"The Irish are doing tremendously well" - 'Road House' star Conor McGregor praises fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy for winning Oscar

Conor McGregor has praised his fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy after the latter recently picked up the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Murphy appeared in Christopher Nolan's star-studded 2023 movie 'Oppenheimer', which saw Nolan pick up an Oscar for directing. Murphy's co-star, Robert Downey Jr., also saw his work rewarded and he took home the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role.

McGregor, who recently made his Hollywood debut in the movie 'Road House', was asked about Murphy's Oscar triumph at the NYC premiere of the film. According to 'The Notorious', Irish people are doing great things and he's happy to see it being recognized. He said:

"The Irish are doing tremendously well. We are great with our tongue, we are poets as we say in Ireland. Cillian's a great representation of us, it was a huge win. Young Barry Keoghan (Saltburn) too. I know Barry well...Now he's doing big things as well. Up the Irish!"

Catch McGregor's comments here (5:28):

The former UFC double champ is also expected to make his highly anticipated UFC return later this summer, following the culmination of his press obligations.

Whilst no official date has been set, the Dublin native has confirmed in recent interviews that he's been given the 'green light' by the UFC about his next fight, which is believed to be against Michael Chandler.

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Dana White shares take on Conor McGregor's potential UFC return

Dana White has been under fire from fans and a section of MMA media in recent months due to the ambiguity surrounding Conor McGregor's return.

McGregor was expected to step back into the octagon in 2023 and face Michael Chandler, following their stint as coaches opposite one another on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.

After their bout never happened, fans expected McGregor vs. Chandler was going to feature on UFC 300 in April, but once again nothing was confirmed. The UFC president has since shed some light on the situation, and explained that there was never an issue between himself and McGregor.

According to White, who was speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, the delay in announcing McGregor's return has been due to his media obligations for 'Road House'. He said:

"There's no lack of communication, not at all. He [Conor McGregor] has obligations right now to promote his movie. This is an obligation he has to do."

He continued:

"He's been a great partner for us. So I would like to be a good partner again. Conor needed this time to take off and handle his obligations, and now, once this is over, he can get back into full-time training, which means from Thursday on, we can start talking about fights for Conor."

Check out White's comments regarding Conor McGregor here (53:50):