Director: Conor McGregor bailed on xXx movie because he got his ass kicked by Nate Diaz

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight titleholder Conor McGregor was all set to make his Hollywood debut, cast alongside veteran action star Vin Diesel in xXx: “The Return of Xander Cage.”

Then Nate Diaz went and flipped the script.

McGregor, after a failed attempt to fight Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title, agreed to battle the Stockton slugger at 170 pounds in the UFC 196 main event. The end result was a second-round submission loss and a new approach to the fight game.

One without unnecessary “distractions” on the silver screen.

“I wasn't disappointed by it, I was really pissed because Conor had said 'yes' he was gonna do the movie,” Director DJ Caruso said (via Irish Mirror). “He got his ass kicked by Nate Diaz and then after that he sort of backed out.”

Backed out, but then backed it up (kind of).

McGregor’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming movie, which drops this Friday (Jan. 20, 2017), paved the way for UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping (catch a sneak peek here).

“Notorious” went on to capture the lightweight crown at UFC 205 ... and get his manhood back.