UFC sensation Conor McGregor may have to balance his time between the Octagon and the silver screen in months to come, after revealing he feels he has what it takes to crack Hollywood.
The vibrant Irishman is set to face Jose Aldo this weekend in a featherweight unification bout at UFC 194 in what’ll undoubtedly be the toughest test of his career so far. However, McGregor already seems to be looking beyond the fight in Las Vegas and has revealed he’s received interest about being involved in movies.
“I’d like to collect in action movies going forward,” McGregor said, per Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. “You know, just here today these director guys coming to the house on some Vin Diesel thing. Hollywood is screaming for me, yes, so we’ll see what happens in the future.”
The Irishman definitely has the personality for it. McGregor may divide the opinion of MMA fans with some of his antics inside and outside the Octagon, but there’s no denying he’s a box-office competitor and a superb entertainer.
Every phrase he utters is a sound bite for fans to seize upon and rarely does the interim champion seem daunted by the media focus on him. As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden noted here, McGregor has been driving what has been a tremendous promotion for the UFC 194 showdown:
Despite the attention, McGregor has also revealed he is completely immersed in his craft, even going as far as to compare himself to the iconic artist Vincent van Gogh in a recent interview with Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal:
“I’m so lost in it that I can’t imagine anything else. Like Vincent Van Gogh. He lost his mind in his game. I have lost my mind also. But I am happy with that. I feel to reach the high pinnacle in anything you do, you must almost become insane to what you are doing.”
It’s an opinion that seems to be shared by some in the Aldo camp. The Brazilian’s wife, Vivianne, speaking on UFC 194 Embedded (h/t Rory Brigstock-Barron of the MailOnline) stated she feels as though McGregor is “crazy.” “Maybe it’s a mask that he wears, but I truly believe he’s crazy,” she said. “He looks like a psycho.”
As we can see here, she’s experienced McGregor’s antics first hand, as he jumped over the cage to get in Aldo’s face after beating Dennis Siver back in 2014:
For all the bravado and big talk in the build-up to his bouts, there’s always a steely focus that consumes McGregor when it comes to fight time. Up to now, the Irishman has been unashamed in his barbs toward Aldo and will most likely continue doing so up to the bout. But expect that to change as he strides toward the Octagon on Saturday night.
Looking beyond the bout with the Brazilian is dangerous. Aldo is one tough fighter and a class up from any competitor McGregor has faced in his ascent to the summit of the sport. However, should McGregor emerge victorious on December 12, you suspect incredible opportunities both in the UFC and beyond will surface very quickly indeed.
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