A hyper realistic statue of UFC star fighter Conor McGregor, who is turning 30 on July 14, will be on display in a London gallery until September. The portrait of the fighter, bursting out of the marble plinth, has been created by Birmingham-based Lithuanian contemporary artist Edgar Askelovic, working under the alias Aspencrow. He plans to present the piece “Atlas,” as he called his tribute, to McGregor.
The sculptured present, which weighs about 100 kg, costs about $66K.
"He is a phenomenon of our time — not just a smart athlete, but also a visionary. To create the piece, I looked back to antiquity, when athletes were immortalized in sculptures as gods. And I combined some details from a Michelangelo statue with modern day graffiti to capture the present day's warrior sensibilities,” the artist told the English newspaper The Sun.
READ MORE: FULL VIDEO of Conor McGregor's Violent Attack on UFC Fighters' Bus Goes Online
It’s taken Aspencrow five months to make the statue. He meticulously filmed the process, posting behind-the-scene sneak peeks via Instagram.
The sculptor even used real hear for McGregor’s beard and lashes, and made the eyes look hyper realistic with UV-resistant polyurethane resin.
He also decorated the marble plinth with McGregor’s Gorilla tattoo.
“People of our generation grew up on graffiti and hooliganism, so I’ve displayed part of his tattoos on his back in graffiti,” the artist said, as quoted by the newspaper.
The piece of work has been too good a laughing matter for social users to skip.
Conor McGregor statue with Ronaldo's head wearing Carter Page's hat. You're welcome. pic.twitter.com/HD4Yjw0Ja1
— Skunk (@Skunk_ll) 10 июля 2018 г.
Conor McGregor hasn't fought in the UFC for so long he turned to stone. pic.twitter.com/xVRXaUW3g4
— Dave Madden (@DaveMMAdden) 10 июля 2018 г.
We all know it would be Golden pic.twitter.com/GhTBqNTeVW
— Eric VT (@shocbomb23) 10 июля 2018 г.
He’s still find a way to shout his mouth off though 😆
— Kelly ann (@Kellyan63519236) 10 июля 2018 г.
(1) Conor McGregor is getting a statue of himself for what? What has he really done???? But people who really made a difference Mother Theresa, or Princess Diana (I can go on and on) will only be remembered if people have the knowledge to know of them, but he gets a statue 🤯-
— ĸaıмǝyo 🗽 (@Kaimeyo) 11 июля 2018 г.
References to the 2018 FIFA World Cup couldn’t be avoided.
Conor McGregor has a statue being unveiled in London this weekend. I think we all know who it should really be of! #ItsComingHome 😂 pic.twitter.com/7UUe9Nxokl
— Ben Sheppard (@BenSheppard) 11 июля 2018 г.
29-year-old McGregor is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competes in their lightweight division and held the champion title till January 2018. His MMA record comprises 24 fights, including 21 wins and 3 losses.
