Arsenal starlet Reiss Nelson reveals his idol is Conor McGregor and wants to go into MMA one day
The 17-year-old - on the fringes of the Gunners first team squad - was speaking to Arsenal Magazine when he made the shocking revelation
REISS NELSON may be knocking on the door of the Arsenal first team squad, but he is already planning for his next career path.
The 17-year-old starlet has revealed he would love to participate in MMA, stating he looks up to UFC two-weight world champion Conor McGregor.
Nelson - who's been a regular feature for Arsenal in the Europa League - was speaking to Arsenal Magazine where he made the shocking revelation.
He said: "I watched the McGregor fight. And for the first couple of rounds I felt he was doing really well and he had Mayweather on the back foot, so I was confident that it would be a good fight and he might win, but then as the rounds went on he got pretty tired.
"I knew that from his previous UFC fights that he may tire out, like he did against Nate Diaz, and that’s what happened. Mayweather had his way in the last couple of rounds.
"I was backing McGregor all the way. I’m a really big UFC fan. I think his aura and his personality are really great. I like to watch a lot of his documentaries and his vlog, and I think he’s just come up from nothing really.
"He was a plumber before he became a fighter, he’s worked really hard and his story is great."
The England youth international then spoke of his admiration of 'The Notorious' and further added his love for the combat sport.
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Nelson said: "In some ways, I look up to him as a sportsman. His work rate and the effort he puts in is immense.
"I like Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone a lot too. He’s a very good fighter, very versatile and uses a lot of kicks in his style.
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"I really like the flying knees and all of that, but no one really does that sort of thing anymore, people tend to grapple much more, but I love that style.
"MMA is something that I may want to get into after football. I spent some time over the summer doing a lot of kickboxing and I just felt that it was something I enjoyed doing a lot.”
The teenager is seen as one of the rising stars at the Emirates, and boss Arsene Wenger is keen not to rush the academy graduate in the starting XI.
