Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the history of mixed martial arts. ‘Notorious’ is not only the wealthiest MMA star ever owing to his charisma and trash-talking skills, but (in his prime) was among the greatest strikers in the sport.

Not to mention he holds the distinction of being the first UFC fighter to hold concurrent championships in two weight divisions. Heavyweight champion Jon Jones credited the Irishman for having “fast-forwarded the sport ten years”. And UFC boss Dana White revealed just how important the Dubliner was to the UFC gaining mainstream popularity.

Dana White puts Conor McGregor over any other UFC star

Dana White went on the ‘Games with Names’ YouTube channel for an interview where he was asked about the significance of Conor McGregor to the sport of mixed martial arts and the UFC in particular. The UFC boss pointed out that the combat sports business is “very star-driven” and pointed to stars such as Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, and Ronda Rousey for having popularized the UFC in its early years.

And while all of them helped the promotion grow, White felt that Conor McGregor really took UFC to the next level owing to his “magnetic personality”, wittiness, and entertaining trash talk that the UFC boss compared to the iconic Muhammad Ali.

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“So you had all these different characters with different personalities from different places who helped take the sport to another level. Then comes Conor McGregor… incredible personality. He’s from Ireland and he can actually fight, too. Yeah, so it was like it was such a home run and he took us to a whole another level throughout Europe and other parts of the world,” White said.

“He’s got this magnetic personality that you were just drawn to. He’s incredibly witty. His trash talk is [Muhammad] Ali level, his persona is Ali level he’s a guy that transcends all sports,” he added. And while McGregor’s fighting career may be approaching its end, the superstar may soon transition to a new career based on how his performance in his first film is received.

McGregor’s Hollywood debut is set for a March release

Conor McGregor will make his Hollywood debut in the upcoming remake of the 1989 cult hit ‘Road House’. The film, directed by Doug Liman, stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the protagonist ‘Dalton’, while McGregor plays the loud-mouthed, unstable, violent antagonist named ‘Knox’.

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While the film is scheduled for a March 21 release on Amazon Prime Video, ‘Mac’s performance in the trailer has elicited widespread praise from fans as he seems to revel in playing the abrasive, unstable villain (as he does so well in real life).

This is good news for ‘Notorious’ given that his UFC career looks uncertain. The former champion, who has been out for the past three years recovering from a broken leg he suffered at UFC 264 in 2021, had earlier announced he would make his comeback against Michael Chandler on June 29. However, this was refuted by Dana White, who has come out and clarified that the Dubliner will, in a best-case scenario, return to the UFC only by the end of the year.

UFC Mexico Brawl: Dana White Puts the Blame on UFC Security – “I Was Watching It but Nobody Stopped It”