Author: Anton Tabuena

Kavanagh: Conor McGregor’s confidence ‘will be there again’ for Diaz rematch at UFC 200

Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh spoke about the upcoming rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 200.

John Kavanagh spoke about his pupil’s upcoming rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 200, and it’s where he discussed Conor McGregor’s confidence after losing that first match up.

“The wins never changed Conor so I don’t believe the losses will either,” Kavanagh wrote for The 42. “His confidence is a product of the training we do so it will be there again in the lead-up to this fight, because we will train in a way that makes us feel nothing but confident.”

“If Conor went into the last fight and was completely wiped out in every area, it would be pretty hard to be absolutely confident going into a rematch.”

As for where they seem to draw confidence from that bout, Kavanagh cites the first round and says that it showed McGregor is the more skilled fighter.

“But the skills were there. When the strategy veered off course, that led to exhaustion and the dynamic of the fight changed. An exhausted opponent is not difficult to defeat. That’s a mistake we made,” he continued. “The training and the strategy will be different this time. So too will the result.”

He also repeated what Conor has been saying about being efficient with energy against a bigger man, and taking the bout on short notice.

“Conor’s cardio wasn’t as it should have been, but there was certainly no complacency. We didn’t train any differently for the fight. I believe it was more a case of there being a strategy error i.e. trying to stop a bigger man who’s known for having a strong chin with every single punch.”

“When you’re landing punches on any opponent, it gets tiring. There’s no two ways about that. With a strategy adjustment, the fight is going to play out in a similar manner to that first round, but this time it will continue throughout the contest. I do believe Conor is the more skilful fighter and the first round was evidence of that. But we cannot make the same mistake by trying to remove his head with every single punch.”

“It was a fight that was set up on short notice and it didn’t go our way, but there are certainly no regrets about going ahead with it when turning it down would have been very understandable.”

Diaz accepted the bout while downing tequila shots in Cabo, and had less than two weeks notice before the high profile bout. While he didn’t have the luxury McGregor had of getting quality sparring and training before UFC 196, Diaz overcame adversity and still managed to outlast and beat the featherweight champ.

Will Conor’s adjustments be enough to win him the rematch? Or will an in-shape Diaz with a full training camp pose even bigger problems for the Irishman? We’ll find out soon, but for what it’s worth, bookmakers had McGregor as a slight favorite initially, and the odds have slowly shifted towards Diaz’s favor.

Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh spoke about the upcoming rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 200.

John Kavanagh spoke about his pupil’s upcoming rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 200, and it’s where he discussed Conor McGregor’s confidence after losing that first match up.

“The wins never changed Conor so I don’t believe the losses will either,” Kavanagh wrote for The 42. “His confidence is a product of the training we do so it will be there again in the lead-up to this fight, because we will train in a way that makes us feel nothing but confident.”

“If Conor went into the last fight and was completely wiped out in every area, it would be pretty hard to be absolutely confident going into a rematch.”

As for where they seem to draw confidence from that bout, Kavanagh cites the first round and says that it showed McGregor is the more skilled fighter.

“But the skills were there. When the strategy veered off course, that led to exhaustion and the dynamic of the fight changed. An exhausted opponent is not difficult to defeat. That’s a mistake we made,” he continued. “The training and the strategy will be different this time. So too will the result.”

He also repeated what Conor has been saying about being efficient with energy against a bigger man, and taking the bout on short notice.

“Conor’s cardio wasn’t as it should have been, but there was certainly no complacency. We didn’t train any differently for the fight. I believe it was more a case of there being a strategy error i.e. trying to stop a bigger man who’s known for having a strong chin with every single punch.”

“When you’re landing punches on any opponent, it gets tiring. There’s no two ways about that. With a strategy adjustment, the fight is going to play out in a similar manner to that first round, but this time it will continue throughout the contest. I do believe Conor is the more skilful fighter and the first round was evidence of that. But we cannot make the same mistake by trying to remove his head with every single punch.”

“It was a fight that was set up on short notice and it didn’t go our way, but there are certainly no regrets about going ahead with it when turning it down would have been very understandable.”

Diaz accepted the bout while downing tequila shots in Cabo, and had less than two weeks notice before the high profile bout. While he didn’t have the luxury McGregor had of getting quality sparring and training before UFC 196, Diaz overcame adversity and still managed to outlast and beat the featherweight champ.

Will Conor’s adjustments be enough to win him the rematch? Or will an in-shape Diaz with a full training camp pose even bigger problems for the Irishman? We’ll find out soon, but for what it’s worth, bookmakers had McGregor as a slight favorite initially, and the odds have slowly shifted towards Diaz’s favor.

Video: Watch Conor McGregor’s Budweiser ad that was banned by RTE in Ireland

This Budweiser ad featuring UFC champ Conor McGregor has been banned by Ireland’s national TV network, RTE.

Conor McGregor was featured in Budweiser’s latest advertisement, where he walks the streets of Ireland and the US, while giving a motivational speech about following your dreams.

“Never give up on your dream. Be your own inspiration. A beacon of self belief. Keep proving others wrong,” he said. “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it’s not big enough. So dream as big as you dare.”

