Joe Rogan fears Conor McGregor will be struck by ‘Tommy Morrison CURSE’ in UFC comeback fight
UFC commentator Joe Rogan reckons Conor McGregor may be struck by a “MOVIE CURSE” in his long-awaited octagon return.
The former two-division champion will make his eagerly-anticipated cage comeback on June 29 in the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas.
McGregor, 35, will be welcomed back to action by Michael Chandler for his first outing in nearly THREE YEARS.
The Irishman used his injury hiatus to make his acting debut in the remake of the 1989 classic ‘Roadhouse’ with Jake Gyllenhaal.
And UFC legend Rogan reckons the Irishman‘s venture into Hollywood could result in him make a losing return to the cage.
During a recent episode of his podcast, he said: “There’s the movie curse. The Tommy Morrison curse.
“He became a movie star. Tommy Morrison was like the man in boxing. He was the duke.
“He was John Wayne’s grandson, right? Or nephew or some s**t.
“So they’d call him ‘The Duke’ and everybody thought he was going to be the main.
“And then he did Rocky V.
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“And after Rocky, he fought Ray motherf***ing Mercer.”
“And he’s out already and Mercer is just keeping him up with punches.
“He’s tangled up on the ropes and Mercer is just teeing off with bombs, bombs, bombs.”
Four former UFC champions have been struck by the apparent “movie curse”
Michael Bisping, Quinton Jackson, Ronda Rousey and Kamaru Usman all suffered losses in their first fights after filming movies.
Bisping’s reign as middleweight champion came to an end in 2017 at the hands of Georges St-Pierre after he starred in ‘XXX: The Return of Xander Cage’.
Jackson, meanwhile, lost to bitter rival Rashad Evans after starring as BA Baracus in the 2010 remake of ‘The A-Team’.
And former women’s bantamweight and welterweight champions Rousey and Usman both suffered brutal KO losses in 2015 and 2022 after starring in Furious 7 and Black Panther 2 respectively.
Inside McGregor's Notorious lifestyle
With more sides to his personality than an Octagon, Conor McGregor's rise has been an enthralling watch.
Going from UFC icon to entrepreneur and Hollywood star, the Irishman has transcended the sport he helped bring to the masses.
He has four children with fiancee Dee Devlin and the family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
McGregor has not fought in UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.
That has not stopped him amassing a net worth of over £150m thanks to his Proper No Twelve whiskey and fashion line.
And he is due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in an eagerly-awaited headline clash with Michael Chandler.
McGregor also starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the Amazon Prime remake of classic movie Road House, although he is dreading his mum seeing one X-rated scene.
Notorious turned up to the premiere in a £60,000 suit that was outdone by his £460k watch.
The only thing sharper than his fashion sense is his tongue and the Dubliner has several bitter spats under his belt, including with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That row led to one of his biggest controversies in 2018 as he travelled 3,000 miles to confront Khabib in a vicious attack on his bus.
He pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a pub in 2018 and had his £150k Bentley seized by police for driving offences four years later.
Joe Rogan lashed out at McGregor in a four-letter outburst and the Irishman has also fired shots at Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury.
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather also has McGregor on his enemy list after the pair clashed in a cross-sport bout in 2017.
Read all of our Conor McGregor stories here.
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his July 2021 trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
The Irishman will look to pick up his first win in over four years when he throws down with Chandler, who he sees himself taking out with ease.
He recently told James Corden: “I am Terminator now.
“I have a titanium rod that goes into the knee and down to the bone, right down to my ankle.
“It’s unbreakable.
“I wish for and I will work for landing this kick with this steel bar in my leg against an opponent and getting them out of there.”