- Liam Neeson trash-talked UFC and MMA fighter Conor McGregor in merciless fashion.
- The Hollywood actor said the former two-weight UFC champ is a "little leprechaun."
Liam Neeson has a particular set of skills that might make him a nightmare for MMA fans.
You see, the Hollywood hardman loathes ultimate fighting. Hates it. And, in a recent interview with Men's Health, he slammed the UFC and belittled one of its greatest stars, Conor McGregor.
"UFC I can't stand," said the actor, who's starred in Taken, Star Wars, and Gangs of New York.
"That to me is like a bar fight. I know the practitioners are like, 'No, you're wrong — the months of training we do ...' Why don't you just grab a beer bottle and hit the other guy over the head? That's the next stage of the UFC."
Neeson then turned his crosshairs toward the 34-year-old former two-weight UFC champion McGregor.
"That little leprechaun Conor McGregor, he gives Ireland a bad name," said Neeson, a native of Ballymena, in Northern Ireland. "I know he's fit, and I admire him for that. But I can't take it."
McGregor has yet to respond
McGregor is no stranger to trash talk and replying in kind to those who he feels have insulted him; however, he has yet to respond to Neeson.
McGregor, who has stayed relatively out of the limelight in recent years, is rumored to return to the UFC's Octagon in 2023. His longtime MMA coach, Straight Blast Gym owner John Kavanagh, said earlier this year that he was beyond confident that McGregor would soon return for a fight.
Additionally, McGregor himself raised eyebrows when he said recently that he'd received an offer to coach on the hit MMA reality TV series "The Ultimate Fighter."
UFC veteran Tony Ferguson said he's also been asked to coach a team of fighters on "The Ultimate Fighter."
—Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 27, 2023
McGregor, a box office sensation, would be a shoo-in to headline International Fight Week in the first weekend of July in Las Vegas.
However, if the UFC is building a lightweight or welterweight bout between McGregor and Ferguson to happen after the conclusion of a series of "The Ultimate Fighter," then it is unclear when the match-up could take place.
Previous coaches from the show have tended to compete as late as August or September.