UFC

12:57 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us the NYPD is looking for McGregor. We're also told detectives are currently interviewing people who were on the scene during the incident.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports there's a warrant out for Conor McGregor's arrest after he and his entourage attacked a bus with UFC fighters at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

However, we have not confirmed that with the NYPD just yet.

According to Dana, law enforcement has told Conor his plane cannot take off from New York and leave the state.

McGregor has been instructed to turn himself into authorities as soon as possible ... and multiple people involved in the incident have vocalized that they plan on suing the Irishman.

Dana says he hasn't spoken with Conor yet, but plans to do so as soon as possible. White says his focus right now is making sure UFC 223 continues as planned.

Dana White has confirmed UFC is trying to seal the deal for CM Punk's next opponent ... and it's Mike "The Truth" Jackson.

Rumors have been swirling for weeks, but White has finally confirmed to TMZ Sports that Jackson -- who also lost to Mickey Gall in his UFC debut -- is the intended target for Punk at UFC 225 in Chicago.

There's more ... Dana also talked about Brock Lesnar's impending return to the Octagon -- telling us Brock's opponent could hinge on who wins the Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier fight.

But, he also flashed a smirk when we mentioned the possibility of a Lesnar vs. Francis Ngannou scrap.

As for Conor McGregor ... we asked how he felt about the Irish superstar referring to him as a "c*nt" -- and shockingly, he wasn't too upset about it ...

If Conor McGregor can fight Floyd Mayweather ... why not Brian Ortega vs. Gennady Golovkin?!

The UFC rising star tells TMZ Sports he's all the way down to take Canelo Alvarez's place in the May 5 boxing match ... now that Canelo has withdrawn from the fight.

"I'm down. I'm down. I'm down," Ortega said while out in NYC to promote UFC 223 ... "I want Triple G."

Look, Ortega -- and his boxing coach James Luhrsen -- know it ain't exactly an even fight ... but Ortega says he's down for the challenge and would work his ass off for a shot at one of the best boxers in the world.

"Triple G, I'm a fan ... If you want to fight an MMA fighter and you're looking for a fight, let's do it, man!"

Most people wouldn't call their bosses a bunch of "c*nts" in public -- but most people aren't Conor McGregor.

The Irish superstar was clearly paying attention to the UFC 223 media event on Wednesday, where Dana White announced he'd be stripping Conor of the 155-pound title to crown the winner of Khabib vs. Max Holloway.

Enter Conor ... who chimed in on social media following the event:

"You’s’ll strip me of nothing you’s do nothing c*nts."

Wonder how Dana's gonna feel about that?

McGregor has been challenging the UFC to strip him for months -- previously saying the organization would need an army to take his gold.

White also announced McGregor would "100%" be fighting for the UFC this year -- but didn't specify an opponent or a date.

Seems likely Conor will face the winner of Khabib vs. Holloway ... but guys like Nate Diaz and Floyd Mayweather are also on the table.

Stay tuned ...

Chris Pratt's Hall of Fame MMA tour has hit Sao Paulo, Brazil -- where the Hollywood stud is takin' on (and takin' down) ANOTHER former UFC heavyweight champ!!

You might remember ... a few months back, the 'Guardians' star was at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in L.A. -- he's a member -- to grapple up with Randy Couture, and did pretty damn well since he used to be a legit amateur wrestler.

This time, Pratt took some time off his "Avengers: Infinity Wars" press tour to practice his double-legs on one of Brazil's most legendary fighters -- Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira!

Chris says he also trained with Minotauro's twin bro, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira ... and couldn't be more thankful for the sesh with two of MMA's GOATs.

Watch your back, evil Marvel dudes.

Conor McGregor didn’t step up to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, but Dana White says it’s a “100%” certainty the Irishman fights in the Octagon again -- THIS YEAR.

But, bad news for Conor – he won’t be coming back a UFC champion.

Dana just dropped the bombshell at the news conference for UFC 223 in Brooklyn .... confirming McGregor will continue his MMA career sometime in 2018.

