MMA

UFC star Rose Namajunas says she was downright OFFENDED by Conor McGregor's pathetic attempt to apologize for that whole bus attack thing ... because he only reached out over Instagram.

Remember, Rose was on the bus at Barclays Center when Conor and his goons went berserk -- and Dana White told us she nearly broke her hand in the chaos.

Now, Rose is explaining what happened in the aftermath -- saying, "I did get an Instagram message from him, but I don't really know if that was really him."

"To me, that doesn't seem like the type of, it just didn't seem like a sincere apology from an actual person," Rose said on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN.

"To me, I didn't really, I guess, consider it a real apology."

So, what did the IG message say?

"It said, 'I'm sorry for what happened' ... but then he immediately went on to like justifying what he did and stuff like that and the reasons why he did it."

"That to me was like, it really doesn't matter. I don't care what beef he's got with who. That's none of my business, I don't need to know that information. Do you know what I mean? That doesn't do anything for me."

"So there was an apology and I'm a pretty cool person and I always accept apologies, but to me, I'm like a personal person, I like face to face. That's how I like to handle things. I feel like anything can be worked out, you just gotta talk through it as adults."

Conor McGregor is inching closer to finalizing a fight with UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 because he's hemorrhaging cash in a bad way ... so says Khabib's manager.

"Conor's running out of money," Ali Abdelaziz tells TMZ Sports ... "This is why he agreed to fight Khabib."

Interesting statement considering McGregor is said to have made close to $100 mil for the Mayweather fight.

"It's okay," Ali says ... "We're gonna contribute of him making some money, but at the end of the day we owe him an ass whooping. He needs to get his ass whooped from Khabib."

Of course, the beef here is real -- when Conor attacked that bus at Barclays Center, he was targeting Khabib for allegedly disrespecting one of McGregor's friends in the days before UFC 223.

"He thinks he's a gangster," Ali says ... "I don't think he is. But, when you think you're a gangster, you're going to get treated like a gangster. And gangster, they end in jail or get beat up."

Ali tells TMZ Sports the two sides have 3 potential fight dates in mind -- all landing in the 2018.

There is one problem, one of the dates is Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden -- but Ali doesn't think Conor can get licensed to fight in NY after the bus attack.

Which leaves us with UFC 229 on Oct. 6 and UFC 232 on Dec. 29 -- both in Vegas.

Get your popcorn ready.

The shots just keep on coming between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones ... now, the UFC rivals are getting SUPER personal in new public attacks on each other.

"Jon, you’re a bitch!" Cormier tweeted ... "You’re one now always been one."

"Sit back and watch me be great, you steroid cheat."

Don't worry, it gets a lot worse ... but first, some context.

The two have hated each other (in real life) for years -- but Cormier touched a nerve last week during a conversation about who's in the running for the G.O.A.T. in UFC.

Cormier suggested he should be considered. Jones mocked him for that. Cormier says he ignored Jones because the guy is suspended for PEDs and doesn't have a "platform" to join the debate.

Jones responded by saying, "I don’t have a platform DC? That just sounds dumb."

He continued by bringing Cormier's WIFE into the conversation.

"Even after years of suspension I have just as much if not more of a platform than you. Every win you get goes on my resume, You know who you dream about at night. I’m sure your wife knows too."

Cormier didn't like that and fired back on Twitter -- "Let’s not talk about wives man. Come on, I’m sure with all the shit you’ve done I could get a conversation from your wife. I mean from your girlfriend ,baby mama?"

Look, we've spoken with multiple people connected to both of these guys who tell us it ain't an act to promote a fight -- they hate each other's guts to death.

And since JJ is suspended without a return date firmed up, it's unclear whether the two will ever fight in the Octagon ever again.

Seems like Nate Diaz is itching for a fight ... because he got in the middle of ANOTHER brawl at an MMA event and TMZ Sports has the video.

It all went down Friday night in the crowd of the Fight to Win Pro 77 event at the Hyatt hotel in Sacramento -- where we're told Nate was supporting some of his MMA students, who were competing in the all-grappling event.

In the video, you can see several people in the melee -- and Nate appears to wind up and throw a punch at one of the men being separated.

