UFC

Conor McGregor actually had a shot against Floyd Mayweather ... but he would get straight-up SMASHED by Manny Pacquiao -- so says ex-UFC star Brendan Schaub.

We got Schaub -- an analyst on the MayMac media tour -- to weigh in on McGregor vs. Pacquiao with rumors of the super-fight swirling ... and he told TMZ Sports Conor doesn't have a chance in hell of upsetting Manny.

"I actually think it's a tougher fight for Conor," Brendan said. "Pacquiao's more of a pressure fighter, bigger puncher. Floyd Mayweather was the perfect matchup."

The big question -- will the fight actually get made?

UFC champ Max Holloway says Kobe Bryant has shown him the killer instinct it takes to be great ... crediting Mamba Mentality for his ass-kicking inside the Octagon.

"When Kobe is in Mamba mode he's an animal," Max told TMZ Sports. "He doesn't care about winning one time ... he'll play you 100 times just to make a point -- you suck, I'm the greatest."

It’s a mindset Max says helped him SMASH Jose Aldo in their rematch last weekend ... and one he plans to continue using to become the next big thing -- like a Kobe, LeBron, Tiger or Serena.

“These guys that I named -- they outgrow their sports."

Kobe’s actually a HUGE fan of one of Max’s biggest rivals -- but we got a feeling the Mamba can get down with the "Blessed Era,” too.

Arianny Celeste says if she was Conor McGregor's woman, Dee Devlin, there'd only be 1 way to handle his "date night" with Rita Ora ...

"WHOOP HIS ASS!!!"

FYI, McGregor got cozy with the pop superstar at London's Fashion Awards on Monday and then shouted her out in a club 2 days later -- begging the question ... is Dee really cool with that?!

The UFC's baddest Octagon girl told TMZ Sports she thinks Conor and Rita are probably just friends ... and he was just doing it for the cameras.

That said, Arianny says she'd straight-up KO Conor for doing her like that -- fling or no fling.

Conor McGregor won't EVER fight for money again in his life -- instead, he's setting himself up for a BIG career as a movie star ... so says UFC champ Tyron Woodley.

"I never thought he was coming back," Tyron said on "The Hollywood Beatdown" ... explaining he's got way too much money to risk his health against killers like himself and Tony Ferguson.

But, Conor ain't going quietly into that good night ... Tyron believes all the crazy stunts McGregor has pulled over the past few months are part of a calculated plan to raise his profile for his next big career move.

Rita Ora ... the rumored bar fight ... the Irish courtroom drama -- Tyron says Conor knows exactly what he's doing.

But if Conor DOES decide to fight again, Tyron says he would "beat his ass any day of the week."

"I'll beat the brakes off that little thang!"

Conor McGregor fueled Rita Ora dating rumors on Wednesday night ... shouting her out at the club while patting his heart BEFORE showing love to his baby mama, Dee Devlin.

C'mon bro ...

Remember, it was just a few days ago Conor was hanging out with Ora at the British Fashion Awards. She posted pics of the 2 of them together with the caption, "Date night."

Fast-forward to Wednesday night at Cirque le Soir in London ... where The Notorious was out with his bros, letting loose on the dance floor to The Notorious B.I.G.

Conor hopped on the mic and said, "What's up, Rita Ora!" ... and then put his hand over his heart.

Moments later, he shouted out Dee ... but no heart gesture that time.

McGregor's probably just trolling (since that's what he does) -- but he and Rita did look awful cozy Monday night ...

UFC champ Max Holloway says he's legitimately concerned for Conor McGregor ... not because he's gonna kick his ass, but 'cause Conor could be throwing away his career.

We talked to Max coming off his huge win at UFC 218 ... and the featherweight king set aside his desire to call out McGregor to dish out some real talk.

"Go figure your life out. You're hearing crazy things about the dude, and I hope it's not true," Max told TMZ Sports.

ICYMI, a rundown of Conor last month ...

-- Got physical with officials at an MMA event
-- Was rumored to have been in a bar fight (though nothing concrete has come out)
-- Pissed off a judge at a court appearance for speeding
-- And that ain't all

Holloway says he wants to avenge his loss from 2013 -- but it's clear he respects McGregor and just wants what's best for him.

Herb Dean's one of the more respected refs in MMA -- but UFC fighter Sabah Homasi says he F'd up BAD during his UFC 218 scrap ... and there should be hell to pay for his actions.

"He knows he f***ed up," Sabah told TMZ Sports, "His facial expression was like, 'Oh, sh*t.'"

FYI, Homasi and Abdul Razak Alhassan were trading BOMBS in round 1 ... and Herb jumped in when he thought Sabah was out of it.

In reality, he wasn't even hurt ... and The Punisher ain't gonna let Dean off the hook, especially since he potentially screwed him outta some serious cash ... and also blew another call later that night.

"It's just mess-up after mess-up and it shouldn't be like that."

Sabah's gonna have a shot at redemption ... Dana White's already booked the guys for a rematch at UFC 219.

Conor McGregor mingled with a lot of huge celebs at London's Fashion Awards on Monday night -- including Rita Ora, who shared photos of her and the UFC mega-star with the caption: "Date night."

