Conor McGregor rose to superstardom under the watchful eye of John Kavanagh, the head coach and owner of Straight Blast Gym Ireland. McGregor’s stardom shined on SBG and Kavanagh as evidenced by the plethora of talents under Kavanagh.
Kavanagh, recently interviewed by Severe MMA’s Andy Stevenson, previewed McGregor’s comeback fight against “Iron” Michael Chandler. Dana White announced the fight to headline UFC 303, the PPV on June 29th on International Fight Week 2024. Like everybody else, Kavanagh is excited to witness the return of the sport’s biggest superstar.
“I see similarities to the (Chad) Mendes fight. I’d be surprised if it can go two rounds,” Kavanagh predicted the fight as he added, “He (Conor McGregor) just hits too hard, too sharp. Is there going to be scrappiness and a few takedowns and stuff? Maybe, but every round starts on the feet, and his ability to get back there is underestimated. So, I’d be surprised if we see two rounds.”
Conor McGregor fought Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 189 for the interim featherweight title after Jose Aldo, McGregor’s original opponent and then undisputed champion pulled out due to injury. McGregor won the fight via second-round TKO and fought Aldo in the subsequent matchup, winning the undisputed title via first-round finish.
Nonetheless, McGregor need not have to worry about preparation against Chandler as Kavanagh would take care of it at SBG Ireland which won the 2023 Gym of the Year. McGregor had already highlighted the difference in the training camp between him and his opponent.
Conor McGregor’s gym won 2023 Gym of the Year
Severe MMA recently awarded SBG Ireland the 2023 Gym of the Year to owner and head coach, John Kavanagh. Post the pandemic era, fighters from different promotions have flocked to Dublin to be taught under Kavanagh.
In addition to Conor McGregor, SBG Ireland is home to UFC fighters Johnny Walker, Brad Katona, and Gunnar Nelson. Moreover, Sinead Kavanagh, Charlie Ward, Peter Queally, and Karl Moore from PFL also train under Kavanagh.
Conor McGregor’s rise to become the double champion was the heyday of Kavanagh and SBG Ireland. McGregor was the WMMA Fighter of the Year consecutively in 2015 and 2016 while Kavanagh bagged the 2016 Coach of the Year award.
Do you agree with Conor McGregor’s head coach’s prediction of the Michael Chandler fight? Leave your thoughts below!
