Ex-UFC fighter Pearl Gonzalez says she wishes she could go back and stop herself from getting tattoos at such a young age … telling TMZ Sports it ended up being more than a $10,000 mistake!!

As we previously reported, the Chi-Town Princess is getting her signature boob ink — along with three other pieces — removed over the next few weeks … a process she says she wishes she didn’t ever have to go through in the first place.

Gonzalez tells us getting the tats lasered off is something she had been planning on doing for a while … but knew it was time to clean up her image once and for all.

“I’m currently having four tattoos removed,” Pearl tells us. “If I could have them all removed, I would. Maybe two I would keep.”

Gonzalez says she first started getting body art before she even became a teenager … and the majority of her collection came from going to tattoo parties before she was 18 years old.

As for her most recognizable piece — the fighter says she can’t stand the clouds and moon she got above her nipple when she was around 15 … even if others still appreciate it.

“It is the stupidest t***y tattoo I’ve ever gotten in my life,” she said. “But yes, everybody loves the t***y tat.”

“I just don’t like it. It doesn’t look good. It looks ghetto to me. I want cleaner skin, a cleaner body.”

Gonzalez is one of the toughest ladies on the planet … but admits the removal process is pretty excruciating.