UFC champion Conor McGregor has already voiced interest in trying his hand at boxing, but what about horse racing?
The reigning UFC Lightweight Champion looked very much at home in the saddle when he teamed up with Jon Lovitz to promote the upcoming Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California, this week. We’re not quite sure why he’s wearing a crown, though…
In the commercial, 5-foot-9 McGregor announces in a faux press conference, “I will become the pound for pound number one jockey on the planet with the help of my new trainer.”
Cue Lovitz, complete with a huge cigar and flat cap.
“I will be competing in — and winning — the Pegasus World Cup Invitational,” McGregor boasts. “And I’ll be first. Now I’ll take questions until I get bored.”
After he brags about the $12 million purse in the race, Lovitz is quick to point out to reporters that a purse is the prize money in horse racing. “Not an actual purse, though I am sure Conor could pull off even the daintiest feminine carryall,” he says.
When told that horse racing requires years of training, McGregor boasts: “How hard can horse racing even be? I am the greatest at whatever I choose to do.”
His bluster sparks a fight with “trainer” Lovitz and an unconvinced reporter… and there’s no need to bet on who gets the worst of it.
Check out the video of the “13th Jockey” above to see how well McGregor’s jockey training is going so far. The odds are not in his favor.
Dubbed the world’s richest horse race, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational takes place on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park in South Florida, USA, with the winner getting a record $7 million prize.