SBG head coach and long-time mentor to Conor McGregor, John Kavanagh has labeled potential match-ups with Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje as “slightly easier fights” for ‘Notorious’ in comparison to the rematch with Dustin Poirier that is set to go down on January 23 at UFC 257.
“I think in terms of opponent difficulty levels, Dustin would be the top of that group,” Kavanagh recently told TheMacLife. “So if one is replacing Dustin, there’s no nice way of saying it, but it’s a slightly easier fight. Dustin is the best of those guys, in my opinion.”
Kavanagh believes his fighter and undefeated Russian phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov stand out as the two best lightweight fighters in MMA. The renowned coach hopes McGregor gets another shot at ‘The Eagle’ who previously picked up a fourth-round submission win against the Irishman at UFC 229.
“I think Conor and Khabib are the two best lightweights, and it would be for me, of course from a coaching perspective, it would be phenomenal to see that contest again,” Kavanagh said. “Will he come back? You’re asking the wrong guy. That’s Khabib. He seems the type of guy that if he says something, that’s it, but like Dana has hinted, it seems to me there might be some wiggle room in those promises made. So you know, time will tell.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)
Do you agree with John Kavanagh? Are potential fights against Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje “easier” for Conor McGregor?