Jake Gyllenhaal is all set to star opposite MMA legend Conor McGregor in the remake of Road House. The film sees Gyllenhaal’s Dalton as an ex-UFC fighter who goes to the Florida Keys and ends up being a bouncer at a roadhouse. The film also stars Conor McGregor, Daniela Melchior, and Lukas Gage and is directed by Doug Liman.
The film is the acting debut of UFC champion Conor McGregor and he faces off against Jake Gyllenhaal. While promoting the film, Gyllenhaal was asked if he would be able to beat McGregor in an arm-wrestling match, to which he said yes. Fans have been trolling the actor for his confidence as he proceeded to lose against The Notorious Irish fighter.
Jake Gyllenhaal Faces Off Against Conor McGregor In An Arm Wrestling Match
Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as Dalton in the remake of the 1989 cult classic Road House. The original starred Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott in lead roles, and followed the story of a club bouncer who had a violent history. The remake changed it up a bit with Gyllenhaal’s Dalton being a former UFC fighter who gets offered to be a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys.
In the film, Dalton faces off against Knox, the only man who can match the abilities of Dalton in the roadhouse area. And who better to play that role than UFC’s notorious bad boy, Conor McGregor? The trailers of Road House show McGregor and Gyllenhaal coming fist-to-fist and fighting each other by hand.
Conor McGregor is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world and has also drawn millions of seats and views during his bouts in the UFC. He is the only fighter to have championships in two different weight classes and has often been considered to be one of the greatest fighters in the UFC. And Jake Gyllenhaal decided to challenge him to an arm-wrestle match, claiming to win against him.
In an interview with Buzzfeed Celeb, Gyllenhaal is asked if he would win in an arm wrestling match against McGregor to which he replied in the affirmative. However, the Southpaw star did have a couple of conditions in which he would win. He said,
“If he uses his left arm and I use my right arm, then probably I’d be able to win.”
The duo then decided to test the claim by doing a quick match on the interview. While Gyllenhaal first accused Conor McGregor of going easy on him, after a change in angle, The Notorious Irishman emerged victorious. Fans began to troll the Zodiac star for even thinking of beating the UFC champion.
Your an actor not a fighter 💀😂
— yourboygenz (@yourboyGenZ) March 19, 2024
Jake said "Left arm" how you gonna do a whole movie with a professional MMA fighter and not know he's a southpaw AND you did a movie AS a southpaw 😭
— Swanton (@Swantvn) March 20, 2024
Poor guy 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/6shyzRchx3
— Jay Linky (@travilator) March 19, 2024
Lol these two clowns. That’s hilarious
— Eddie Quiles (@quiles1212) March 20, 2024
The actors revealed in the interview that the first scene they ever filmed together was the head bump scene that was shown in the trailers.
Conor McGregor Almost Became A Bond Villain
While Conor McGregor has made a mark on the UFC Octagon, Road House is his feature-length debut. The fighter plays the role of Knox, who faces off against Jake Gyllenhaal’s Dalton in Doug Liman’s remake. While the film is his debut, McGregor was reportedly offered to play a villain in the James Bond film Spectre.
In the BuzzFeed Celeb interview, McGregor opened up on why he chose to let go of that opportunity. He mentioned that he had an upcoming fight and he was training hard for it, so he would not have been able to concentrate on the film. He said,
“I always had a fight brewing. So, I couldn’t say, ‘Okay I’m gonna go do this movie’ and I’ve got this guy really trying to beat me up. So I’d just always try to leave them on the long finger if you get me.”
McGregor went on to say that he would definitely be up for it in the future, joking that he would be an Irish terrorist.
