Last week, rumors started swirling about the mixed martial artist Conor McGregor would be appearing in the next season of Game of Thrones. Belfast Live first reported the news, citing an unnamed source. According to the report, “[McGregor] was headhunted as it were by HBO, as one of the Game of Thrones directors is a huge UFC fan. They believed that he would be a perfect fit for the show.”
Today, it appears that this rumor is, in fact, not just a rumor. UFC’s President, Dana White, confirmed as much on an episode of Fox Sports Live. TMZ Sports reports that, while speaking about the rumor, White told the hosts “I knew that a few months ago that they were interested in putting him in the show… And I’m glad he did it. It’ll be great.”
There is no confirmation yet as to what role McGregor would play on Game of Thrones, but as an incredible athlete with real world fighting skills and negligible acting experience, it seems likely that he is more likely to be a physical force than anything else.
Game of Thrones fan site Watchers on the Wall reports that McGregor will play a pirate aboard Euron Greyjoy’s ship Silence. It has not be confirmed, but they report that it is a nonspeaking role. It would be very fitting for a gigantic, tattooed, bearded Irishman to find a place among the Greyjoy sailors.
The seventh season of Game of Thrones is set to air on HBO in the summer of 2017. Season six went out with a (literal) bang with one of the most epic and dramatic episodes the show has seen yet. Read our full review of the season six finale here.
What do you think of Conor McGregor on Game of Thrones? Excited for the seventh season? Let us know in the comments below.
