Conor McGregor 'Headhunted' to Appear in 'Game of Thrones'

Conor McGregor will appear in Game of Thrones after being "headhunted" for a role in the HBO fantasy drama, UFC President Dana White confirmed.

He told Fox Sports Live (from 4:30) he was pleased McGregor would be appearing in the seventh season of the show:

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Dana White confirms that Conor McGregor will take 10 months off & is pretty sure he will not be fighting Mayweather at all pic.twitter.com/vU1mAXWx3O

— FSLive: #JayAndDan (@foxsportslive) December 7, 2016"

Per TMZ Sports, he said: "I knew that a few months ago that they were interested in putting him in the show. And I'm glad he did it. It'll be great."

It had previously been reported the Irishman, who is currently the UFC's lightweight champion and arguably the organisation's biggest star, had agreed to appear in one of the final two seasons of the hit show.

Per Metro's Adam Starkey, a source revealed the news to Belfast-based outlet the Sunday Life:

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It's been agreed that McGregor will appear in one of the remaining two seasons of Game Of Thrones.

He was headhunted as it were by HBO, as one of the Game Of Thrones directors is a huge UFC fan. They believed that he would be a perfect fit for the show.

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Watchers on the Wall reported McGregor will play "a pirate belonging to Euron Greyjoy's crew" and that it's a small part without a speaking role. The report also characterized the role as a "short-term gig."

Based on George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, Game of Thrones has so far run for six seasons, and there are now just two remaining. Season 7 is expected to air in summer 2017, per the Independent's Jack Shepherd.

McGregor, 28, has already been filmed with a star of the show, sparring with Icelandic strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson—who plays Ser Gregor Clegane, better known as The Mountain—back in 2015:

Who Notorious will play and how he will be involved with the ongoing storylines is currently unknown. But the prospect of McGregor stepping out of the Octagon and into the world of Game of Thrones will undoubtedly intrigue UFC and fantasy fans alike.

McGregor recently made a cameo appearance in the video game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.