‘The Rock’: Conor McGregor Isn’t Bulls***, He Backs It Up

Irish featherweight Conor McGregor has taken the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by storm since his Octagon debut back in 2013, and he’s gained some incredibly high-profile fans in the process.

Millions of people have fallen in love with McGregor’s non-stop brash antics and trash talk, and another master of the mic is no different. Discussing the allure of ‘Notorious’ in a recent interview to with Entertainment.ie (via FOX Sports) to promote his new movie ‘San Andreas,’ Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson gave his assessment of the bout.

First ‘The Rock,’ who, as close friend of Dana White, is a big UFC fan and actually appeared with champion ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31 earlier this year, conveyed the respect he has for both McGregor and his hated rival Jose Aldo, the longtime champion with whom ‘Notorious’ will go to war with in the electric main event of July 11’s UFC 189 from Las Vegas:

“I love that guy. I love Aldo, too, by the way,” Johnson said.  “I respect these fighters so incredibly much. I love UFC and I think it’s going to be an amazing fight.”

‘The Rock’ may love both fighters, but it’s obvious that he has a special connection with McGregor due to his start as WWE champion years ago:

“What I love about Conor is the same thing I love, by the way, about Aldo, with Aldo there’s a quiet confidence and with Conor the confidence is not quiet. It reminds me of how I was in the WWE.

“I was bold and talking shit and there was nothing I wouldn’t say. Obviously in WWE it’s a work and it’s not real and we knew who was going to win and lose but I would do everything I could just in terms of what could I do to create interest, and Conor’s a smart guy like that. He creates great interest.”

Johnson believes that McGregor isn’t all talk, however, as he’s been able to back it up in the cage. Because of his spotless track record in the UFC, Johnson thinks that everyone is in for an amazing fight at UFC 189 this summer:

“But it’s not, by the way, bullshit. Yes, he backs it up, so I think the fight is going to be incredible.”

Despite his anticipation, ‘The Rock’ wouldn’t offer up his prediction, but he did note that he has seen some small instances where McGregor got under Aldo’s skin during the UFC 189 Media World Tour blitz, something that he believes could be an edge for McGregor:

“Look, in the fight game, I’m a fan of boxing, I’m a fan of the UFC, and when someone has a mental edge, and at times I feel like I’ve seen; we’ve all kind of seen that by the way, like Conor get under Aldo’s skin, it becomes an edge, it becomes an edge, man.”