UFC

Conor McGregor ain't goin' to prison -- and UFC star Dustin Poirier couldn't be happier about it -- telling TMZ Sports they can finally figure out who's the baddest lightweight fighter in the world.

Poirier -- the #4 ranked lightweight who's headlining the UFC on FOX 30 card this weekend against 3rd ranked Eddie Alvarez -- says he didn't want McGregor behind bars -- despite the Barclays Center melee.

"I'm happy that he's free of all that stuff now. Like I said, the division can get moving. It's been top heavy and not moving for awhile."

Speculation is McGregor -- whose last UFC fight was in November 2016 -- will fight current lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year.

Poirier says after he beats up Alvarez ... he wants the winner of Conor-Khabib (assuming the fight goes down).

Tyron Woodley is going in on Conor McGregor -- saying his "larger than life mobster" image is a front ... and he's sick and tired of watching the guy act like a fake, tough guy.

We spoke with the UFC welterweight champ about Conor's plea deal in his bus attack case -- and Woodley says the lack of any serious punishment is par for the course when it comes to McGregor.

He also thinks that Conor's behavior -- from the violent incident at the Bellator fight to the Nate Diaz can-throwing incident -- is a TERRIBLE example for young kids and upcoming fighters.

NY Congressman Peter King ain't too worried about people thinking Conor McGregor got off easy in his bus attack case -- in fact, he's already got jokes!

Of course, McGregor was facing 7 years in prison and possible deportation -- but struck a plea deal where he essentially got off with anger management and 5 days of community service.

Some people believe McGregor's sentence was WAY too light -- considering several people got hurt in the premeditated attack ... but, King's got no worries.

He joked that maybe prosecutors didn't want to put Conor in jail because he would beat up all the other inmates.

"He's a tough Irish guy," King joked ... "You gotta look out for those guys!"

We told you it was gonna happen ... and now it did -- prosecutors just dropped the felony against Conor McGregor and he will not spend 1 second in jail.

It's hugely significant because if he was convicted of a violent felony, he could have been deported -- which would have had a major impact on his UFC career.

Here's what happened inside the Brooklyn courtroom on Thursday -- Conor accepted a plea deal in which the felony count was dismissed. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

He was sentenced to 5 days of community service, ordered to pay for the damage he caused to the bus -- and ordered to complete an anger management course.

Outside the courtroom, Conor issued a short statement -- "I just want to say I'm thankful for the D.A. and the judge for allowing me to move forward. I want to say to my friends, my family, my fans, thank you for the support."

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... Dana White will not bar him from the UFC as he has other fighters who have engaged in illegal violence.

One of the reasons is that White believes the legal system has already exacted punishment on the superstar.

Conor's co-defendant, Cian Cowley -- who also participated in the bus attack -- got the same deal ... but with only 3 days of community service.

A spokesperson for the Brooklyn D.A.'s office tells TMZ Sports ... "This is a fair resolution that holds the defendant accountable, ensures restitution for the victims and requires the defendant to perform community service where he can reflect on his conduct and give back to society.”

As we previously reported, Conor's attorneys had been negotiating a plea deal in the felony mischief case -- filed after the UFC champ threw a dolly at a UFC bus on April 5, injuring several fighters.

Conor was initially charged with 1 count of felony criminal mischief and 3 counts of misdemeanor assault.

Just last week, we were told prosecutors had agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor -- which is a big deal since a felony involving violence could trigger permanent deportation from the U.S.

The 30-year-old UFC fighter faced up to 7 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Conor McGregor is firing back at the security guard who claims the UFC star injured him during that crazy 2016 bottle-throwing incident at the Nate Diaz fight presser ... saying his accuser sucks at his job.

The man who filed the lawsuit is William Pegg -- who was working for MGM security on Aug. 17, 2016 ... when Nate and Conor threw bottles and cans at each other during a heated exchange before UFC 202.

Pegg says McGregor chucked a can that struck him in the left shoulder and injured him.

But now, McGregor is telling his side of the story ... saying Pegg failed in his duty to provide security at the event and "did nothing" while Nate and his crew initiated the incident by throwing bottles at Conor first.

"Had [Pegg] met his obligations not only as a security guard on duty during the press conference, but moreover, the person purportedly in charge of security, and protected [Conor] and his friends and family, than this entire incident would have been avoided."

Conor also admits to throwing objects that day (obviously, it was captured on video) ... but says there's NO PROOF the projectile that struck Pegg was thrown by him.

Randy Couture and his wife have a message for their friend, Demi Lovato -- "We love Demi and we're going to do whatever we can to help."

Couture has been helping Lovato train at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable gym in West Hollywood for years -- she's even credited him with helping her achieve her blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Randy says everyone in the gym has been well aware of her struggles with addiction -- and he was crushed to hear about her overdose on Tuesday.

But, Couture says the singer can count on his support and love as she begins to bounce back.

"Sometimes there are setbacks. We're here to help her get through them and keep moving forward."

This is interesting ... Daniel Cormier tells TMZ Sports he wants to line up at least one more opponent BEFORE he gets in the Octagon with Brock Lesnar!

Cormier is currently nursing a broken hand from his victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 -- the same night Lesnar rushed the Octagon and shoved him, hyping up a Cormier vs. Lesnar superfight!

But as Cormier pointed out, Lesnar won't be cleared to fight until early 2019 -- so, he wants another big fight while he waits for the WWE superstar.

So, who's it gonna be? Cormier says he's not even thinking about Jon Jones -- but if he miraculously gets cleared before DC retires, ya gotta think he'd strongly consider it.

Ronda Rousey vs. Cris "Cyborg" Justino -- the superfight that never happened -- could still be a possibility ... just not in the UFC.

