MMA

If Conor & Khabib don't chill out with their vicious and very serious beefing, someone's gonna get seriously hurt ... as in shot ... so says UFC star Kelvin Gastelum.

Khabib and Conor have been going at it on social media lately, after McGregor lobbed what some thought was an anti-Muslim insult directed at Khabib, prompting Khabib to launch an ultra disrespectful clap back.

We got UFC Star Kelvin Gastelum -- who was in L.A. promoting his UFC 236 title fight against Israel Adesanya -- and he says if the rhetoric from both men has the potential to end up tragic.

"I think there are some lines that have been crossed, and it's escalating to a point where it shouldn't have to. I feel like if it keeps going the way it's going, somebody's gonna end up injured, somebody's gonna end up hurt, somebody's gonna end up shot."

Kelvin is 100% serious and you can hear it in his voice, he told our camera guy he believes there's only so much Khabib and his side will take.

"Khabib don't play no games, man. This is real life for him."

We should say, Conor seemed to apologize for his statements on Twitter yesterday, along with a pledge to be better in the future. But, is Khabib accepting it?

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman wants to get in a cage and beat the living hell outta someone ... and that person??? It's wrestling superstar Batista.

YES, Merriman wants to fight Dave Bautista ... the WWE legend turned Hollywood star in a real deal MMA fight.

"He looks good, man. I know that people will watch that," Merriman tells TMZ Sports.

"I know people wanna see that. If he was down to do it, I would do it in a second. I wouldn't even question that one."

Shawne knows Bautista's a busy guy -- he's fighting Triple H at Wrestlemania 35 this weekend and he's currently working on numerous films -- but still thinks they can make the fight happen.

"I know he's got other stuff going on, but why not give the people something they want to see."

The reason why we're even talking about this ... the former All-Pro linebacker just launched his own MMA promotion -- Lights Out Xtreme Fighting -- and he's seriously considering taking his first fight.

Thing is, 6'4", 265 lb. Bautista ain't ONLY a wrestler and actor -- he's actually won a pro fight -- and he still trains (peep this).

But, don't get it twisted ... Shawne ain't a chump. He's 34 (16 years younger than 50-year-old Batista) ... and he's a freak of an athlete.

Oh, and he's also 6'4", 265 lbs.

So, what's Shawne's message to Dave?

4/4-- Conor seems to want to put all this behind him and get back to fighting with his fists instead of his fingers ... tweeting, "I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds."

"All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all."

"Now see you in the Octagon."

4:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has a message for Conor if he continues to run his mouth.

"You're gonna get yourself f*cked up, your whole team f*cked up, your security f*cked up," Abdelaziz says.

"Get your sh*t together, boy, before you get everybody f*cked up. But, we don't want violence. We don't promote violence. We are promoting peace. Enough with the hate."

3:22 PM PT -- Conor and Khabib's boss, Dana White, is not happy with the 2 fighters ... saying he's aware of the social media back-and-forth and has reached out to them to handle the situation.

"The ongoing situation has escalated to a level that is unacceptable," White says.

"As such, we are taking the necessary steps to reach out to both athlete camps and this situation is being addressed by all parties internally

10:18 AM PT -- Khabib just fired back at his arch nemesis ... clearly alluding to the reports that McGregor is under investigation for sexual assault in Ireland (Conor's rep bashed the report as a "rumor," but did not address the allegations).

"Rapist, you are Rapist," Nurmagomedov tweeted.

"You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you. We will see."

Conor McGregor personally attacked Khabib's wife -- and seemingly mocked Muslim tradition -- tweeting a photo of the UFC champ and his bride ... and calling her a "towel."

McGregor went on a Twitter rampage Tuesday night ... unleashed a fury of Tweets directed at Paulie Malignaggi -- who slapped his good friend, Artem Lobov, earlier in the day -- and Nurmagomedov.

“Don’t be scared of the rematch you little scurrying rat" ... McGregor wrote.

Conor dug in, getting personal ... posting 2 photos from Khabib's wedding day -- along with the caption, "Your wife is a towel mate" -- appearing to make fun of Khabib's wife's clothing.

McGregor deleted the message minutes later.

Khabib and his wife are devout Muslims ... and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took the insult as a direct slight at Khabib's religion.

"Talking sh*t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re fucked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."

Conor's used racially and religiously charged rhetoric to sell fights and belittle fighters in the past ... so it's possible this entire incident is an attempt to goad Khabib into a rematch.

Conor McGregor and 26 other dudes have stepped in the cage with Khabib ... and exactly zero have walked away with anything besides an L ... but he's never fought Justin Gaethje.

