"He's a phenomenal actor" - Conor McGregor's bodyguard on how The Notorious character has made the Irishman "a billionaire"

Conor McGregor's bodyguard, Mitchell Atkinson, has revealed that the former two-division UFC champion is a very different person off camera. According to Atkinson, McGregor is a brilliant actor who knows how to play a character with a personality far removed from that of his own.

Referring to the Irishman's popular 'Notorious' persona, Atkinson said McGregor plays the character in the public eye. He claimed it's an integral part of the immense stardom the Irishman's achieved over the years. Off-camera, though, Atkinson revealed that McGregor is a much more reserved and quiet individual than he seems.

During a recent conversation with MMA Life, Atkinson said:

"What you see in the media isn't necessarily how they are as a person. I always said, 'Conor, he's a great actor, do you know what I mean? The man... There's no doubt about it, he's an absolute genius but the Notorious MMA [persona] is very much a character who he plays a lot of the time. He's a much quieter [person] and he's, yeah, he's very quiet and he's got a personality like an artist where he kind of wears his heart on his sleeve...he's a phenomenal actor and he's a genius, you know, notorious MMA is a character who he plays that made him a billionaire within a matter of years."

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Conor McGregor targets July return to the octagon

Conor McGregor seems to be in the final stages of recovery from the leg-break he suffered last year at UFC 264. The Irishman revealed that he'll be cleared to start sparring again in April. If things go according to plan, we might see McGregor return to action later in July.

During a recent interaction with SevereMMA, McGregor said:

"July seems OK for me. I can’t say too early, but July, if I’m sparring in April, May, June, July. I could slap the head off of most of these guys at the end of April."

Conor McGregor suffered back-to-back losses last year and will look to get back in the win column when he returns to the octagon later this year.