He seemed afraid of the fighter, and rightfully so, as the actor accused McGregor of hitting him. And that too, not once or twice but a total of 49 times.

Jake Gyllenhaal might not have had a fun experience shooting with Conor McGregor

Hosting the 49th season of ‘Saturday Night Live’, the BAFTA winner told a few jokes about the number 49 and why it holds a special significance in his life. Jake Gyllenhaal mentioned that 49 was the number of times Conor McGregor “accidentally” punched him in the face while playing Knox in his debut Hollywood film. “You know? 40 [sic] is a great number. I mean, seven times seven; classic. You know? Oh, and 49 is like 69, but easier. Also, 49 is the number of times Conor McGregor accidentally punched me during Road House,” revealed the 43-year-old.

Gyllenhaal hilariously added as a side note, “People ask me what it’s like to work with Conor and I always say ‘Oh so great!’ Because I am scared, he is nearby.” He played ‘Dalton’, the protagonist in ‘Road House’, while McGregor played ‘Knox’, the antagonist in the 1989 remake of the cult classic. They both earned huge praise and formed a friendship while filming for the movie.

Though the two co-actors now share a good camaraderie and the film also ended up big a massive hit, Jake Gyllenhaal was initially afraid of filming with ‘Mystic Mac.’

Jake Gyllenhaal revealed his fear of Conor McGregor

While having an interview with ‘The Mac Life’, Gyllenhaal confessed that he liked McGregor’s casting in the movie, but he was afraid before shooting one of the fight scenes. “I think what’s so interesting is that feeling, but also the opposite, you know? That’s what’s so cool about this movie – bringing these two worlds together. You know, all of a sudden, the sort of fictional world of the movies, and then the reality of the UFC, and someone like Conor’s coming into the space, and us having that fight together,” said Gyllenhaal.

The actor recalled his first shot with McGregor saying that they had to do a headbutt and it resulted in him having second thoughts. “What am I doing? This is crazy.” With Gyllenhaal playing the hero and Conor McGregor starring as the villain, the two had a lot of intense toe-to-toe fights.