The 30-year-old UFC star -- who's fresh off his insane KO of Edson Barboza -- laid out his blueprint for winning the lightweight title ... and it runs squarely through Dagestan.

"I'll take the winner of [Dustin] Poirier and [Max] Holloway. That's the fastest way to Khabib. I want Khabib. I want to fight the Russian. That's who I want to fight."

Dustin and Max are fighting for the Interim title at UFC 236 on April 13 ... and Gaethje is ready to fight whoever comes out on top -- with the ultimate prize being a crack at Nurmagomedov.

Justin says he's got something NOBODY else who's stood in the Octagon with Khabib has had ... the ability to whoop his ass.

"He's gonna have to fight a stand-up fight with me. He's not gonna be able to take me down."

Standing up with Gaethje -- who was an All-American wrestler in college -- is usually a bad idea 'cause he's known for his powerful hands ... but so was McGregor (and we know how his fight with Khabib turned out).

"Conor was terrified of being taken down."

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman is jumping from the gridiron to the cage -- launching an MMA promotion -- and he's considering fighting ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We talked to Shawne -- a 6'4", 265 lb. linebacker who made 3 Pro Bowls in his 8-year career -- about the creation of his new promotion, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.

Unlike Dana White, Merriman tells us -- if the opponent was right -- he'd be down to fight ... despite co-owning the biz.

The former Chargers star isn't new to mixed martial arts ... he's been around the combat sports game for years -- and was even scheduled to take a bare-knuckle fight in late 2018 before things fell apart.

Merriman isn't the 1st famous former athlete to launch an MMA promotion ... Oscar De La Hoya started Golden Boy MMA last year and put on Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz III.

Lights Out Xtreme Fighting's 1st card is going down May 11 in Burbank.

Kamaru Usman and Ali Abdelaziz ran up on Colby Covington before the manager threw a punch during their casino buffet altercation ... new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

We broke the story ... Usman and Covington -- who HATE each other's guts -- faced off at the Palms Casino Resort only hours after Kamaru beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 ... winning the welterweight title.

In the original video published by TMZ Sports in March, it was unclear -- outside of their disdain for each other -- exactly what sparked the fight.

However, the new video clearly shows Ali Abdelaziz confronting Covington -- who's in line at the buffet -- as Usman tries to hold Ali back.

It's clear Colby -- who almost immediately retreats and takes out his phone to record -- doesn't want to fight.

At one point, Abdelaziz charges and appears to knock Colby's phone to the ground ... before later throwing and seemingly landing a punch to Covington's chest.

The heated altercation lasts about 2 minutes ... but Kamaru never puts hands on Colby.

Covington previously claimed Abdelaziz threatened to shoot him during the altercation ... but if that happened, it's not evident in either video.

The bad blood between Colby and Kamaru goes wayyy back -- several years -- with the 2 fighters getting into it almost every time they're in the same room.

As for a fight in the Octagon ... Usman recently told us he was already in talks to make a Colby fight with Dana White and the UFC.

We reached out to Abdelaziz ... who declined to comment.

Paulie Malignaggi just "bitch slapped" and promised to kill Conor McGregor's good friend, Artem Lobov ... and the guys ain't even scheduled to fight yet.

Malignaggi -- a former world champion boxer in 2 weight classes -- was at a promotional event for Lobov ... a former UFC fighter who's fighting in the Bare Knuckle FC this weekend.

Paulie recently signed with BKFC as well ... and he wasted no time making his presence known.

The 2 fighters came face-to-face at Mendez Boxing Gym in NYC on Tuesday ... where Malignaggi smacked the hell outta Artem, before yelling, "that was a bitch slap for a bitch" ... and telling Artem, "I'm going to put you in a body bag."

This ain't random beef ... Lobov is one of Conor's best friends -- and McGregor and Paulie have major issues.

Remember, Paulie was one of Conor's training partners as he prepared for the Mayweather fight ... but the relationship went to hell after footage of The Notorious getting the best of the former boxing champ was published.

Lobov clapped back on Instagram ... saying, "I am told you got a sly cheap shot in, I thought that was a mosquito!"

"You know you get killed in a minute if the people werent there, You will be paying with your broken jaw!"

Jay Glazer gets hit a lot at his MMA gym -- whether it's UFC stars or big name actors, dude gets beat up all the freakin' time ... but who hits the HARDEST??

Star-Lord!!!!

That's right ... Chris Pratt's got the power that'll knock anybody out, so says the Unbreakable Gym owner ... who tells TMZ Sports Pratt straight-up hits harder than the Natural.

"It sucks getting hit by Chris Pratt more than it sucks getting hit by Randy Couture."

