As the biggest MMA star and one of the most famous athletes in the world, Conor McGregor has received numerous offers to appear in films and television, particularly since he defeated Jose Aldo to become the UFC’s featherweight champion in 2015. He turned said opportunities down, focusing instead on his fighting career and building various successful brands outside the Octagon, such as ‘Proper Twelve‘ and ‘Forged Irish Stout.’
Experience making ‘Road House’
Timing is everything, and after declining approaches from directors and producers who would turn up at McGregor’s training camps to offer roles in movies, this time felt different. He had recently suffered a horrific leg break during his last outing in the UFC against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, which put his fighting career on hold. McGregor faced a prolonged spell of rehabilitation and recovery, and the timing was perfect for him to pursue a new endeavor.
The opportunity to play a new character written into the remake of Road House appealed to McGregor, as did the chance to star alongside one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, Jake Gyllenhall. Being a fan of the original film was a deciding factor in Conor McGregor’s acceptance of an offer to play a new character in the latest version.
”It was an amazing experience, a lot of hard work, you know? A lot of humbling hard work and I approached it like I would approach my martial arts training [with the mindset of] I am a novice at this. I had never done a movie before, so I am akin to a white belt, a beginner. I just went in, took direction well, and gave it my all” – McGregor told Good Morning Britain.
McGregor’s return to the UFC
Although the stars aligned for McGregor in terms of the Road House opportunity being afforded to him, the same cannot be said of his recent UFC career. He told The Mac Life that he had been preparing for his return to the Octagon for some time, completing camps in both France and Dubai with the expectation that he would be fighting either in late 2023 or early 2024. Potential fight dates kept being pushed back, claims McGregor, which resulted in him losing motivation to train.
The motivation is now back, and McGregor hopes to fight Michael Chandler in June, which will be his first competitive fight in almost three years, should it go ahead. People always wonder whether or not McGregor has the motivation to continue fighting at the highest level, given his previous accomplishments and attained wealth. He is the highest-paid UFC fighter in history and claims to be the highest-paid debut actor of all time. In his interview with Good Morning Britain, McGregor seems to be in a good place mentally, and he attributes this to his family being more present with him when he is on the road.
Once the press obligations for Road House wrap up, McGregor will begin training for his next UFC fight. Fans have been waiting an age for the return of ‘The Notorious’ and will hope they don’t have to wait any longer than June to see him square off against Chandler.
The remake of Road House, or as McGregor describes it, ‘ a reimagination of the original’, is released on March 21 and can be seen worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.
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