TMZ Sports talked to Cyborg at the airport in L.A. on Sunday ... and asked her about the possibility of finally facing her rival after years of trash talk ... and battling Ronda in the WWE.

"Some fans ask me, 'Cris, do you like to make a fight with Ronda Rousey in WWE?'" Cyborg tells us, "I say 'Maybe, ya don't know. Maybe.' It's not something I plan. But if fans would like to watch, I need to train for that, but, ya know, it's gonna be great."

Cyborg was actually complimentary of Ronda ... telling us she's seen Rousey do her thing in the WWE ... and thinks she's kickin' ass in the squared circle.

"I watch a couple things Ronda's doing there, and I think she's doing great."

Conor McGregor is one lucky scofflaw ... because TMZ Sports has learned he's on the verge of striking a deal in his New York City criminal case that will keep him in the U.S. and out of jail.

We've learned Conor's lawyer is in the final stages of negotiating a plea deal in his felony mischief case ... the case that was filed after the UFC champ unleashed his fury by hurling a dolly into a UFC bus, injuring 3 fighters. His target was UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was not hurt.

Conor was charged with one count of felony criminal mischief and 3 counts of misdemeanor assault.

Sources familiar with the deal tell us, prosecutors have agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor. That's hugely significant because a felony involving violence could trigger permanent deportation from the U.S.

The Irish bad boy faced 7 years behind bars if convicted, but we've learned prosecutors are agreeable to probation ... NO jail time.

The deal is not finalized, but we're told negotiations are down to the "fine points." If it doesn't fall apart, the deal should be finalized in a matter of days, because Conor is due in a Manhattan court Thursday.

Seems Conor McGregor was PUMPED about his dip in the ocean Friday.

The UFC superstar threw a post-swim selfie on social media braggin' about his LONG workout -- and, as you can see, water must not have been very cold in Ireland today.

"Great swim in the beautiful Irish Sea with the team," the Irish fighter said.

It's not the first time we've seen McGregor flaunt his mini-me ... he had it on full display at weigh-ins for the Mayweather fight.

UFC champ Tyron Woodley says the REAL reason Colby Covington is trying to push their fight is because Colby needs time to recover from a medical condition called "sore vagina."

There were rumblings this week that UFC was targeting a Sept. fight date for Woodley vs. Covington -- but Colby said it won't happen until November or December because he needs time to heal up from fight injuries.

Darren Till says he was approached about a Woodley fight too -- but on "The Hollywood Beatdown," Tyron says no one has formally offered him EITHER fight!

Don't get it twisted, Tyron says he'll beat the dog snot out of both guys ... but, "ain't nobody offer me sh*t."

There's more ... Tyron weighs in on Jimmy Garoppolo dating porn legend Kiara Mia (he loves it) and offers to teach Pacman Jones how fight better!!!

Russell Wilson and Ciara are pocketing their babysitter dough tonight -- no need for one when you have to attend a Hollywood event that's actually for the kids.

Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne, Michael Phelps and Nicole Phelps also showed up -- families in tow -- for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards Thursday night in Santa Monica. Kinda the perfect award show follow-up to the ESPYs.

Don't slam the door on a possible Cormier vs. Miocic rematch -- with D.C. telling TMZ Sports he's open to the idea ... AFTER he fights Brock Lesnar.

Remember, after Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 earlier this month ... Lesnar stormed the cage and hyped a Cormier vs. Lesnar superfight.

Miocic -- the former heavyweight champion of the world -- is furious claiming he's EARNED a rematch with Cormier before Lesnar gets a shot ... considering Brock hasn't even fought since 2016.

So, when we saw Cormier at the ESPYs on Wednesday ... we asked how he felt about Stipe's gripe.

Of course, the clock is ticking considering Cormier is 39 years old and wants to retire at age 40. His birthday is in March.

Tick tock ...

Dana White's son, Aidan, got a 16th birthday party with as much star power as one of Dad's UFC fights ... and way more stage diving.

Aidan had the run of Drai's in Las Vegas -- with a daytime pool party and nighttime concert featuring Migos, A$AP Rocky and DJ Carnage. Aidan's the one who hurled his body off the stage during the pool party.

The concert kicked off when the sun went down and, as you'd expect for a Vegas high roller, Drai's pulled out all the stops. Dana's pal, Everlast, also performed a couple songs.

And, the icing on the birthday cake?

Dana hooked up Aidan with his own customized Land Rover Defender ... y'know the super limited edition model most Hollywood celebs can't get.

Conor McGregor got to sit in on the World Cup final in person this weekend, showing up as a guest of none other than Vladimir Putin.

The UFC star posted a photo of himself Sunday alongside Russia's president, posing like a tough guy with someone he calls "one of the greatest leaders of our time."

Conor's caption read ... "Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him. Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup."

He ended with "Go Russia" ... written in Russian. Hopefully they're both aware Russia got knocked out in the quarter finals, but that's beside the point. What's important (and weird) is that Conor is super chummy with Putin ... who's known as kind of a bad dude, depending on who you talk to.

Conor McGregor's having a big day -- not only is it the fighter's 30th bday, but his girlfriend just announced some major news ... she's pregnant again!!!

Dee Devlin just made the sly reveal on her IG, saying ... "Happy 30th birthday babe! Thank you for being you! Love you to bits from me, Conor jr and the bump."

When we last saw Conor and the fam together last month, they were on a rowboat in Central Park and riding bikes on the heels of McGregor appearing in court in NYC for his part in the infamous UFC bus attack.

Things have been on the up and up since then, though ... and now Conor and Dee are going to need a little more room in their rowboat.

By the way ... there's something in the water today -- earlier Saturday, Kate Upton announced she's pregnant, too.

Congrats to everyone!!