UMMM ... HAVE YOU SEEN RANDY COUTURE FIGHT?!?

FYI -- Couture is one bad dude ... he's got a 19-11 record and has 7 knockouts under his belt. Oh, and was a 3-time UFC heavyweight champion!!!

So ... does this mean CP will ditch Hollywood for the Octagon?? Not so fast ...

"He's too busy being happily engaged and pretty."

BONUS -- we also got an update on that tooth Demi Lovato knocked out of Glazer's grill a couple weeks ago ... and super glue really does fix everything!! (We sure hope he's kidding).

Boxing great Bernard Hopkins is a full-fledged vegan now and has a message for any current and competing fighter who wants to try the lifestyle ... DON'T DO IT FAM!!!

Don't get him wrong ... B-Hop told us he feels GREAT when we got him looking slim and trim at LAX, saying he's been a vegan for around 15 months and he's digging it.

"I feel more energy now, working as I am now with TV and Golden Boy Promotions and what I'm out here now for, so yeah, I feel great."

Sounds good ... but when we asked if going meatless is something Hop wishes he would've done while he was still IN THE RING, he kept it a buck as only a Philly Bul could.

"HELL NO. NO. Not while you're fighting, not while you're active, putting a strain on your body because it's really too much."

We should say, there are tons of fighters like Nate Diaz (is weed vegan?) who are on the diet, and they seem to do just fine, but when you hear Hopkins talk about it, he seems pretty freakin' sure.

Nate Diaz's tough guy image is just a front, 'cause he's all bark, no bite ... according to UFC star Justin Gaethje ... who says, "Gangsters fight, gangsters don't run their mouth."

TMZ Sports talked to Gaethje -- who's fighting Edson Barboza (that fight is going to be ridiculous) Saturday on UFC on ESPN 2 -- when JG opened fire on the Stockton fighter.

"The only thing that's been bothering me, Nate Diaz keeps talking so much shit but the dude won't fight," Gaethje tells us ... "It just amazes me how people think he's still a gangster."

"You can't talk and not show up. That's just funny to me."

Nate hasn't fought since losing to Conor McGregor in the rematch of their blockbuster fight ... and that was 951 days ago.

Dana White says he's offered Diaz a bunch of fights ... only to be turned down. Nate did agree to fight Dustin Poirier last year at UFC 230 ... but the fight was scrapped after Poirier got hurt.

Gaethje thinks Diaz has been running his mouth (it's unclear exactly what has Justin pissed off) ... so, we asked the logical question ... do you want to fight Nate?

If JG's right, don't hold your breath ... 'cause Nate ain't interested in anything more than running his mouth.

Here's Conor McGregor enjoying "retirement" ... sippin' on pina coladas and -- JUST KIDDING, THE GUY IS STILL TRAINING HIS ASS OFF IN THE RING!!!

Just days after the UFC superstar announced his retirement "from the sport formerly known as 'Mixed Martial Art'" ... The Notorious was in a boxing ring -- and TMZ Sports has the vid.

You can see clear as day McGregor is still in great shape and still very ready to kick some ass ... sparring with a guy at Fight Club Gym on Wednesday in Miami and getting in some ab work.

Based on the footage, seems obvious McGregor is staying ready just in case he decides to unretire and get back to work in the UFC.

As we previously reported, McGregor has talked passionately recently about wanting rematches with both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz.

We recently spoke with UFC honcho Dana White who thinks Conor is serious about retirement -- since he's made so money already and seems to be successful in his Irish whiskey endeavor.

But, watch the clip ... does this look like a guy who's done fighting to you?

You know what goes horribly with a steak burrito ... STAPLES!!!

But, that's exactly what MMA announcer Jimmy Smith claims he found in his food on Tuesday when he took a bite out of a burrito he bought at a Chipotle in Delray Beach, Florida.

"I took one bite and it was something hard in there and I pulled it out of my tooth and it was 14 staples," Smith says ... "A brick of staples!"

Smith -- who's called fights for the UFC and Bellator -- says he called the restaurant and "freaked out" on the manager ... because he realizes how DANGEROUS swallowing a staple could be.

Smith also says he's LUCKY he didn't ingest the office supplies because he eats like a wild animal -- usually tearing through his food as fast as he can.

Fortunately for Smith -- and Chipotle -- Smith says it does not appear he injured his tooth or his mouth ... or suffered any other injuries from the fully loaded burrito.

Smith says the situation was escalated to Chipotle's corporate offices -- and he has already been contacted by a rep looking to make things right.

Smith says he's not looking for free food or money and does NOT plan on filing a lawsuit -- he just wants the problem corrected so nobody else chows down on 14 STAPLES!!!

