MMA Robbery Hero -- It's My Dream To Fight In UFC

The MMA fighter who BEAT THE LIVING CRAP out of 3 scumbags during a robbery in Houston tells TMZ Sports he wants to go from the gas station to the Octagon ... to fight in the UFC.

The video has been exploding on the Internet -- showing Mayura Dissanyake unleashing the fury outside the Fuel Depot when he saw his co-worker getting robbed outside.

Now, Mayura -- a former MMA champ in Sri Lanka -- says he hopes his new found fame helps him get a shot with the greatest MMA organization on the planet.

"I want to make it to the UFC. That is my dream ... the whole reason I moved to the States"

UFC boss Dana White has already taken notice -- telling us he "LOVED" the footage and considers Mayura a hero.

Mayura says he has a fight in Houston next month -- and hopes he can prove he's got what it takes.

In fact, Mayura tells us he's still training 5-days-a-week ... when he's not manning the register at the gas station ... and says he loves his job because it works around his MMA schedule.

"The policy [at Fuel Depot] is ... if someone steals something, I'm told to not chase after them. But in this instance it wasn't someone stealing something, it was my friend who was in trouble. I HAD to help."