Liam Neeson has launched an astonishing rant at ‘little leprechaun’ Conor McGregor whom he claims ‘gives Ireland a bad name’.
The action star gave an interview to Men’s Health in which one question was posed over whether he watches The Notorious or MMA as a whole, The Sun reports.
Pulling absolutely no punches, the Antrim native then tore into McGregor as well as the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as a whole.
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“UFC (MMA’s premier promotion) I can’t stand. That to me is like a bar fight,” he said.
“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?
“That’s the next stage of the UFC. I hate it.
“That little leprechaun Conor McGregor, he gives Ireland a bad name.
“I know he’s fit, and I admire him for that. But I can’t take it.”
Putting on his best north Dublin accent, he then joked that next time he’s in Dublin Airport that McGregor will have words for him.
This could well spark the latest in a long line of celebrity feuds involving the former two-weight world champion.
In December he became embroiled in a bizarre spat with not only PJ Gallagher but also Paul McGrath.
Much like in this instance, McGregor wasn’t the instigator but he did go very hard in his response to the comedian’s initial tweet about how he wouldn’t mind if Britain claimed the MMA superstar.
Judging from his carefree nature throughout this Men’s Health chat, where he cut loose on a host of topics, Neeson likely won’t be too perturbed if and when a social media response comes his way.
Elsewhere in the health-centric chat, the veteran actor also stood up for the nutritional benefits of potatoes – once they aren’t smothered in butter.
“I make sure there’s always a potato on my plate,” he added.
“Being Irish, potatoes get a bad rap. But it’s the butter. Potatoes are healthy.
“They’re good and nutritious. And they keep my people in Ireland alive!”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.