Conor McGregor has challenged actor Mark Wahlberg to a fight, and while that might sound like one of the strangest and out-of-nowhere headlines you've seen, there is some reasoning behind it.

Less than a week after the Irish UFC star announced his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts, he's coming for Wahlberg and calling him an "actress" to bait him into accepting the challenge. "I've decided to challenge Hollywood actress Mark Wahlberg next," McGregor tweeted over the weekend. "A fight for all the shares!"

According to Business Insider, McGregor has been campaigning to get a cut of UFC profits as a shareholder in the past. He requested an equity stake in the company in 2016, 2017, and 2019 - to no avail.

Some think that his recent announcement of his retirement had something to do with these attempts - and now he's found a potential way to get some shares (and, undoubtedly, another big payday) - by fighting Wahlberg for his shares. But mostly, people want McGregor to calm down a tad.

The actor is one of the 23 celebrity investors in the UFC who gained a fraction of the company when it was sold to WME/IMG for $4 billion back in 2016. McGregor has made a hell of a lot of money in recent years, but now he wants a cut of the profits the same way Wahlberg does - and he's willing to fight for it.

One Twitter user joked "Watch Four Brothers and change your mind fam," to which McGregor replied that he'd "smack him and his 4 brothers around," and added that "It wouldn’t be the first crew of brothers i’ve smacked around."

He's likely referring to several incidents in his UFC past. First off is the UFC 202 press conference confrontation with Nate Diaz and his brother Nick. McGregor threw a bottle of water at Diaz' entourage as they left, shouting "shut your f****ing mouth, you'll do nothin'."

He also ended up brawling with another pair of brothers last year during the post-fight chaos at UFC 229. After he'd lost the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, his opponent leapt into the crowd to attack members of his entourage, while Nurmagomedov's brother Abubakar entered the octagon to exchange blows with McGregor.

Following this altercation, the brothers were banned from the UFC until June this year - whereas McGregor had his license suspended until April 6. Before he got to that date, however, he announced his retirement out of nowhere, surprising his fans - though many believed that he'd be back in the ring sooner rather than later.

Wahlberg played the professional boxer Micky Ward in the 2010 biopic The Fighter, and has shown interest in similar sports beyond his on-screen portrayal. Aside from his investment in the UFC, he's known to be friends with world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao, and personally trains in the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood.

Whether he answers McGregor's call to fight is another question - but if he does accept, that match will definitely be breaking pay-per-view records.

Conor McGregor has challenged actor Mark Wahlberg to a fight, and while that might sound like one of the strangest and out-of-nowhere headlines you've seen, there is some reasoning behind it.

Less than a week after the Irish UFC star announced his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts, he's coming for Wahlberg and calling him an "actress" to bait him into accepting the challenge. "I've decided to challenge Hollywood actress Mark Wahlberg next," McGregor tweeted over the weekend. "A fight for all the shares!"

According to Business Insider, McGregor has been campaigning to get a cut of UFC profits as a shareholder in the past. He requested an equity stake in the company in 2016, 2017, and 2019 - to no avail.

Some think that his recent announcement of his retirement had something to do with these attempts - and now he's found a potential way to get some shares (and, undoubtedly, another big payday) - by fighting Wahlberg for his shares. But mostly, people want McGregor to calm down a tad.

The actor is one of the 23 celebrity investors in the UFC who gained a fraction of the company when it was sold to WME/IMG for $4 billion back in 2016. McGregor has made a hell of a lot of money in recent years, but now he wants a cut of the profits the same way Wahlberg does - and he's willing to fight for it.

One Twitter user joked "Watch Four Brothers and change your mind fam," to which McGregor replied that he'd "smack him and his 4 brothers around," and added that "It wouldn’t be the first crew of brothers i’ve smacked around."

He's likely referring to several incidents in his UFC past. First off is the UFC 202 press conference confrontation with Nate Diaz and his brother Nick. McGregor threw a bottle of water at Diaz' entourage as they left, shouting "shut your f****ing mouth, you'll do nothin'."

He also ended up brawling with another pair of brothers last year during the post-fight chaos at UFC 229. After he'd lost the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, his opponent leapt into the crowd to attack members of his entourage, while Nurmagomedov's brother Abubakar entered the octagon to exchange blows with McGregor.

Following this altercation, the brothers were banned from the UFC until June this year - whereas McGregor had his license suspended until April 6. Before he got to that date, however, he announced his retirement out of nowhere, surprising his fans - though many believed that he'd be back in the ring sooner rather than later.

Wahlberg played the professional boxer Micky Ward in the 2010 biopic The Fighter, and has shown interest in similar sports beyond his on-screen portrayal. Aside from his investment in the UFC, he's known to be friends with world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao, and personally trains in the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood.

Whether he answers McGregor's call to fight is another question - but if he does accept, that match will definitely be breaking pay-per-view records.