"It's been agreed that McGregor will appear in one of the remaining two seasons in Game of Thrones," a well-placed source told Northern Ireland newspaper Sunday Life.

"He was headhunted, as it were by HBO, as one of the Game of Thrones directors is a huge UFC fan. They believed he would be the perfect fit for the show."

This will not be McGregor's first brush with the acting world. The Irish champ was due to star in the latest instalment of the Vin Diesel action franchise, xXx :The Return of Xander Cage, but withdraw from making his film debut in order to focus on his rematch with Nate Diaz.

McGregor will be joined on the show by Oscar winner Jim Broadbent and Cold Feet star James Nesbitt.

McGregor got a foretaste of the show last year when he sparred with Hafthor Bjornsson, who plays the character Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane, at a gym in Dublin.

A video of him sparring with the six foot nine, 400lbs Icelandic strongman went viral.

Game Of Thrones is set to finish it's award winning run following the release of season eight in 2018 after producers recently said that only two more series were likely to happen.