The face of mixed martial arts, Conor McGregor, tried his hands at acting in Amazon Prime Video’s reimagination of the cult classic Road House. And with the studio announcing that the film is getting a sequel, will “Notorious” return for a second go as Knox, the ruthless mercenary?
Little has been confirmed about Road House 2 besides its existence and that Jake Gyllenhaal will return as the franchise lead. The Oscar-nominated actor’s Dalton served as Road House’s main protagonist, whereas Knox was an end-game villain.
A true match to Dalton’s fisticuff prowess, they fought to the death during the movie’s climax. Or, that’s what we thought. Dalton left Knox lifeless after stabbing his body several times. But, the movie ended on a cliffhanger. A bloody gown sporting Knox stormed out of a hospital to wrap the film. Was revenge on his mind, and will we see the two collide in Road House 2?
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess, as Gyllenhaal is the only actor officially linked to it. But, at the time of this article’s publication, signs point toward McGregor not being involved in the sequel. Amazon Prime Video shared on Instagram a post declaring that Road House “will reopen” with a photo of Gyllenhaal. And in the post’s comment section, McGregor’s reaction made it seem like he wasn’t signing back on. “Congrats guys, I wish you all the very best of luck with it,” Notorious wrote.
Further, McGregor stated in multiple interviews this year that although he loved making his acting debut on Road House, his focus is on his true craft — mixed martial arts. He’s scheduled for his first contest in nearly three years. He’ll battle Michael Chandler as the UFC 303 headlining act on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor’s last competition inside the promotion’s Octagon was in July 2021 when he broke his leg fighting Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at the same venue. He’s said on several occasions he intends to dismantle “Iron” while notching at least one more match in 2024. Approaching 36 years old, Notorious’ time as an elite contender is in question, and it sounds like he’s all in on answering it.
Considering it’d pull McGregor away from his goal of MMA resurgence, it wouldn’t be surprising if Knox is nowhere to be seen during Road House 2. In some interviews, Notorious said that he likely wouldn’t act again. But in others, he said he wanted to see how Road House performed before deciding on his acting future.
Regardless, if McGregor has any desire to become a world champion again, he needs to curb acting for the time being. Elite-level mixed martial artists dedicate their lives to the sport, and the multi-millionaire and global superstar must do the same in pursuit of cage-fighting glory.