Road House’s Jake Gyllenhaal Spars Conor McGregor (Verbally)

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Griff Griffin | Last updated 3/21/24

The stars of Road House have gone one-on-one in a boxing ring - although it’s just for a friendly chat.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal met UFC fighter Conor McGregor to talk fighting, pretend fighting, and facing off against each other in a video by GQ to promote upcoming Prime Video release Road House. It’s a fascinating watch.

“Jake has had 75 movies shot, I’ve had 75 bar fights,” says McGregor. “So we kind of blended it together and we bounced off each other, and we made a classic.”

The two have more in common than you may think. McGregor may be a professional fighter, but Gyllenhaal trained like one for his 2015 boxing drama Southpaw.

“I trained here…I trained for two months for Southpaw,” Gyllenhaal says of the New York City boxing gym that hosted them for the interview.

“What was your boxing experience like before the movie?” asks McGregor. “Zero,” replies Gyllenhaal.

He’s certainly improved for Road House. In the reboot of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film, Gyllenhaal plays Elwood Dalton, the ex-UFC fighter turned bouncer who goes toe-to-toe with McGregor’s brawl-loving maniac Knox as they battle each other across the Florida bar scene. Watch the full discussion below.

Don't forget to read our Road House review roundup: Conor McGregor is a knock out.