Since his injury, MMA champion Conor McGregor has been on a long break from the UFC. The fighter recently transitioned to films when he made his acting debut as Knox in Jake Gyllenhaal’s remake of Road House. The film was released recently on Amazon Prime Video and garnered positive responses.
Being one of the most revered boxers and MMA fighters in history, the Irishman recently mentioned that acting was much harder than trading blows in the Octagon. He said that he found it to be more daunting as there was more than just fighting and stunts. However, UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan slammed the fighter for the claim and reminded him of his previous injuries in the Octagon.
Conor McGregor Found Acting in Road House To Be Harder Than The UFC
UFC champion Conor McGregor made his cinematic debut in this year’s action film Road House. A remake of the 1989 cult classic starring Patrick Swayze, the Doug Liman directorial saw the fighter face off against Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays an ex-UFC fighter who gets into a world of crime when he becomes a bouncer at a roadhouse club.
The MMA champion played the role of Knox, an enforcer who is tasked with taking over the club by a crime boss named Ben Brandt. The Notorious Irishman was reportedly first roped in for a cameo. However, the character reportedly grew larger as the film progressed and McGregor bagged a full-fledged role in the film. Gyllenhaal and McGregor face off multiple times in the film.
When asked which profession of his was harder now that Conor McGregor had transitioned to acting as well, he said to JOE that acting was much harder as it involved memorizing lines and getting the timing right. He said,
“Acting [is harder]. Time, time, time consumption, and it’s not just action and fighting and stunts, it’s also remembering the line and you have to time things correctly, you’re engaging with another person. It’s just a difficult game, a lot more difficult than I gave it credit for.”
He also received praise from his Road House co-star Jake Gyllenhaal as he mentioned that the MMA champion had to fake-fight on camera so that it looked good.
Joe Rogan Slams Conor McGregor For Saying Acting Is Hard
Conor McGregor’s bold claim that acting was harder than fighting in the UFC has irked many fans, including commentator and noted podcaster Joe Rogan. The podcaster discussed McGregor’s statement and expressed his disappointment with the claim. He reminded the Notorious Irishman about his legacy in the Octagon and how he had literally injured himself out of the ring, during which he had the time to film Road House.
Joe Rogan mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast,
“That’s not true. Act in Road House or fight Khabib again. Shut the f*ck up. That is crazy talk. He broke his f*cking leg in a fight. He broke his leg. Like, that’s harder. That’s way harder than f*cking acting.”
The podcaster brought up the UFC champion’s infamous bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which was reportedly the highest-grossing pay-per-view MMA event in history. The match was also known for its post-match brawl between Khabib and McGregor’s team. Joe Rogan also brought up McGregor’s injury during his bout with Dustin Poirier.
The fighter broke his leg during the match at UFC 264 and then lost the fight after a technical knockout. The fighter has been nursing his injury since 2021 and only recently mentioned that he would return to the Octagon to fight Michael Chandler.
