MMA

KSI says Logan Paul would be out of his damn mind to try and land a real UFC fight ... telling TMZ Sports the YouTube superstar would "get f*cked" in the Octagon.

We spoke with KSI -- who fought Logan in a YouTube superfight last month (which ended in a draw) -- about Paul's UFC pursuits ... and he says the dude's "delusional" to cross over into MMA.

"He ain't got no chance, bro," KSI says. "Anyone in the UFC would f*ck him up."

KSI's not alone ... Dana White warned Logan last week that it would be a "really bad idea" to step into the Octagon ... even though Sage Northcutt has offered to fight him.

As for their own rematch in the boxing ring ... KSI says Logan got lucky the first time, and vowed to get revenge when they fight in L.A. next year.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist is doubling down on her challenge to Cris Cyborg ... telling TMZ Sports she's ready to run through 6 chicks to get a match with the UFC star!!!

Remember, Kayla Harrison -- a judo gold medalist in London (2012) and Rio (2016) -- issued a challenge to Cyborg just last month ... saying she wanted to beat the best to be the best.

Now ... she's revealing her plan to make the fight actually happen.

Kayla -- who's already 2-0 in her MMA career -- tells us she's gonna fight six more times in a Professional Fighters League tourney next year -- where a million dollars for the winner is on the line.

Harrison tells us once she gets done murdering them ... she wants to get in a cage with Cris.

"The greatest female fighter of all-time, Cris Cyborg -- new, up-and-coming rising star, 8-0 -- let's meet," Kayla said at the Buoniconti Fund’s 33rd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on Monday.

"Let's fight. Let's see who's really the best."

Logan Paul knows he can't just jump in the Octagon and wreck Sage Northcutt -- telling TMZ Sports if the two hammer out a deal ... he'd have to "train his ass off" first.

Of course, Logan has said he wants a real deal UFC fight -- and Sage Northcutt told us he's down to give him that match.

The problem for Paul ... Northcutt is a beast who's 11-2 as a pro MMA fighter, with 6 of those wins in the UFC. And, he's only 22 years old!

"I wouldn't say I'd handle Sage Northcutt," Logan says ... "Sage Northcutt is an animal."

Still, Paul says it would be "fun" to square off with the guy -- if he can put together a real training camp first.

As for Sage, he told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show he's all about a fight with Paul because his fans would love it.

The good news for Logan ... UFC champ Tyron Woodley has already offered to help train Paul up, claiming he was impressed with his boxing match against KSI and thinks he's got real talent.

Conor McGregor needs to cut out the bad language ... because KIDS ARE WATCHING -- so says Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The UFC star tells TMZ Sports he got fed up with all the curse words Conor was dropping at their nasty press conference on Thursday ... and says they need to be better role models!

"This is what I don't like when too much people cursing," Khabib said ... "Too many young guys like follow us ... I don't want to be a bad example for young generation people."

Conor dropped more bad words than a "Def Comedy Jam" act -- calling Khabib every dirty word in the book ... from "little rat" to "fanboy bitch" and "backwards c*nt."

Khabib says he refuses to engage in expletive warfare -- "I wanna be good [role] model."

As for whether Conor got under his skin at the presser, Khabib scoffed ... saying he's confident he'll "smash" McGregor when they face off at UFC 229 on Oct. 6.

Logan Paul better abandon his UFC dreams stat -- because if he ever stepped into the Octagon, he'd get "hurt badly" ... so says Dana White.

"That would be a really bad idea for him," White tells TMZ Sports.

Logan -- an accomplished high school wrestler -- had previously told us his dream would be to book a legit UFC fight after his highly successful boxing match with fellow YouTube star KSI.

In fact, UFC stud Sage Northcutt said he's down to make Paul's dreams come true -- if they can negotiate the right contract.

But, judging by this video ... that fight will never go down under the UFC banner -- because White turns deadly serious when he warns Paul about how extremely underqualified he is to brawl against the trained killers in the UFC.

Conor McGregor wasn't always a monster in the cage -- he tapped out in his 3rd-ever MMA fight and wept in the cage ... but his opponent says the dude is FAR from a cry baby.

We spoke with Artemij Sitenkov -- the very first man to make Conor tap back in 2008 after putting the Irishman in a leg lock during a Cage of Truth fighting event in Dublin.

"He was 19 years old ... and it was his first defeat, so yeah, he was emotional."

You can see in footage from the event, Conor was shocked after the match -- sitting on the cage floor in disbelief.

But, Artemij says the tears don't make him any less of a man -- explaining, "When I was a kid and I lost my first fight, I was also crying. It's natural."

Conor's a different fighter now, according to Artemij -- "I didn't beat superstar McGregor. I beat teenager McGregor."

