night ... "Nate stands to make a lot of money in 200, I'd like to keep him in 200, but that's up to him."

Dana says Nate's not even mad that the whole Conor McGregor super fight fell apart -- insisting Diaz is "actually pretty cool about it."

"This is a fight that Conor was really obsessed with and Conor wanted this fight and Nate was like ... whatever."

So, what's the plan? Dana says the ball is in Diaz's court.

Despite the fact he flat out LIED -- Dana White tells TMZ Sports Conor McGregor's not in his dog house ... and he's considering re-booking the UFC superstar as early as UFC 201 in August.

White was leaving Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills ... on his way to support Paige VanZant at "Dancing with the Stars" ... when we asked WHY he thinks McGregor posted the fake fight confirmation on Twitter Monday morning.

"I don't know ... I don't know why he did," White said ... "I still have not talked to him."

Conor McGregor has NOT been added back to the UFC fight card ... this according to UFC honcho Dana White.

TMZ Sports spoke to White this morning ... who tells us, "It's not true. We haven't talked to Conor or his manager since the press conference. I don't know why he would tweet that."

He was busted up after the fight, but Jon Jones wouldn't let an electric wheelchair keep him from turnin' up following his win at UFC 197!

Jones -- who admitted pain in his shins and feet after beating up OSP on Saturday -- strapped into a rascal and buzzed around the Vegas strip to celebrate his victory.

Did he pose with the characters from "Frozen"? Yep.

Did he pick up a cross-dressing Marilyn Monroe impersonator? Indeed.

Did he pose for pics with fans? He did that, too.

Conor McGregor says he's BACK on the UFC 200 fight card ... claiming he worked out a deal with UFC honchos Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta ... though UFC has not yet confirmed.

If true, it would be a shocking development considering White had been so adamant about Conor being OFF the card ... since he refused to show up to Vegas this past weekend for promotional obligations.

In fact, White told the media the decision to move on from Conor was final.

Still, McGregor tweeted in the middle of the night ... "Happy to announce that I am BACK on UFC 200! Shout out to @danawhite and @lorenzofertitta on getting this one done for the fans. #Respect"

So far, no word from the UFC -- or White or Fertitta.

Stay tuned ...

Jon Jones might have some brotherly company in the UFC ... 'cause his NFL star sibling Arthur Jones tells TMZ Sports he's considering an MMA career after his football days are over.

Arthur -- a defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts -- says he's been training with Jon for years ... and came thiiiis close to taking an MMA fight during the NFL lockout in 2011.

He also happens to be a killer wrestler -- and says he's confident he could hang with pro fighters because he's kicked Jon's ass on several occasions.

Seriously!

So, what does Arthur do to relax? He's a dog breeder who runs Jones Bros Kennels ... where he breeds dogs that are so big, his kids can ride 'em like horses!

Jon Jones was so serious about getting body ready for his comeback, he hired a food specialist to take over his diet leading up to UFC 197.

TMZ Sports spoke with weight management specialist Louis Giordano who tells us he's been preparing all of Jon's pre and post workout meals for the last 9 weeks.

It's a big fight for Jon -- one that could put him back on top of the UFC -- and Lou says Jones has been super meticulous about his 6-meal-a-day diet, pounding a TON of protein to prepare for battle.

"Chicken, turkey, buffalo/bison, steak, and salmon. I’ve also prepared lots of eggs, veggies such as kale, broccoli, spinach, & arugula. Black rice, sweet potato pancakes, oatmeal and more."

Though he says they don't really watch calories, Lou insisted Jon is no Rob Kardashian -- SO NO CHEAT DAYS.

"We don’t do that. Jon is focused on the prize and excited to get back in the ring, cheating isn’t a part of this."

Check out pics of the vittles below ...

Here's Nate Diaz stating facts about Conor McGregor at the UFC 200 news conference in Vegas ... and it's pretty damn hilarious.

Conor was a no-show at the event -- as he said he would be -- but still had a very strong presence at the event ... when he tweeted from his training camp in Iceland.

"Everyone flew in. Respect. But not everyone up there made the company 400 million in 8 months."

Nate was asked to respond to the tweet -- and gave the ultimate Nate Diaz response, "Conor got his ass beat."

Dana White also chimed in ... saying McGregor is officially out at UFC 200, just as TMZ Sports reported Thursday.

Imagine you're about to play a middle school soccer game ... and Ronda Rousey shows up to give the pre-game pump up speech -- pretty cool, right?!

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva has a message for Conor McGregor -- be a pro and do your job.

The 39-year-old was at LAX when we asked how he felt about Conor's argument that he's paid to fight -- NOT to promote.

"The promotion is a part of the deal and you need to be professional," Silva told us.

Silva says he respects McGregor as a fighter -- but at the end of the day, he signed a contract ... or as Wanderlei so masterfully put it ... "Job is job."

That didn't take long ... now that Conor McGregor's been axed from UFC 200, a big time fighter is publicly angling to take his spot ... with UFC fighter Tyron Woodley saying he's down to face Nate Diaz.

Woodley is #3 in the UFC Welterweight rankings -- aka no slouch -- and when we got him out in L.A., he told us he's already campaigning Dana White to give him a shot against Diaz.

Conor McGregor's Facebook statement wasn't enough to move the UFC -- the organization is officially calling off his fight with Nate Diaz ... a fight that came with a $10 MILLION paycheck, TMZ Sports has learned.

Conor McGregor says he is NOT retired -- still wants to fight at UFC 200 -- and blasted the UFC saying he's paid to fight, not to promote.

Dana White is calling BS on Conor McGregor's alleged "retirement" -- saying he's very confident McGregor will fight again in the UFC within the next year.

The UFC honcho just appeared on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on FS1 and said despite pulling Conor from UFC 200, he's "not mad" at the guy ... claiming, "The show will roll on."

And get this ... White said there is STILL A CHANCE Conor could save his spot on the card and battle it out with Nate Diaz at UFC 200 ... but there's a VERY small window of opportunity to fix the situation.

Conor McGregor's not just out of UFC 200 -- he's also out of Vin Diesel's new 'xXx' movie ... and according to UFC star Michael Bisping, his part's already been written out.

McGregor pulled out of the flick last month to focus on his rematch with Nate Diaz in July -- but now that Dana White yanked him from UFC 200 for refusing to participate in the promotional campaign, we were wondering if Conor would shift his focus back to Hollywood.

But according to Bisping -- who has a role in the movie -- it's too little, too late.

"His part got written out," Bisping said as he was leaving the set in Toronto.

It's too bad for Conor ... Bisping says he's having a blast shooting the film -- and if it's any good, it could be a huge career booster for him.