Conor McGregor believes he’s already made some enemies in Tinseltown.
After years of watching the Irishman light up his opponents inside Octagon, fight fans will see the former two-division world champion make his feature film debut in Road House — a remake of the skeezy 1989 action-thriller — opposite Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko) and Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad).
With the movie set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 8, McGregor has been making the rounds to promote the picture’s highly anticipated release. During a recent interview with Total Film, the Irishman revealed that he’s had to turn down a variety of roles over the years, sometimes after he had already feigned interest.
“I had turned down a good few roles in my time on the climb,” McGregor said. “I’ve had directors show up at fight camp, really beautiful directors doing really top-end movies … and over and over, they’d come to me, and I always turned them down.
“I’d leave people a little high and dry. I probably have a few enemies out there that I don’t really know of because I had said, ‘I might do it.’”
New look at Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor in 'ROAD HOUSE'
This guy 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/4DaCxa4ylx
— H.A.L. 9000 (@tamilhollywood2) February 27, 2024
Conor McGregor Was ‘In Awe’ of the Filmmaking Process
The most egregious example came in 2016 when McGregor was announced as part of the cast for xXx: The Return of Xander Cage alongside star Vin Diesel. McGregor was set to appear in the film, but following his submission loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, McGregor bowed out with Diesel claiming that McGregor “had to go get his manhood back” following his first loss inside the Octagon.
The film’s director, DJ Caruso, admitted to being “really pissed” when McGregor dropped out but ultimately found a suitable replacement in another UFC veteran — Michael Bisping.
“I was just in awe of it all, to be honest with you, the whole process,” McGregor said of his experience filming Road House. “I didn’t know how I was going to take to it. I didn’t know whether I was going to like it, to be honest. I’m a fighting man. That’s my bread and butter. It’s where I come from.
“I’m not an actor, but I’m show business. That was my vibe to it. I felt that. I enjoyed every second of it.”
Despite finding a new source of revenue, Conor McGregor insists that his UFC career is far from over. It’s been nearly three years since he’s stepped foot inside the Octagon following a devastating leg break against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Thus far, he has no anticipated return date, though UFC CEO Dana White suggested that McGregor’s quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history” could go down in the fall.
Watch the trailer for Road House below:
Transcription by MMA Fighting