Artemij is still very involved in MMA -- he currently coaches young fighters ... and gave us a prediction on the upcoming Conor vs. Khabib fight.

Spoiler alert ... might wanna get the tissues ready.

Conor McGregor vs. Tyron Woodley??

Tyron thinks it's just a matter of time ... and the time is right after Conor beats Khabib at UFC 229.

"If Conor wins, the only fight that makes sense for him is to fight me," Tyron said on 'The Hollywood Beatdown' ... "[he'll] try to get a 3rd belt."

Of course, Conor has already held the UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight titles ... but Tyron Woodley is currently the champ in the welterweight division.

So, if McGregor wants to make history as the Champ Champ Champ ... he's gotta go through Tyron.

It's not a crazy idea ... Conor fought at welterweight in BOTH scraps with Nate Diaz.

Tyron also says he and Conor have some unfinished beef stemming from a backstage altercation at UFC 205 back in 2016.

There's A LOT more this week ... Tyron tells us about his conversations with Jon Jones and why he does NOT think he'd be able to win a fight against the UFC legend.

Plus, Tyron demonstrates how to apply the Darce chokehold ... on Evan!

Dana White says he's extended an invitation to both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to be his VIP guests when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov clash in Vegas next month.

Of course, Dana is tight with POTUS and even spoke at the Republican National Convention during Trump's campaign.

And Putin ... well, Conor recently became friends with the Russian president. And, Khabib is a Russian citizen.

But, Dana knows they probably won't come -- acknowledging that having a world leader at a fight would be a nightmare as far as security is concerned. Instead, White says Trump has assured him he'll watch the fight on Pay-Per-View.

We also asked White if Conor's crew of hooligans will be allowed at the fight -- considering they participated in the bus attack at Barclays Center back in April.

Despite the violence, White says the crew is NOT banned -- and UFC is already drawing up a security plan to make sure Team Conor and Team Khabib don't clash at the event.

Conor McGregor says if Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped off that bus at Barclays Center, he would have MURDERED him and gone to prison for life.

Yeah, it was all part of the insane UFC 229 media event in NYC on Thursday -- where Conor pounded whiskey and fired off dozens of explicit slurs at his opponent.

Conor called Khabib every name in the book -- and made up some new ones -- including:

-- "Little rat, little weasel."

-- "You little fanboy bitch."

-- "You'll do nothing."

-- "You mad backwards c*nt."

-- Regarding the bus incident, Conor said, "When the person you were looking for showed up, you took a sh*t on the back of the bus, so shut your f*cking mouth!!!"

-- "You're a fake lying rat. I'm real."

-- "We don't have to lick no one's a**hole for a check, like f*cking you!!"

There's more about the bus incident ... Conor blames Khabib for the people who were injured in that attack -- saying everything would have been fine if Khabib had the stones to get off the bus and fight.

"I just thank the Lord Jesus Christ that that man doesn't have the balls to step off that bus ... this man would be dead right now."

"He would be in a box and I would be in a cell and we would not have this great fight ahead of us."

If Jon Jones wants a piece of Stipe Miocic ... he might have to wait -- because the former UFC heavyweight champ says his priority is a rematch with Daniel Cormier!

Remember, Stipe was on a 6-fight win streak (including 3 title defenses) when he lost to Cormier at UFC 226 back in July.

And, even though a superfight with Jon Jones could mean a much bigger paycheck -- Stipe says his focus is getting his belt back.

We spoke with Stipe's manager, Jim Walter, who tells us, "We will fight anyone, including Jones. But our priority is to rematch DC for the title."

"After carrying the torch in the heavyweight division for years, fighting 2-3 times per year and defending the belt more than any heavyweight ever I feel we have earned that right."

The hurdle for Stipe ... D.C. wants to fight Brock Lesnar -- a fight that's a priority for the UFC.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has landed in New York -- and says he's not worried about Conor McGregor going crazy at today's press conference ... Khabib's focused on going crazy on Oct. 6!!

The UFC superstar admits he's tired from the long flight to the U.S. but insists he's in fighting shape and ready to destroy Conor when they do battle at UFC 229 in Vegas.

"I'm gonna make him tired and make him look bad," Khabib says ... "This is my plan. He cannot fight all 25 minutes. Maybe he think he can knock me out, we will see."

Khabib has previously told TMZ Sports he believes Conor is a "tap machine" -- and it's clear he wants to wear down the Irishman and put that machine to work.

The Pride of Dagestan also sounded off on USADA -- claiming the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is "#1 Bulls**t" for reducing Jon Jones' suspension.

"USADA give my friends 2 years. 2 years. Their first time," Khabib says ... "Okay, what about Jon Jones? Second time problem and they give him one and half year!"

"And ... you know ... I think I think it's very bad. I think it's very bad."

Khabib also praises his friend Daniel Cormier for being a clean fighter -- and "the greatest champion inside the cage and outside the cage."

But, as for Jones ...

He's still got another month on the bench, but fighters are already trying to book a fight with Jon Jones -- starting with UFC star Alexander Gustafsson!

Some history ... Gustafsson had a title shot with Jones back in 2013 at UFC 165 -- and the fight was AWESOME!!!

AG lost in a unanimous decision -- but Jones was sent to the hospital for injuries after the fight and later called it the toughest fight of his career.

Both guys got a Fight of the Night bonus for the spectacular brawl.

Now, with Jones expected to be reinstated to fight again as early as October -- Alexander is making his pitch for a rematch!

"Congratulations [Jon Jones]," the #1 ranked lightweight contender wrote on social media ... "I'm really glad u are back!"

"[Daniel Cormier] is aiming for [Brock Lesnar] ... so let’s give the fans another legendary fight for the belt."

Gustafsson made sure to tag the UFC and Dana White.

As we previously reported, Jones is currently serving a suspension after testing positive for PEDs surrounding the Cormier fight at UFC 214.

America’s favorite jackass is back at it again … we’re getting the first look at how Steve-O is prepping for his new stunt tour … and it’s a miracle he has any brain cells left!!!

Steve-O is teaming up with Chuck Liddell to psych himself up for his upcoming Bucket List Tour ... and you gotta see what the "Jackass" star came up with!!!

Steve-O crams his dome into a makeshift helmet and uses his ear to tee up a golf ball as the MMA legend busts out a driver and takes a monster rip. That’s got to hurt -- fore sure!!!

Lucky for you, Steve-O suffered a better fate than the golf ball ... and he's starting his live multimedia tour this weekend.

Steve-O tells TMZ ... the tour includes explicit footage of him ejaculating as he falls out of an airplane, riding a bike under general anesthesia, a vasectomy world record and the stunt that left 15 percent of his body covered in 3rd degree burns!!!

Brett Favre frickin' LOVES Conor McGregor ... and says he's super pumped for the Khabib Nurmagomedov mega-fight.

Oh yeah ... and he told us who's gonna win too.

TMZ Sports recently spoke to Favre -- who just took a family vacay to Ireland -- about his UFC obsession ... particularly the Notorious.

"I like watching the guy fight. Love watching the guy fight. I think he's a hell of a fighter."

Favre says he's pumped for what some -- including Mark Wahlberg -- say is gonna be the biggest MMA fight ever ... and is pretty sure McGregor will have his hand raised.

"I gotta go with my guy, McGregor. I'm looking forward to it."

We say pretty sure 'cause, even though #4 is confident Conor will get it done, he's still leaving a little room for the bear-wrestling mauler to score what Favre thinks would be an upset.

"In the UFC, you never know. You never know."

6:25 PM PT -- Jones has responded to the news, saying ... "It’s difficult to express myself at this moment but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life."

He added ... "now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now."

Jon Jones has finally received his punishment for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid last year -- a 15-month suspension -- but the good news is ... he could return to the Octagon in just a little over a month.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Jones' suspension Wednesday, but it's retroactive to the date of the test on July 28, 2017 ... which means he may be eligible to fight again by October 28.

As we reported ... Jones swore on God and his kids that he didn't use steroids before his fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, but couldn't account for the banned substance in his system in his B test.

Due to the positive test, his knockout over Cormier was changed to a no-contest.

Jones was originally looking at a maximum of a 4-year ban, but the USADA changed its mind and only sought an 18-month suspension. However, an independent arbitrator ultimately reduced it to 15 months and said in his ruling ... "There was absolutely no intention to use prohibited substances on the part of the athlete."

Jones also got his license to fight revoked in California for the positive test, but he's also eligible for reinstatement now.

Forget GGG-Canelo and Conor-Khabib ... the fight EVERYBODY wants to see just took a real step towards happening -- 'cause Greg Hardy is ALL IN on a fight with Shawne Merriman!!

Remember ... the ex-Chargers superstar told TMZ Sports he's down for a fight with Hardy if he wins his first tilt in the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation in November.

Well ... Greg just got word of the challenge -- and says he's DEFINITELY in for the match.

"All I’m saying is if you like entertainment as much as I do, you would deff enjoy this one," Greg says.

"Pro-Bowl battle royal. #iamthestorm let’s make it happen baby lol."

Of course -- Greg's been running through dudes in his transition from the NFL to the Octagon and has already earned a development contract with the UFC.

But, Merriman's legit serious about his fighting career as well ... having trained in the ring even during his NFL playing days.