Hollywood actor Liam Neeson accuses UFC star Conor McGregor of giving Ireland a bad name.
The Irishman has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become one of the most talked-about sports stars on the planet.
However, despite such a high level of success, he has encountered problems both in and out of the cage.
McGregor was charged with assault for punching an old man in a pub in Dublin in 2019, who had apparently refused to drink a shot of his whiskey.
And his legal woes continued after an Italian DJ reportedly filed charges against him for an alleged attack at a nightclub in Rome in 2021.
What has Liam Neeson said about Conor McGregor?
Now, Neeson has launched a stinging attack on the former featherweight and lightweight champion, accusing him of bringing the nation into disrepute.
“That little leprechaun Conor McGregor, he gives Ireland a bad name,” Neeson said during an interview with Men’s Health.
“I know he’s fit, and I admire him for that.
“But I can’t take it.”
It turns out that Neeson isn’t a fan of the UFC, either, which he described as something akin to ‘a bar fight’.
He added: “UFC I can’t stand. 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?”
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the Octagon since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
However, he appears to be seemingly fighting fit, after his painstaking rehab and dramatic body transformation.
Meanwhile, Michael Bisping was recently asked about his possible next move.
And he backed the ‘Notorious’ to catapult himself back into the title picture, saying: “Conor McGregor vs Tony Ferguson – Tony’s very hittable and Conor’s very good at hitting.
“Tony hasn’t won, I think he’s lost five in a row now, sadly for him. He got knocked out against Michael Chandler, what a knockout that was, absolutely beautiful. Tony’s in a tough spot right now and Tony should probably retire. It’s a good comeback fight for Conor. Find his mojo, knock someone out, get his confidence and potentially set up a title fight.”