MMA

Herschel Walker says the unearthed Trump Tapes have NOT scared him away from his former 'Celebrity Apprentice' boss -- telling TMZ Sports he stands firmly with The Donald.

Walker has been a staunch Trump supporter from the beginning -- but with G.O.P. heavyweights like Paul Ryan and John McCain running for the hills, we asked the ex-NFL star if his position has changed.

In a word, no -- in fact, he seems even MORE passionate about Trump.

UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic has a warning for Greg Hardy -- MMA is tougher than you think ... "it's not just something you pick up off the street."

With the ex-NFL star announcing he's pursuing a career as a heavyweight MMA fighter, we went right to the top guy to get his take.

Long story short ... Miocic says he'd beat Hardy down if they ever faced off in the Octagon -- but says he's not counting Hardy out as a fighter.

"Stranger things have happened," Stipe said when asked if he thinks Hardy could be a contender.

Ex-NFL star Greg Hardy says he's transitioning from football to MMA -- and plans to take a REAL heavyweight fight in 2017.

Hardy spoke with MMAFighting.com and said, "I'm very focused and excited to start my MMA career."

"I'm going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that."

The 28-year-old was regarded as one of the best defensive players in the NFL before a series of off the field issues derailed his career ... including a domestic violence conviction (which was eventually dismissed) and a drug arrest.

Hardy's camp says he currently weighs around 285 lbs and should fight as a heavyweight in 2017.

Conor McGregor was just hit with a $150k FINE and 50 hours of community service for firing water bottles at Nate Diaz during the UFC 202 press conference.

UFC honcho Dana White joined "TMZ Sports" the day after all hell broke loose at the presser and said "they're both getting punished."

Today was the day ... 'cause the Nevada State Athletic Commission met this morning in Las Vegas to determine what punishment McGregor would face.

The outcome? Conor has to pay a $150,000 fine (5% of his UFC 202 purse) ... and do 50 hours of community service. He also agreed to participate in an anti-bullying PSA.

Nate Diaz -- who also faces punishment -- had his hearing postponed.

Stay tuned ...

Demi Lovato ain't just getting a cardio workout during her MMA training, she can REALLY SCRAP -- and has inquired about taking a real fight ... so says Jay Glazer.

UFC star Mickey Gall says he's gonna destroy Sage Northcutt WORSE THAN CM PUNK -- vowing to break the guy's bones and hurt him real bad.

Gall and Northcutt are fighting at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 17th -- and the smack talk is already in full swing.

Gall says he actually likes Sage -- but says he's corny, a "silly boy" and "kind of a dork."

The clip is great -- Gall is a huge star in the making -- and he also reflects on his famous beatdown of CM Punk and whether he should get another shot in the UFC.

He was a helluva boxer ... but as a UFC fighter Rocky Balboa "would have been a water boy" -- so says Sylvester Stallone.

Now that Sly's a part owner of the UFC -- we were asking him all about the sport Wednesday night as he was leaving Catch in West Hollywood ... and he revealed the best perks of UFC ownership.

But as far as Rocky in the UFC goes -- we think he's underestimating the guy ... remember, HE CHOKED OUT THUNDERLIPS IN "ROCKY III."

Not all UFC fighters hate Conor McGregor -- despite what Cowboy Cerrone said this week -- but there ARE a bunch of guys jealous of Conor's huge paychecks ... so says Dominick Cruz.

Cerrone told SI Now that "all" of the UFC fighters hate McGregor -- "He's not one of the fellas. He's not a good dude."

So, we reached to Cruz -- who knows just about everyone in the UFC -- and asked for his take.

"I think what they're upset at is the fact of how much money he's made, how quickly and on his own," Cruz said.

"But that doesn't make ME hate him. That makes me try to understand the situation and make a better situation for myself."

"And to me, hating somebody, being bitter at them for making more money than me, that's only going to hold me back from doing what I want to do personally."

Smart dude -- watch the clip.

Don't expect Dan Henderson and Conor McGregor to catch a beer together any time soon.