But, as the UFC prez has told us in the past, Conor's gonna have to drop his 155-pound belt as soon as Khabib and Max Holloway get it on at 223.

As for McGregor's opponent -- Dana didn't say. But, the winner of Khabib vs. Max for the UFC lightweight title would make sense as Conor’s matchup.

Khabib and Max also got in their shots at the Q&A sesh ... with Khabib mocking Holloway for thinking he stands a chance against him.

Gennady Golovkin is NOT giving up on a second mega-fight with Canelo Alvarez, despite his positive PED test ... and now has his sights set on a September 15 rematch.

TMZ Sports spoke with GGG's promoter, Tom Loeffler, who tells us Gennady is "100%" committed to getting the Canelo rematch on the calendar ... explaining "that's the main focus for GGG."

Loeffler says Golovkin is still committed to fighting on May 5 ... and his team is searching for the best possible opponent to step in for Canelo.

As we previously reported, Canelo withdrew from the rematch Tuesday after testing positive for Clenbuterol, a banned substance that helps athletes cut fat while maintaining muscle mass.

Loeffler says GGG is "frustrated" with Canelo -- and added that's there's a lot of bad blood between the guys.

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov just got into an intense, face-to-face verbal sparring match with one of Conor McGregor's BFFs/training partners ... and the whole thing's on video!

Unclear what exactly triggered the scuffle, but Khabib and UFC fighter Artem Lobov crossed paths at the fighters' hotel for UFC 223 in NYC ... and things got REAL quick.

Immediately, you can see Khabib getting all up in Artem's grill as they exchange words in Russian and English ... and their teammates are forced to jump in.

At one point, it looks like Nurmagomedov slaps Lobov straight in the dome before they're separated for a final time ... and Artem walks away.

FYI, Khabib ripped McGregor on Monday, saying he should've stepped up to replace Tony Ferguson at 223. Of course, Max Holloway ended up getting the fight vs. Khabib.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager is going NUCLEAR on Conor McGregor after he didn't answer the call (literally) to fight Khabib at UFC 223.

"He's not really a fighter -- he only fights when he knows he can win," Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports.

Ali continued -- "Khabib is his daddy ... this motherf**ker is so afraid of his daddy."

"It's a shame. All Irish people I know [are] tough. He's the only soft Irish I know."

FYI, Khabib told us he immediately contacted the UFC asking Conor to replace an injured Tony Ferguson ... but was told they had trouble reaching Conor -- who wasn't ready, anyway.

Ali says that proves Conor is a "little Irish punk" -- unlike "real Hawaiian warrior" Max Holloway, who jumped at the chance to scrap with Khabib.

UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk had the exact same thought as all of us when news broke that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was off -- April Fools, right?!

Wrong ... and Joanna was shook.

"I thought it was a joke! But ... it's not," Jedrzejczyk told TMZ Sports.

Joanna -- the longtime women's 115-pound champ -- said she would've been fine with her rematch vs. Rose Namajunas getting bumped up to the main event at UFC 223 ... but Max Holloway stepping up is even sweeter.

"He saved the card!" Joanna said.

As for Rose ... JJ's got nothing but respect for the woman who ended her title reign, but says she's in for a rude awakening against Joanna 2.0.

Steph McMahon hit Ronda Rousey with a straight-up MEAN personal attack on 'Monday Night RAW' -- mocking the UFC star for the way she broke down after her losses in the Octagon.

Remember, Rousey went off the grid after her first loss to Holly Holm back in 2015 -- hiding her face at the airport and then stating on the 'Ellen' show she had suicidal thoughts.

After her next loss to Amanda Nunes, Rousey went into another black hole and suggested on IG that she hit "rock bottom."

So, it was shocking when McMahon decided to go "there" with Rousey on live TV -- telling Ronda:

"In the record books your very first match in WWE is going to be a loss to me. And we all know, the world knows, how you handle losses."

Obviously, the line was scripted and most likely run by Rousey before the show -- and the fact she approved it suggests Ronda's finally coming to terms with the way her UFC career wrapped up.

Ronda will be ready to exact revenge on McMahon at WrestleMania 34 -- when she teams up with Kurt Angle to take on Steph and Triple H.

