That Time Conor McGregor Really Sparred the Mountain from Game of Thrones

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Conor McGregor was allegedly very close to throwing his hat in the ring for a crack at taking over Westeros.

Yup. Westeros, the fictional land concocted in the mind of George R.R. Martin and supporting HBO's biggest television success ever. You didn't misread that.

Is there any limit McGregor sees for what he can do? And given his meteoric rise, ability to predict these things and tendency to manifest his wildest dreams through sheer force of personality, would anyone be silly enough to doubt him?

He eventually decided to forgo his claim to leading the Seven Kingdoms, though, in the name of slaying an even more formidable dragon than those supporting the Targaryen bid for rule of the land—Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But he kept his eye on Westeros anyway and elected to sharpen his proverbial sword by throwing hands with one of its greatest warriors: The Mountain.

The Mountain, otherwise known as Gregor Clegane, is played by Hafþor Julius Bjornsson, an Icelandic sensation and perennial contender for the title of World's Strongest Man. He stands 6'9" and weighs in at a staggering 441 pounds, which is a full foot taller than McGregor and almost 300 pounds above the two-division UFC champion's fighting weights.

So, naturally, McGregor wanted to have some fun with him.

When Bjornsson stopped by McGregor's SBG Ireland to hang out and see MMA's top athlete in action, as well as McGregor's training partner and Bjornsson's fellow Icelander Gunnar Nelson, it wasn't long before the Westerosi icon was invited onto the mats.

What ensued was something, aptly, out of television, with McGregor circling the giant and lightly throwing shots while The Mountain engaged with some surprisingly athletic, albeit slow and controlled, action of his own. The whole thing was a bit of fun as far as any viewer could tell, but it's still quite a sight to behold.

It's also instructive of McGregor's plan to always go bigger and better every time out: If he beats Mayweather this weekend, he might just be looking for whoever ends up on the Iron Throne as his next conquest. 

Check out McGregor vs. The Mountain below:

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