The UFC legend joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Thursday night on FS1) -- and told us why McGregor just rubs him the wrong way.

Don't get it twisted, Hendo says he respects McGregor as a fighter -- but his personality ... let's just say the two don't click.

Michael Bisping is channeling his inner-Nostradamus -- and predicting the exact round he plans to end Dan Henderson's career at UFC 204 this weekend.

TMZ Sports spoke with the reigning UFC middleweight champ -- who says he respects Hendo ... but wants to make him pay BADLY for their fight at UFC 100 when Dan KO'd him in the 2nd round.

Bisping says Henderson had an unfair advantage in that fight -- even though Hendo's testosterone replacement therapy was approved by the athletic commission back then (it has since been banned).

Watch the clip ... Bisping means business.

Well, this is gross ...

Luke Rockhold's body is covered in some weird red, blotchy rash ... and he tried to rub it all over Daniel Cormier.

The UFC superstar SWEARS he got the skin condition thanks to "wet cupping" therapy -- where suction cups are placed on parts of the body and then lanced with a special needle.

It's essentially a controlled bloodletting that leaves nasty skin marks. It allegedly helps to relieve pain.

Even though it looks like some sort of infectious disease, Rockhold insists it's not contagious (it's not) -- though that didn't stop him from freaking out D.C. in the gym Monday.

UFC honcho Dana White does NOT think there's a shot in hell Conor McGregor will fight Floyd Mayweather -- saying they're more interested in the money than actually trading blows.

White was out in L.A. the other day when we asked for updates -- since both Conor and Floyd had resurrected talk about a possible superfight between the boxer and the MMA stud.

But it's clear Dana doesn't think it's gonna happen and he explains why.

However, if Floyd does want to make a deal -- Dana lays out the ground rules and says it will NOT be a pure boxing match ... but rather an MMA-style fight.

Slim chance is better than no chance.

MMA legend Ken Shamrock is also a celebrity bodyguard -- and he says if he woulda been on Kim's team, she NEVER would have gotten robbed.

FYI, Shamrock has been working in personal security for years and protected big stars like 50 Cent, Fergie and Kristin Cavallari.

So, with Kim getting robbed in Paris this week -- Shamrock says there were a TON of mistakes made that he would have never let happen.

Shawne Merriman could be the the next NFL star to get in the cage -- telling TMZ Sports he's actually had talks with Bellator about a real MMA fight ... and he's dead serious.

The former NFL star has been training with MMA fighters for almost a decade -- and says he'd be down to do it, if the conditions were right.

In fact, Shawne says he's jokingly talked to Bellator president Scott Coker about it -- but says, "there's always some seriousness behind every joke."

We asked Coker about the possibility of S.M. steppin' into the cage. He told us, "Shawne is a great friend to Bellator with some serious martial arts skills. I have no doubt that he could find success in this sport and when he's ready for his first fight, we'll be here to promote it."

Here we go again ...

Conor McGregor sounds like he's still VERY serious about squaring off with Floyd Mayweather -- telling TMZ Sports, "I told you I'm ready for that fight!"

UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens vows REVENGE against Conor McGregor for trashing him at the UFC 205 media event -- telling TMZ Sports he'll "mop the floor" with the Irish superstar.

Conor dissed the hell out of Stephens during the event -- when he turned to the UFC veteran and shouted, "Who the fuck is that guy?!"

The clip went viral -- but now, Stephens is firing back in a scathing statement in which he refers to Conor as "McClown" -- and blasts him as a "bully" who can't hold his own against real fighters.

"Media and UFC like to fuel this guy's fictional character to always bully and disrespect other fighters like it's funny," Stephens says.

"I can't accept that and will mop the floor with him."

He adds, "I've been humbling bullies and disrespectful guys like him since grade school."

There's a lot more in the full statement (see below) -- Stephens clearly hopes to settle the score with Conor inside the Octagon.

By the way, Stephens ain't no bitch -- he's been fighting in the UFC since 2007 and is currently the #7 ranked featherweight.