“Happened out of nowhere” – Hafthor Bjornsson spoke about how he got the chance to spar with Conor McGregor

“Happened out of nowhere” – Hafthor Bjornsson spoke about how he got the chance to spar with Conor McGregor

Since the beginning of mixed martial arts, the sport has seen many big names. However, according to many, none of them come close to the fame Conor McGregor achieved. The Irishman who originally started as a plumber achieved humongous fame and wealth in his career. Through sheer hard work and passion, Conor McGregor turned the stones and secured his financial goals.

From the time he made his octagon debut in 2008, McGregor seemed to have sheer passion and charisma. Outspoken in nature, McGregor made everyone pay with both his fist and words. After stringing a couple of wins early on, the Irishman beat Jose Aldo at UFC 194 to claim the undisputed 145-pound title.

Similarly, McGregor created history when he moved up a division and beat Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion’s history. These achievements mixed with his Notorious persona made McGregor the face of the UFC.

Anyone who followed Conor McGregor’s career knows that the Irishman does not back away from a challenge. UFC President Dana White too claimed that McGregor never refused a fight. Further proof of the Irishman’s toughest was found in a video from the past.

Related: “Most dangerous Vertical Puncher” McGregor shows off his ground and pound skills

Hafthor Bjornsson speaks about sparring with Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor

In a clip from 2015, McGregor is seen sparring with Hafthor Bjornsson. Popular for his role in Game of Thrones, Bjornsson had a huge size advantage over McGregor. The pair were seen going through grappling exchanges, and they also traded shots at each other. All in a friendly manner of course.

During an interview from the past, Hafthor Bjornsson revealed how his sparring session with McGregor came to fruition. He said, “For me, he was a cool guy. Nice enough to allow me to come to his session, watch his session and grab a picture.”

Bjornsson further added, “After we hung out and it was super cool. It was funny because if you look at the video again, I’m wearing jeans.
“I’m basically just going in to get a picture, then somehow this grappling just happened out of nowhere.“

While McGregor looked to be in fabulous shape, Bjornsson mentioned the same could not be said about himself. “We grappled for like two minutes then it was finished. The whole video you see online is basically everything we did that day. Not at all (was I expecting it). I was not in shape for fighting at all. After those two minutes I was out of breath,” concluded Bjornsson, speaking about the sparring session.

Since then, Conor McGregor and Hafthor Bjornsson have maintained their relationship. The duo was reported to be working on starting a vodka brand together. However, a last-minute interruption by McGregor’s long-time aide Artem Lobov, made the Irishman change his mind. What did you think of the sparring session between Conor McGregor and Hafthor Bjornsson? Let us know your answers in the comments below.

Also Read: “His best performance”- Michael Chandler reveals when Conor McGregor seemed ‘untouchable’