Conor McGregor is set to make his acting debut this week with the release of "Road House," starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.
McGregor appears to be a main antagonist in the Prime Video film, which is a remake of the Patrick Swayze 1989 cult classic of the same name. The former two-division UFC world champion even claims to have set the record for the highest-paid acting debut, topping Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's $5.5 million salary for "The Mummy Returns" in 2001.
While the validity of McGregor's claim has not been verified, if his pay packet is anywhere near what Johnson received in his debut then the Irish MMA star would seemingly have little reason to put his body on the line in further UFC or boxing matches with a lucrative film career awaiting.
A former two-weight boxing world champion and current analyst agrees, stating McGregor may be better off on the silver screen than back in the Octagon.
Speaking to Lord Ping, Paulie Malignaggi had some harsh words for McGregor's future in combat sports, suggesting the 35-year-old stick to acting instead of returning to the UFC.
“Why try to be a tough guy in the cage when you can pretend to be a tough guy in the movies?" Malignaggi said. "People fall for it, people think that Brad Pitt can fight, they think actors can fight, so McGregor should carry on being the pretend tough guy.
"Why risk doing it for real and being a punching bag? He can sell himself better in the acting world than the fighting world.”
A return to the cage to face Michael Chandler has long been teased by McGregor, but Malignaggi expressed doubt that the fight will happen and accused McGregor of wasting his potential opponent's time.“Why would he put himself in a situation where he can get knocked out?" Malingaggi said. "I feel like he's playing games with Michael Chandler, holding the payday over his head. He's a very insecure person, so it doesn't surprise me what he's trying to do to Chandler.
“As a man and as a fighter there should be a commitment to fighting Chandler or not. The man has no b—s. He's such an insecure p—k, it's wild to see. I don't think the Chandler fight happens. Inside he knows he's a punching bag at this point and he's not going to risk getting hurt again.”
Live on DAZN: Watch Dalton Smith vs. Jose Zepeda on March 23