While it seems harmless enough, the commercial wasn’t allowed to air by RTE. According to the National TV network, the reason for the ban was that the ad could encourage the youth to drink. They cited advertising guidelines that “heroes of the young” shouldn’t market alcohol, and that the popular UFC champion falls under that category.

“RTE believes it took the correct and prudent course of action in not approving the commercials for broadcast on its television services,” the station’s head of operations for commercial services told The Sunday Business Post.

Budweiser has since defended their stance, saying that they had the ad approved by the alcohol industry’s pre-vetting service, CopyClear. McGregor also isn’t seen holding or drinking any beverage on the 40-second clip.

Seen below is a behind the scenes look at the ad, where they explained the background and the message they were trying to send with their ‘Dream Big’ campaign.

“What it would mean to see this advert on TV is me showing people from around my way, from where I came from, that they can go and do it too.” McGregor said.

The ad was released online earlier this month, and as of this writing, has over 630,000 views.

This Budweiser ad featuring UFC champ Conor McGregor has been banned by Ireland’s national TV network, RTE.

Conor McGregor was featured in Budweiser’s latest advertisement, where he walks the streets of Ireland and the US, while giving a motivational speech about following your dreams.

“Never give up on your dream. Be your own inspiration. A beacon of self belief. Keep proving others wrong,” he said. “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it’s not big enough. So dream as big as you dare.”

While it seems harmless enough, the commercial wasn’t allowed to air by RTE. According to the National TV network, the reason for the ban was that the ad could encourage the youth to drink. They cited advertising guidelines that “heroes of the young” shouldn’t market alcohol, and that the popular UFC champion falls under that category.

“RTE believes it took the correct and prudent course of action in not approving the commercials for broadcast on its television services,” the station’s head of operations for commercial services told The Sunday Business Post.

Budweiser has since defended their stance, saying that they had the ad approved by the alcohol industry’s pre-vetting service, CopyClear. McGregor also isn’t seen holding or drinking any beverage on the 40-second clip.

Seen below is a behind the scenes look at the ad, where they explained the background and the message they were trying to send with their ‘Dream Big’ campaign.

“What it would mean to see this advert on TV is me showing people from around my way, from where I came from, that they can go and do it too.” McGregor said.

The ad was released online earlier this month, and as of this writing, has over 630,000 views.

Video: Kimbo Slice’s son wins MMA debut with first round KO

Watch Kimbo Slice’s son, Kevin Ferguson Jr. score a first round knockout in his MMA debut.

Earlier this month, Kimbo Slice’s son, Kevin Ferguson Jr. made his amateur MMA debut at Warrior Nation XII. The 23-year-old fought at 175 lbs and started out strong, only taking him a little over a minute to score a KO over then 2-0 Tom Brink.

His fighting career started with a sanctioned amateur MMA bout instead of backyard brawls, but nevertheless, “Baby Slice” states that his father never really wanted him to follow in his footsteps.

“No, no, he didn’t want me to do it,” Ferguson Jr. told MMA Fighting. “He wanted me to go to school. That’s why I went to college. He told me to experience college first, and then if I’m not liking it or feeling it, then fine. But he said to never have MMA as my first option, school first.”

Kevin says he moved to Hartford, Connecticut after taking up photography in college, and this is where he’s been training formally for less than a year. He joined Plus One Defense headed by Darin Reisler, who holds black belts in BJJ and several traditional martial arts.

Although he took a different path to get there, his career is beginning to intersect with his father’s. This is only the start of his journey into MMA competition, but when you’re dad is a YouTube sensation and a massive MMA star, you’re naturally going to get some extra attention.

“I don’t really care about the attention,” he said, “Because once I’m in the ring it doesn’t matter.”

Watch Kimbo Slice’s son, Kevin Ferguson Jr. score a first round knockout in his MMA debut.

Earlier this month, Kimbo Slice’s son, Kevin Ferguson Jr. made his amateur MMA debut at Warrior Nation XII. The 23-year-old fought at 175 lbs and started out strong, only taking him a little over a minute to score a KO over then 2-0 Tom Brink.

His fighting career started with a sanctioned amateur MMA bout instead of backyard brawls, but nevertheless, “Baby Slice” states that his father never really wanted him to follow in his footsteps.

“No, no, he didn’t want me to do it,” Ferguson Jr. told MMA Fighting. “He wanted me to go to school. That’s why I went to college. He told me to experience college first, and then if I’m not liking it or feeling it, then fine. But he said to never have MMA as my first option, school first.”

Kevin says he moved to Hartford, Connecticut after taking up photography in college, and this is where he’s been training formally for less than a year. He joined Plus One Defense headed by Darin Reisler, who holds black belts in BJJ and several traditional martial arts.

Although he took a different path to get there, his career is beginning to intersect with his father’s. This is only the start of his journey into MMA competition, but when you’re dad is a YouTube sensation and a massive MMA star, you’re naturally going to get some extra attention.

“I don’t really care about the attention,” he said, “Because once I’m in the ring it doesn’t matter.”