MMA

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

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."

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!

War Machine's freedom of religion is under attack while he sits behind bars in Nevada ... so he claims, and the ex-MMA fighter is calling on the ACLU for help.

War -- who faces life in prison on charges of attempted murder after allegedly beating ex-GF Christy Mack -- claims Nevada's High Desert State Prison won't let him properly observe Passover.

War is on the prison's list of inmates who identify as Jewish. We're told he'll have access to a rabbi and special meals.

What he WON'T get is the right to attend Passover services because his prison status restricts his movement.

No word on whether the ACLU will champion his cause.

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.

When it comes to protection, headgear and padded gloves can actually make things MORE dangerous for an MMA fighter ... so says UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

We were asking Joe about the recent death of MMA fighter Joao Carvalho -- who died following an MMA fight this weekend -- and if adding extra layers of padding could help prevent tragedies like this in the future.

While Joe said he didn't know about the specifics surrounding Joao's death, he made it clear he believes more padding is NOT the answer.

"It's actually better to have no pads," Joe said ... "You'll take less brain impact than with pads."

When asked specifically about forcing fighters to wear headgear during a match, Rogan says he wasn't keen on that either -- "There's actually an argument that wearing headgear is worse."

Conor McGregor says he was ringside at the MMA fight in Dublin -- in which a fighter was beaten so badly, he died from his injuries ... and calls the whole situation "truly heartbreaking."

Conor was at the fight to watch his teammate Charlie Ward take on Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho. Joao lost by TKO in the 3rd round ... and died a few days later from head injuries suffered in the fight.

"Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho," McGregor said in a statement.

"To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking."

"We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don't know how to take this."

"I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can't understand it."

"My condolences go out to Joao's family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all."

MMA star Tito Ortiz will NOT be prosecuted for an alleged battery that happened inside a Vegas nightclub back in February ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Rosie O'Donnell's brother, New York State Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, just took the floor of the assembly and claimed mixed martial arts is like gay porn, but without a climax.

O'Donnell opposes a bill that would legalize MMA in New York. He believes the sport is thinly-veiled erotica, telling his colleagues, "Two half-naked hot men rolling around in a cage trying to dominate each other. It's basically gay porn, only with a different ending."

He went on to say his famous sister was for lifting the MMA ban in New York, but he feared it would trigger a rise in violence and gambling among young people, adding he was going home "to take a long shower" after discussing the prospect of legalizing MMA.

The assemblyman, who is gay, went on to call MMA "an alleged sport."

Matthew Titone, another openly gay Assemblyman, cracked a different gay joke during the hearing.

MMA fighter Dada 5000 is doing MUCH better after a frightening health scare following his fight with Kimbo Slice at Bellator 149 this past weekend ... so says Dada's rep.

We spoke with Mike Vazquez -- who says he was with Dada in the hospital following the fight -- and he tells us, "Dada is recovering well. On his feet and moving around. Back to his usual self."

"He should be out [of the hospital] by the end of the week and can personally address [then]."

Kurt Angle could lay a real life smackdown on a real life fighter ... 'cause the wrestling legend says he's considering doing a real MMA fight -- and named Kimbo Slice as a possible opponent.

Angle -- who's been doing commentary for Bellator -- recently appeared on "The Roman Show" and was asked if he'd ever step out from behind the media desk ... and into the ring.

Angle says there's a VERY SMALL chance he agrees to a fight -- since he's 47 years old now -- but if it does happen, he's already thought about who he wants to fight.

"Of course, I'm not going to fight a guy in their prime," Angle said ... "It's obviously gonna be one of the older guys. But if it does come to fruition, it'll be a helluva fight, whether its Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn ... or even Royce Gracie."

He added, "If I do decide [to fight], it'll be with a Hall of Famer ... it won't be someone in their prime in their early 30s, no way, not now."

Fingers crossed!

Justin Bieber's career is on fire but there's still one thing he can't do ... kick Nick Jonas' ass ... that's according to Nick's "Kingdom" co-star Frank Grillo who says the JoBro's a total "badass" thanks to his MMA training.

Frank witnessed the transformation Nick went through playing an MMA fighter on their show, so when we got him out in L.A. we had to ask ... is Jonas now the toughest teenybopper alive?

Check out the clip -- Frank must've had Bieber on the brain cause we didn't even mention Justin ... but Grillo seems convinced -- and proud to say -- that Jonas would beat the Biebs to sleep.

UFC superstar Anderson Silva says he's got the FUTURE of female MMA in his gym -- Gabi Garcia -- a bone-crushing BRUISER who would DESTROY any woman crazy enough to fight her.

Silva and Garcia were working out together at Anderson's gym in Torrance, CA -- where the 6'2", 205 pound lady beat the living hell out of some boxing mitts while our cameras rolled.

Silva told us 30-year-old Gabi is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu master who hits like a ton of bricks -- and admits, she's even roughed HIM up a bit during training sessions.

By the way, Gabi says she used to be EVEN BIGGER -- but lost a ton of weight (more than 300 pounds) when she first began training several years ago.

Now, Gabi says she wants a piece of the UFC's best fighters -- Holly, Ronda, whoever -- and she's confident she would run through them like a warm knife through butter.

Be afraid ...

MMA superstar Gina Carano is off the market ... revealing that she's officially back in a relationship with a kickboxing star ... after nearly 10 YEARS apart.

Carano -- who's a big movie star now with a role in the upcoming "Deadpool" flick -- posted a pic on her Instagram page locking lips with kickboxer Kevin Ross -- the #14 Muay Thai fighter in the world.

Ross explained how they hooked up -- and it's actually a pretty sweet story.

"For those of you that don't know we dated for 4 years, were broken up for a decade then got back together on the 14th anniversary of the day we met."

They've been back on for 6 months -- and have now decided to go public with their relationship.

"Gina is not only the reason I'm even doing what I am but literally the reason that I'm even alive and walking around still. You are my inspiration, my best friend, my everything!!!"

Robbie Lawler is no Vin Diesel -- 'cause even though Vin is getting his 7-year-old daughter into MMA right now ... the UFC superstar says his kid will have to wait 'til he's 8.

It's actually an interesting question among parents -- with MMA exploding as a sport, more kids want to get involved at a younger age.

But Robbie -- who began his martial arts training at age 9 -- says, "I'm gonna try to keep my son out of martial arts as long as possible."

"I want him to know his body a little more before he starts getting into martial arts."

MMA star Johny Hendricks will not be fighting in UFC 192 on Saturday after being rushed to the hospital for intestinal blockage and kidney stones stemming ... so says Johny's manager.

Hendricks was scheduled to put his welterwight championship on the line against Tyron Woodley tomorrow night, but ran into huge medical issues while attempting to cut weight Thursday night.

According to his manager Ted Ehrhardt, Johny was in bad shape -- he needed to be given an IV and kidney stones were detected during his trip to the emergency room.

In fact, Hendricks told MMAFighting.com ... "The weight was coming off fine and then yesterday my body just started to shut down. When it hit that point, I tried to push through it, and well, it didn't go well because then I had to go to the ER."