Our money's on Rowdy.

UFC star Brian Ortega told Dana White 'HELL YEAH" when he called and offered him the chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound title at UFC 223.

Of course, that shot ended up going to Max Holloway ... who Ortega was scheduled to fight later this year with Max's 145-pound title on the line.

But, Brian says he ain't sweatin' the double whammy -- 'cause all it means is he's gotta wait a little longer to take out BOTH of 'em!

"My shot with Max (at 145) is already secure ... but then, there's always Khabib. I've always been interested in this fight with Khabib," Ortega told TMZ Sports.

Plus, Ortega's got some cool stuff cookin' on the side -- including a charitable project with Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.!!

"My first option when Tony's out, I tell, 'Hey, where's Conor? I need Conor. He's champ. Bring this guy.'"

That was Khabib Nurmagomedov's reaction when he found out Tony Ferguson injured himself and couldn't fight at UFC 223 ... he wanted Conor McGregor first, not Max Holloway.

"When UFC call [Conor], he say, 'Oh, I am not ready,'" Khabib tells TMZ Sports.

For the record, Dana White says he didn't want to rush Conor into a short-notice fight because he wants more time to promote a McGregor scrap. Plus, weight could have been an issue.

Instead, UFC booked Holloway -- and Khabib says he's 100% confident he'll smash the Hawaiian easily.

In fact, Khabib says he's already thinking about his next opponent ... and it ain't Conor -- it's another UFC legend.

"After this fight, I'm gonna ask UFC -- 'Hey, Madison Square Garden, me vs. Georges St. Pierre. November. 155 (pounds)."

Khabib had a message for Ferguson, too ... and he didn't hold back.

UFC star Max Holloway is stepping in to fight arguably the scariest dude on planet, Khabib Nurmagomedov, on 6 DAYS NOTICE ... and he's somehow super chill about it!

Max got interviewed at the airport on his way outta Hawaii ... and made it clear that he's pumped to be the late replacement for Tony Ferguson at UFC 223.

"They called the right guy. I'm here. 6 days notice. April 7th. It's gonna be a great night," Max told KHON's Rob DeMello.

As for his thoughts on Khabib, a 25-0 fighter who used to WRESTLE BEARS as a child -- "Animal. Animal."

"But, you know what they say -- to be the best you got to beat the best, and the best is Blessed, baby, so I can't wait."

FYI, the winner gets the UFC lightweight belt, and probably the next shot at Conor McGregor ... so you can see why Holloway, the featherweight champ, ain't sweatin' it too hard.

If Floyd Mayweather ever steps inside the Octagon, Conor McGregor wants to be the guy staring at him from across the cage -- so says Dana White.

We got the UFC prez out in L.A. ... and asked him if there was anything cookin' on the Mayweather-to-UFC front.

Dana wouldn't say anything definitive, but he did drop this pretty cryptic message on us.

"I'm interested and obviously he's interested. The last time we were both interested you saw what happened," White told TMZ Sports.

As for his first opponent -- "Possibly Conor. I know Conor wants it."

BOOM!!!

FYI, Floyd recently said it might be tough for him and McGregor to fight 'cause he'd want Conor to drop back down to 145 pounds, but at the same time -- "if the numbers are right, then we can make it happen."

Here's Joanna Krupa declaring her allegiance to Poland's #1 UFC star, Joanna Jedrzejczyk ... and using some questionable vernacular along the way.

We got Krupa -- who moved from Poland to the U.S. when she was 5 -- in the Bev Hills ... where 'The Real Housewives' star told us she was a huge fan of her same-name sister.

"I love her. She’s Polish, of course I support her!" Krupa told TMZ Sports.

But when we asked if JJ could beat Rose Namajunas in their UFC title rematch ... that's when things got a little dicey.

"She can do it, she’s a Pol**k. Pol**k’s rule!"

"We're driven ... especially if you come from a communist country you have that in your blood."

FYI, the P-word ain't really the most P.C. term ... and Poland hasn't technically been communist in 3 decades.