"In a box and going down into the ground" - Conor McGregor reveals plans for future in MMA
Conor McGregor has not competed in mixed martial arts in nearly three years after breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021. The former double champ does, however, appear to be nearing a return to the octagon as he has teased that he will face Michael Chandler at International Fight Week in June.
'The Notorious' recently revealed that he does not plan on retiring from fighting until he passes away, citing Mike Tyson as an example. Speaking to Adam Catterall of TNT Sports, McGregor stated:
"Mike Tyson now is fighting Jake Paul. He fought Roy Jones, also. There you go, that's an older guy. When he was fighting Roy Jones Jr., something that really stuck out to me was he was asked why? Recalibrate your competition. There's a reason that in jiu-jitsu tournaments there's like the veteran division and all this. So I don't really feel like I could ever call it a day to it until I'm laid out flat, and that's it."
McGregor continued:
"In a box and going down into the ground, that's when I'll call it a day. Something that really struck me with Mike Tyson was he was asked in an interview around the Roy Jones Jr. fight, what do you think Cus D'Amato – who was his mentor and coach – what do you think Cus D'Amato would say to you after all these years. Why come back now? And what Tyson said was, what Cus would say to me is, 'What took you so long?' That really hit me." [h/t MMA Junkie]
Check out Conor McGregor's comments on his future plans below (starting at the 6:38 mark):
McGregor noted that there were plenty of fighters that he could face, reiterating his desire to fight until he was in a grave. The former double champ has expressed an interest in facing Chandler at UFC 303 and Nate Diaz at UFC 306, which will take place at the Las Vegas Sphere for Mexican Independence Day, marking the promotion's first event at the venue.
Conor McGregor discusses his Hollywood future
Conor McGregor made his theatrical debut last week as 'Road House' was released. The former double champ, who has just two fights remaining on his UFC contract, was asked about his impending free agency during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, stating:
"We have to talk. That's what I'm saying. I don't know. And I don't know whether they know what to come at me with. What are you going to come at me with? I don't know. Hollywood now is lined up. I actually could play loads of roles."
McGregor continued:
"Think about the movies I could do. The amount of unusual craic. You know the way there's Arnold Schwarzenegger and then there's like Sylvester Stallone and all these guys and they have all these great movies made around them. Think about the movies that you could make around me."
Check out Conor McGregor's comments on his Hollywood plans below:
It is unclear if McGregor has any other roles lined up in the film industry. However, mixed martial arts' biggest star clearly has ideas of returning to acting. It remains to be seen how a potential career in Hollywood would impact his fighting career.