Conor McGregor believes he ‘has a few enemies’ in Hollywood, having rejected a number of film proposals in the past.
The UFC superstar will be making his debut on the silver screen on March 21, when his remake of Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal comes out.
Breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier afforded him the recovery time off to film and the Irishman, who is still awaiting a date for his UFC comeback, threw himself into the role.
In 2016, he was announced as being in xXx: The Return of Zander Cage, but then dropped out after losing against Nate Diaz.
DJ Caruso was the director and said he was ‘really p****d’ at the time. And McGregor alluded to the fact that Caruso would not be the only person in Hollywood angry with him.
Conor McGregor is about to make his debut on the silver screen with Jake Gyllenhaal
He told Total Film: ‘I had turned down a good few roles in my time on the climb.
‘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’.
In the end, Michael Bisping ended up taking his place in xXx and much fascination surrounds the Road House remake.
McGregor relished the chance to experience a new domain and said: ‘I was just in awe of it all, to be honest with you, the whole process.
‘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.’
It will be three years this summer since McGregor last competed in the UFC, his ‘bread and butter’, as he puts it.
Gyllenhaal filmed part of the movie in front of a live UFC audience at a press conference
McGregor says he will have angered some directors in Hollywood who wanted him
His return has been repeatedly pushed back, seemingly by his paymasters, with the former two weight champion now expected to return in autumn, according to Dana White.
The UFC are holding a first event at The Las Vegas Sphere in September, which could coincide nicely with those plans.
He is still expected to take on Michael Chandler when he returns, although Nate Diaz threw his hat in the ring this week, saying he wants to fight at the flashy new venue.
