Forget swords and dragons. The seventh season of Game of Thrones is gonna feature some straight-up PUNCHING.
That's right, maesters and maidens: Conor McGregor—UFC Lightweight Champion, former UFC Featherweight Champion, Conquerer of UFC 205, Hero of the People, Twitter Master, First of his Name—is set to appear in the final seven of HBO's fantasy epic, UFC boss Dana White confirmed in a FOX SPORTS Live interview this week.
"I knew a few months ago that they were interested in putting [McGregor] in the show, and I'm glad he did it," White said. "I'm really excited for him." (You can see the interview here; White talks about Thrones around 4:30.)
Okay, so yeah: THIS IS AWESOME. White had already announced that McGregor would be taking 10 months away from fighting to be with his pregnant girlfriend, so what better way to keep his skills sharp than by bashing some skulls on premium cable?
Thrones has always been pretty disciplined about sticking to its (admittedly brutal, violent, GRIMDARK) script, but showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss haven't been shy about tossing in easter eggs for observant fans. (Their own faces appear as death masks at one point.) Bands, too, have made some walkons: Mastodon showed up as Wildlings in season 5, Icelandic trio Sigur Rós showed up at King Joffrey's wedding for a rendition of "The Rains of Castamere," Of Monsters and Men joined up for "The Door" in season 6, and Coldplay drummer Will Champion and Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody have each made musical cameos.
As for McGregor? We're betting his role will hew a little closer to that of the mighty Icelandic strongman Thor Bjornsson, who crushes skulls with his bare hands as Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane. Thrones fansite Watchers on the Wall claims that he'll be showing up as a rading Viking-pirate in a "short-term," non-speaking part. But c'mon: You've got one of the most ferocious fighters and prodigious talkers of smack on the planet, and you're telling us he's not gonna give someone a tongue-lashing before he rips someone's head off?
Yeah. That's what we think is gonna happen. Watch your back, Jon Snow.
Game of Thrones is set to return in summer of 2017.
If you get a bang of one of these go toward the light pic.twitter.com/mTqoj8YDd8
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 2, 2016