The Irish fighter and British pop singer were hangin' for most of the ceremony ... seated together at a table with F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton and supermodels Irina Shayk and Jourdan Dunn.

Before you freak out -- Conor just had a kid with longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin ... and Rita's rumored to be dating musician Andrew Watt.

Still ... that didn't stop the haters from coming after Ora -- including Conor's BFF Artem Lobov, who said, "Sorry Rita, burgers are nice but not when a man has steak at home."

Here's Conor McGregor and Lewis Hamilton proving you don't have to be in the NBA to be sports fashionistas ... stuntin' like bosses at the annual Fashion Awards show in London.

The UFC and F1 mega-stars pulled up to the red carpet at Royal Albert Hall on Monday night and posed for some pics with fashion icon Donatella Versace -- who was honored at the ceremony.

Conor was no doubt rockin' one of his custom David August suits ... but Lewis might've outdone the champ with his bright-red plaid joint.

McGregor and Hamilton kept the party going inside the venue -- rubbing elbows with Rita Ora and supermodels Irina Shayk and Jourdan Dunn.

Holly Holm better be on her game come UFC 219 ... 'cause Cris Cyborg tells TMZ Sports one of the top dogs in women's fighting is joining her training camp to help her prep.

We got Cyborg in Downtown L.A. ... and the UFC women's featherweight champ told us undefeated boxing superstar Cecilia Braekhus is flying in all the way from Norway to help her smash Holly (a former pro boxer) at UFC 219.

Cris got in some serious work with ex-boxing champ Mia St. John a couple weeks ago ... but Cecilia's a whole different animal (and a proven team player).

As for the fight itself ... Cyborg admits that she and Holm are cool -- but says that ain't gonna stop her from taking her head off!!

Chuck Liddell says Chael Sonnen's claim that he turned down multiple offers to fight him is complete and utter BS ... and he ain't gonna let it slide.

"I've never been offered a fight with him," Chuck told TMZ Sports. "Never. No one's offered me anything to fight him. Not even a bad deal that I didn't take."

The Iceman says Chael's just up to his old tricks -- churning out fake news -- and he's got a solution to shut him up once and for all.

"He knows where I train at. Come on down! We'll see what he can do."

Probably ain't gonna happen since Sonnen's signed up to fight Rampage Jackson in January ... but it definitely looks like Liddell's prepping for somebody.

Arianny Celeste says she can slay the mic just like Selena Gomez -- and if you want proof, all ya gotta do is peep her new track!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the UFC's baddest Octagon Girl -- who's been killin' it in the recording studio -- and asked who she compares herself to as a singer.

Arianny shot high ... telling us she thinks of herself as a Selena-Tove Lo hybrid.

But don't take her word for it ... Celeste says her new single, "Zoo," can do all the talking. (We watched it. She's right.)

BTW, Selena, if you're out there ... Arianny says she's down for a collab!!

You really gonna say no to this action??

UFC champ Max Holloway's taking a page outta The Book of Drizzy Saturday night at UFC 218 -- saying he's goin' back to back against featherweight GOAT Jose Aldo.

"Be like Drake," Max told TMZ Sports. "I'ma put it on him ... I'm comin' for your head."

Don't get it twisted -- Holloway's got crazy respect for Aldo ... and says he's still got a long ways to go before he matches the greatest 145-pounder of all time.

That said, the young king ain't lackin' for confidence against Jose (his last victim), Frankie Edgar (his original opponent) or anyone else that's in his warpath.

"When you're the baddest man on the planet ... anybody, anywhere, anytime, man."

Francis Ngannou -- the man Dana White says is the next UFC superstar -- tells TMZ Sports he hits so freakin' hard there literally ain't a human being alive who could eat his punch.

We got Ngannou -- who's fighting at UFC 218 this weekend -- in L.A. earlier this week ... and asked him about the video showing him absolutely destroying an arcade game that measures punch power.

"That force can put everyone down if you connect at the perfect position," Francis tells us ... "We are not a machine. We are just human."

We also talked to the man steppin' into the Octagon with Francis, Alistair Overeem, who tells us exactly when he's going to win the fight.

Just look out for that right hook.

Arianny Celeste and her equally hot homegirls are knocking out the beaches in the Bahamas right now ... and tops are optional.

Unclear where the UFC Octagon Girl's hangin' loose in the video ... but Arianny and friends are clearly feelin' themselves, jammin' out to Manu Chao's old-school track about loving life (and weed).

If you like what you hear, Celeste -- an aspiring recording artist -- says you can cop her new single that drops on Friday.

Or ... you can just drink in her other talents. Your call.

Conor McGregor knows how to make an entrance, but it's his exit that stole the show at a court appearance for a speeding violation -- by peeling out of the parking lot and relaying this message ...

"Come and get me."

The UFC superstar was ordered to appear in court on Thursday after reportedly getting busted for driving 158 km per hour (that's 98 mph) in a 100 km zone in Dublin earlier this year. He pled guilty to the offense and was handed a 400 euro fine ($475 U.S. bucks), according to local reports.

But The Notorious didn't seem fazed one bit by the violation ... speeding outta the parking lot in his BMW i8 ... which starts at $150k!!