EXCLUSIVE
Sylvester Stallone isn’t just a huge fight fan, he’s also a minority owner of the UFC — and tells TMZ Sports he’s genuinely concerned for Conor McGregor after his latest arrest.
“This is a crossroad in his life,” Stallone told us in Beverly Hills … referring to both the arrest AND the fact he’s coming off a huge loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“If he can’t overcome his fear and beat this man, I think it’ll plague him for the rest of his life.”
The conversation with Stallone is amazing … he opens up about all of the issues Conor is facing in his life and provides him with a road map on how to come out on top.
In fact, Stallone says McGregor should be “inspired” by the obstacles in his life — and use all of the negativity to fuel an epic comeback … both in and out of the Octagon.
Sly says Conor should tell himself, “Okay, I’ve gone through a very rough time. I’ve been somewhat publicly humiliated. I’m at a crossroad in my life … I have to overcome an incredible opponent who seems invulnerable.”
That’s when Stallone honed in on Conor’s loss to Khabib — “This is a crossroad in his life. This is probably the most important one because if he doesn’t live up to his ideal … if he can’t overcome his fear and beat this man, I think it’ll plague him for the rest of his life.”
“I think [Conor] lost last time because he got resentful, he got prideful, he got arrogant … put his hands down … he walked right up to that gentleman and he just got smashed in the face when he could have been defensive. There was no Plan B. Not even a Plan A minus.”
Stallone says he REALLY wants to see a rematch between the “two UFC Gods” — adding, “I wanna see a guy that leaves everything on the table.”
As for Conor’s pending legal situation in Miami, where he’s accused of smashing and stealing a cell phone from a fan who wanted a picture … Sly has some advice for Conor on handling the burdens of fame.
“Keep smiling. You can’t critique a smile.”