Witnesses tell us no one was arrested -- Nate got his crew and left.

It's the second time Nate's been in a fight in the stands of MMA event this year -- back in May, Diaz got into it with UFC fighter Clay Guida at a Combate Americas event in Sacramento.

Demetrious Johnson vs. T.J. Dillashaw is the blockbuster fight everyone wants to see ... so why the hell hasn't it been made?

'Cause Mighty Mouse knows T.J. can beat his ass -- and he's scared ... according to Dillashaw.

The reigning UFC bantamweight champ joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weeknights on FS1) and was asked if he thought DJ was ducking him.

His answer ... "I do believe so."

"He's comfortable fighting the guys he's fighting. I think I bring a real threat to the table that he's not willing to accept."

Let that sink in ... Dillashaw is saying Mighty Mouse -- the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC who hasn't lost in almost 7 years -- is shook.

U.S. Olympic legend Kayla Harrison -- who won gold in judo in '12 and '16 -- is finally making her MMA debut this week ... and says she's ready to wreck shop.

Kayla is a beast -- and she tells TMZ Sports it was hard to even lock down an opponent because people are scared to fight her.

The good news ... Brittney Elkin has stepped up and will fight Kayla at the PFL event in Chicago on Thursday, and Kayla tells us she can't wait to scrap.

"I have 500 judo matches under my belt," Kayla said ... "I have some experience -- just not with a locked cage behind me."

So, how will she handle taking a live punch to the face for the first time?

"I'm kind of a bull. It's gonna take a lot more than 1 punch to take me down."

Nate Diaz is a daddy!!!

The 33-year-old UFC superstar and his longtime girlfriend, Misty Brown, welcomed a healthy baby girl at a California hospital on June 6 ... according to public birth records obtained by TMZ Sports.

Nate and Misty -- both from Stockton, CA -- have been together for years. They've been posting photos of each other online ... dating back to 2012.

We're told the baby is happy and healthy, and the families are stoked.

We reached out to Nate's camp for comment -- but a call to the fighter's rep was not returned.

Urijah Faber's foot got bulldozed so hard by a car in Asia this week that he nearly whooped the driver's ass for hitting him!!

It all went down in Singapore -- where Faber's visiting for a UFC event ... when the MMA superstar stepped out into the road without looking and got straight-up run over!!

"It felt like an alligator like, bit my foot," Faber told TMZ Sports.

That wasn't even the worst part ...

Faber says after he was trucked -- the driver got aggressive ... so the UFC stud nearly threw hands!!

"He puts his hand on me, and he's like trying to calm me down, and told me, 'You shouldn't be standing in the street.' And I'm like, 'Dude, get your hand off me, bro.' I was about to lose it."

The funniest part ... Faber says the dude looked like the "asian Bob Marley!"

Cooler heads prevailed -- Faber realized it was probably his bad ... and the foot ended up being just fine.

UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw agrees with Dana White ... CM Punk showed a lot of balls by getting into the Octagon -- but admits his performance was trash.

T.J. joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) -- where he talked about his upcoming rematch with Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227 in August.

Even though the two have had bad blood in the past, T.J. says he respects Cody and anyone else who gets in the Octagon to compete ... including CM Punk.

"Yeah, sure, he did not look good at all -- but he still went out there and did it ... respect."

Tyron Woodley has gone from wanting to murder Conor McGregor -- to being his biggest supporter -- and he's revealing the REAL reason he's rooting for the Irish star to beat his felony bus attack case.

Remember, the two nearly came to blows back in 2016 during a backstage altercation at the UFC 205 weigh-ins. It got bad.

But now, Tyron says ... he wants to be connected to Conor in a big way -- and kept it 100 on "The Hollywood Beatdown."

There's more ... Tyron also explains why he wants to end Colby Covington's life -- and makes the guy a REAL offer he hopes the UFC fighter can't refuse.

Plus, Woodley goes after Tekashi69 and breaks some news about his rap career.

Conor McGregor's quest to prove he's nothing close to a violent beast continued outside of a swanky New York City restaurant Friday -- when he smiled big for cameras and signed a TON of autographs for fans.

The Irish superstar rocked a pink shirt and grey sweatshorts, and made sure to give a shout-out to all of his supporters as he left Nello in NYC.

"Thank you so much, thank you guys!!" the UFC star yelled multiple times.

This latest spot of pleasant Conor comes on the heels of him taking his fam -- little baby Conor, and all -- for a sweet bike ride Thursday afternoon.

UFC star Derrick Lewis says he was genuinely impressed with Greg Hardy's 57-second knockout ... but tells TMZ Sports he's REALLY HAPPY that it means he's one step closer to fighting the ex-NFL star.

Remember, Lewis has previously told us he has real hatred toward Hardy because he believes Greg DID brutalize the ex-girlfriend he was accused of attacking back in 2014.

Hardy was initially convicted of domestic violence, but appealed -- and won -- and the conviction was overturned.

Lewis tells TMZ Sports his stepfather abused his mother -- and he still has a lot of built up anger he wants to take out on Hardy.

Conor McGregor just walked out of an NYC courtroom where he appeared for a hearing for his bus attack case ... and told the media, "I regret my actions that led me here today."

He continued, "I understand the seriousness of this matter and I'm hopeful that it gets resolved soon."

Inside the courtroom, Conor's attorney told the judge the UFC star is negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. They're due back in court July 26.

McGregor was hit with multiple charges -- including felony criminal mischief -- for attacking a UFC bus at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 5 ... injuring multiple people including some UFC fighters.

If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 7 YEARS in prison.

Conor was escorted inside the courtroom by armed police officers who were controlling the crowd and keeping the peace.

Conor looked stylish -- wearing a suit and tie. His demeanor was much different than the last time he was in court -- no billionaire strut this time. He was very reserved.

Conor was joined by his manager, Audie Attar.

Greg Hardy says he's feeling extremely "positive" after his impressive UFC performance on Tuesday -- and says he wants to prove to his haters that he's truly a changed man.

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-NFL star after his 57-second knockout victory over Austen Lane on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series ... and you can tell he's excited about his MMA future.

"I'm feeling great. I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling excited. I'm ready to go ... ready to take this next step and see where it takes us."

Hardy knows his new UFC contract will come with scrutiny because of his troubled past -- including allegations of domestic violence -- but says he hopes people will give him a chance to prove he's not a monster.

"It would be best to meet me, give me an opportunity," Hardy said ... "I think I can win a lot of people back over to my side."

As we previously reported, Dana White wants Hardy to get a couple more fights under his belt before he matches up with a major UFC opponent ... but Hardy says he's already got his sights on Derrick Lewis.

Mark Wahlberg says his offer to give Conor McGregor a piece of his UFC ownership stake has expired ... telling TMZ Sports, the dude has already been compensated enough!

Mark -- along with a bunch of other big stars like Sylvester Stallone, Tom Brady and Ben Affleck -- got a piece of the UFC back in 2016.

And right after Conor had defeated Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez, Mark offered to sell him part of his ownership stake after McGregor had griped that he wasn't getting paid enough.

But that was BEFORE Conor made $100 MILLION fighting Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 ... and apparently, that has changed the circumstances for Wahlberg.

Don't feel bad for either guy ... they're both gonna be fine.

Dana White was so impressed by Greg Hardy's 57-second knockout on Tuesday, he wants to get him back in the Octagon as soon as he can ... telling TMZ Sports he's shooting for August.

"He's got a lot of raw talent," White said from his gym ... "He looked good in his showing there."

White says he wants to get Hardy more experience before he puts the ex-NFL star on the main UFC stage -- and the ideal situation would be a second fight in his Tuesday Night Contender Series.

"In a perfect world what I'd love to do is turn him around and have him fight again in the last fight of the Contender Series."

FYI, the series finale is reportedly set for August 7 ... which would give Hardy exactly 8 weeks to prep.

White says if Hardy wins that fight, he'd still like to see him rack up a few more wins before he gets a major UFC fight.

As to the criticism that comes with signing Hardy -- who was convicted of domestic violence (which was later overturned when Hardy appealed) ... White says he's ready for it.

"What I respect about the guy is he did something really bad and horrible. He went through everything you need to go though after you do something disgusting like that. Then he hit rock bottom, picked himself back up, started to work his way up to become not only a better human being but a better athlete."