"This can't happen to someone else."

UFC star Ben Askren thinks Conor McGregor's most recent retirement announcement is a bunch of BS ... telling TMZ Sports it's either a publicity stunt or a negotiating tactic.

The Notorious appeared to call it quits in a late-night tweet on Monday ... saying "I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Art' today."

Some people like Dana White truly believe we've seen the end of Conor ... but Askren?? Not so much.

"I think there’s no way I’m buying it," Askren says. "This isn’t first time he’s tweeted out something like this." It's true ... Conor "retired" back in 2016 too.

Askren points out the timing -- right after the negotiations with Donald Cerrone falling apart ... and says it's essentially a big game of chicken between Dana and Conor to see who will cave first.

"If you look at Dana White's response that is a negotiating tactic back. He's saying, 'okay, bye, see ya later, have a great career'. So, it was kinda a negotiating tactic back saying, 'okay, fine have a great retirement.'"

So, if neither side comes to an agreement, have we REALLY seen the last of Conor? Ben says if he was a betting man, "you’re probably putting all of your money on the fact that you will see Conor fighting sometime in the future."

Dana White says he will not offer Conor McGregor a stake in the UFC to lure the fighter out of retirement ... telling us, "That's never gonna happen."

McGregor announced his retirement on Twitter Monday night -- days after he reiterated his demands to get a slice of the UFC as a part owner instead of a fight paycheck.

White appeared on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and said he's NOT trying to go to war with Conor -- but he ain't giving away ownership stakes either.

White says if Conor wants UFC ownership, he needs to BUY stakes in the company like everyone else.

"Listen, if you want to own a piece of the company, you have to put up the money to buy a piece of the company," White explained ... "That's how it works."

White says he was surprised by Conor's retirement tweet -- "it came out of nowhere" -- and insists he and Conor are still on good terms.

"I've never had a bad conversation with Conor McGregor since he's been in the UFC."

White is also not concerned about the state of the UFC if Conor is serious about retirement ... saying there will ALWAYS be big stars who take over when other stars leave.

12:42 PM PT -- Conor McGregor's spokesperson, Karen Kessler, has issued a statement ... referring to The NY Times report about the UFC star's arrest as a "rumor."

"This story has been circulating for some time and it is unclear why it is being reported now," Kessler said in a statement first published by ESPN.

Kessler also addresses people trying to connect Conor's retirement tweet to the report about his arrest.

"The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false."

And then, she added a shot at the UFC ...

"Should Conor fight in the future it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport."

We should note the statement does not directly address the sexual allegations described in The NY Times report.

Conor McGregor was arrested in January as part of a sexual assault investigation stemming from an alleged incident in December at a hotel in Dublin, Ireland ... this according to The NY Times.

McGregor was released from custody and has NOT been charged with a crime, according to the report. However, The NY Times says officials are still investigating the case.

Local media in Ireland have been covering the situation for months but without naming McGregor as the suspect because of laws that prevent news outlets from naming rape suspects unless they have been convicted.

The accuser is a woman in her 20s who claims she had been hanging with friends in South Dublin before ending up at the Beacon Hotel on Dec. 10.

After the alleged sexual assault, the woman went to police and filed a report -- and was then taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, according to local reports.

Unclear if a rape kit was administered but it seems to be the standard operating procedure for women who are treated in this particular unit.

According to local reports, cops tried to obtain surveillance footage to see if they could place McGregor at the hotel at the time of the alleged incident.

When approached by the media back in December, a police spokesperson said, "[Cops] are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a female which occurred in Dublin 2 in the early hours of this morning, Monday December 10th 2018."

"No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing."

So far, McGregor has not commented on the allegations.

30-year-old Conor McGregor is no stranger to the law -- he was convicted of throwing a steel dolly at a UFC bus last year.

He was also in an Irish court last year over a 2017 speeding incident.

Seems Colin Farrell is taking Conor McGregor at his word -- saying he supports his fellow Irishman's decision to retire from MMA ... and wishes him well in his future outside the Octagon.

Farrell was leaving "Good Morning America" where he was promoting the new "Dumbo" flick when we asked if he REALLY believes we've seen the last of The Notorious in the UFC.

"Everyone can do what they want, man," Farrell said ... "Everyone's gotta follow their hearts."

Colin's been a huge McGregor supporter for years -- raving about Conor back in 2015 as one of the most "phenomenal" athletes on the planet ... and saying he's brought great pride to Ireland.

Not everyone is buying Conor's retirement statement he posted on Twitter late Monday night -- some people believe it's all a negotiating tactic to pressure Dana White into giving him an ownership stake in the UFC.