UFC: Why Conor McGregor knocked back movie career

Conor McGregor enjoying a day out at the races last month in Liverpool. Photo / Getty

IF anyone questions Conor McGregor's dedication to the fight game, look no further than the UFC lightweight champion turning down several offers to do movies in favour of his training schedule.

Last year, McGregor opted out of a role that was offered to him in the Vin Diesel film "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage", a part that eventually went to current middleweight champion Michael Bisping.

McGregor then turned down a role in the upcoming "Predators" reboot from director Shane Black.

Now it seems McGregor also said thanks but no thanks to director Guy Ritchie when he pursued the Irishman for a role in his recently released film "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword".

Ritchie, legendary director of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, said McGregor inspired many of the combat moved seen in the film.

"Preparing for the action scenes [in King Arthur], we watched a lot of McGregor fight footage because his style was what we were after," Ritchie told The Irish Sun.

"That very intense, singular, lightning fast, juggernaut trademark technique was perfect and we modelled Arthur's physicality on that.

"We even went after him for a part in the movie but he wasn't having any of it. Was training for a fight at the time, couldn't take his attention away from that. But you can see in his presence, in his demeanour, he's got that swagger, that real appealing cockiness. It's an unmistakeable spark."

McGregor has been attached to several potential movie roles while watching his star power rise in the UFC over the past few years, but he's maintained that his focus stays on fighting more than anything happening in Hollywood.

Rather than starring in films, McGregor has inked several lucrative endorsement deals where he's done commercials and other advertisements, but it seems for now he's not ready to try out acting - at least when it interferes with his training schedule.

McGregor did lend his image to the most recent "Call of Duty" game but still hasn't made his big box office debut.

McGregor is currently embroiled in negotiations for a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather that could net him a nine-figure payday so it's not likely he'll be accepting any movie roles in the near future either.