UFC star Conor McGregor appears erratic and sweaty in interview to promote his new Road House movie with Jake Gyllenhaal

UFC star Conor McGregor has raised eyebrows with his erratic public appearance while promoting his new action movie Road House alongside Hollywood superstar Jake Gyllenhaal.

McGregor, 35, has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a second straight defeat in the Octagon at the hands of Dustin Poirier. 

The Irishman is believed to now be back to full health and has expressed his desire to compete during International Fight Week in June.

However, UFC president Dana White has long remained coy about McGregor's possible return to the sport, despite a fight with Michael Chandler being announced over a year ago.

And now the man they call 'Notorious' has become a talking point online after the movie premiere of his action film, which took place during the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas last Friday.

UFC star Conor McGregor has raised eyebrows following an erratic public appearance (pictured) while promoting his movie Road House 

McGregor made his acting debut in Road House - and the UFC fighter impressed many critics in his performance alongside Jake Gyllenhaal (right)

And fans seemed to notice McGregor's unusual demeanor, spotting his apparently altered skin colour and erratic body language supposed tell-tale signs.

Despite the rumours, McGregor - who made his acting debut in Road House -  looked sharp while wearing a patterned jacket plus a pair of matching and slim-fitting trousers.

It comes as UFC boss White refused to confirm when the sport's first genuine global superstar will return - if at all.

'First problem was he broke that shin bone, and he was recovering from that,' White stated. 'The other problem is he's f***ing rich. Conor doesn't need money.'

It emerged earlier this week that McGregor has been drug tested the most of any athlete in the UFC this year.

As he closes in on a return to the sport, he finally reentered the testing pool in October and has so far been tested five times in 2024 - substantially more than anybody on the roster.

His lively display at the premiere comes months after McGregor was seen animatedly chatting to Cristiano Ronaldo at a boxing event in Saudi Arabia.

Conor McGregor was seen in an animated conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo 

McGregor was cleared of any criminal charges over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman during an NBA Finals game in June (pictured at the event) 

McGregor always denied the accusations and his attorney said he was 'pleased this is over'

In December, the Irishman was sat next to the soccer star and the pair were seen to be in deep conversation throughout the boxing show.

As fans pointed out, it looked as though the Irishman had a lot more to bring to the party as he dominated the chat. 

In October 2023, McGregor was cleared of any criminal charges over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman during an NBA Finals game in June of that year.

A woman alleged she met McGregor at a Miami Heat game and was leaving the arena when she claimed his security told her he was asking for her in the bathroom. 

Once inside the bathroom, she claimed he forced her to perform oral sex on him and forcibly kissed her. McGregor always denied the accusations.

McGregor won his first UFC title by knocking out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds for the featherweight championship in 2015. 

Less than a year later, McGregor became the first simultaneous champion in two weight classes by beating Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight crown.

McGregor also gained recognition for his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather and fierce MMA rivalries with Poirier, Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov.