Tag: John Kavanagh

Conor McGregor’s Coach Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Going To Be In A Lot Of Trouble…’

The main event of UFC 306 that goes down on Saturday night inside the Sphere has proven to be a tough one to call for many people. In the champion Sean O’Malley, you have an incredibly dangerous striker who is always calm under pressure and reads fights incredible well. Merab Dvalishvili, meanwhile, is a perfect […]

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The main event of UFC 306 that goes down on Saturday night inside the Sphere has proven to be a tough one to call for many people.

In the champion Sean O’Malley, you have an incredibly dangerous striker who is always calm under pressure and reads fights incredible well. Merab Dvalishvili, meanwhile, is a perfect counter part to that and swaps aesthetically pleasing offense for an unbreakable will and never-ending gas tank, which he uses to overwhelm opponents from bell to bell.

In many ways, the two men are the perfect counter to one another and that provides the question: who will be able to implement their specific skillset the best?

This clash of styles that goes back to the earliest days of mixed martial arts is something that John Kavanagh referenced when weighing in with his thoughts.

John Kavanagh Breaks Down UFC 306 Main Event, Picks His Winner

Speaking to Lucky Block in a recent interview, the head coach of Conor McGregor described the upcoming bantamweight title fight as a “throwback.”

Both O’Malley and Dvalishvili are capable in all areas but there’s no denying where they are at their best, which just so happens to be their opponent’s kryptonite in this fight.

“I’m really, I’m really looking forward to that. In MMA today it’s usually two guys that are quite well skilled everywhere. And this one I feel is a bit of a throwback to when you’ve somebody very skilled in striking versus somebody very skilled in grappling, so the classic striker versus grappler. If Merab is unable to close that distance, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble. If Merab can close that distance and start chaining his takedowns together, he’s got the most incredible gas tank. He just goes and goes and goes. If he’s able to get attached, Sean’s in a lot of trouble. So it’s a very interesting fight for me as a fan and as a coach.”

Kavanagh followed up his thoughts on the matchup by giving his prediction for the fight, leaning toward the belt staying in O’Malley’s possession thanks to his lethal striking.

“If you were to put a gun to my head for a prediction, I do think Sean will catch him. He’s such a sharp shooter. He’s got fantastic striking and I could see him landing some of those big stray shots. He has a win over Merab’s teammate Aljamain Sterling so I’m sure that Aljamain is helping out Merab a lot in the preparation for this but Sean is on a real run at the moment and I could just see him getting that finish.”

Continue Reading Conor McGregor’s Coach Predicts Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Going To Be In A Lot Of Trouble…’ at MMA News.

Jake Paul Turns Down Offer To Train With ‘Bum’ John Kavanagh

Jake Paul won’t be training with Conor McGregor anytime soon. Jake Paul has been teasing a move to MMA over the last several months. The YouTube star-turned boxer has made himself one of the most popular fighters on the planet in just a few short years. He has been making a name for himself boxing…

Continue Reading Jake Paul Turns Down Offer To Train With ‘Bum’ John Kavanagh at MMA News.

Jake Paul won’t be training with Conor McGregor anytime soon.

Jake Paul has been teasing a move to MMA over the last several months. The YouTube star-turned boxer has made himself one of the most popular fighters on the planet in just a few short years. He has been making a name for himself boxing former UFC and MMA stars in the squared circle.

Taking on MMA fighters out of their habitat has led to many calling for Paul to make the leap the other way. Paul seems to be toying with the idea of training in MMA and taking a fight in the cage, but where would he train?

Since teasing the idea, several notorious MMA gyms around the globe have offered to open their doors for Paul, including SBG gym in Ireland. That is the home gym to Conor McGregor and is led by head coach John Kavanagh. He recently offered to allow Paul access to the gym as told to The Mirror. Paul got wind of this and made it clear he would not be following up on the offer.

“I don’t train with losers,” Paul told Mirror. “So as nice and respectful as that is, coach Kavanagh you can suck my nuts. And Conor McGregor, you can suck my butthole because I don’t train with losers like that, this guy hasn’t won a fight so why would I want his bum a** coach teaching me?”

It makes sense that Paul would not want to train alongside McGregor since he has been looking to face the former UFC duel champion in both boxing and MMA and has been trash-talking him for months. There is still no confirmation on if and when Paul will actually debut in MMA, however, although he has received interest from Bellator MMA.

Where would you like to see Jake Paul beginning his MMA training?

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Jake Paul Rejects Welcome To Train At SBG: ‘I Don’t Train With Losers’

Jake PaulPolarizing professional boxer, Jake Paul has rejected a welcoming offer from Straight Blast Gym head coach, John Kavanagh to come train at the Dublin facility – claiming that he doesn’t train with “losers” amid his vendetta against former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor. Jake Paul, undefeated in professional boxing, landed his fifth professional victory back […]

Jake Paul

Polarizing professional boxer, Jake Paul has rejected a welcoming offer from Straight Blast Gym head coach, John Kavanagh to come train at the Dublin facility – claiming that he doesn’t train with “losers” amid his vendetta against former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor.

Jake Paul, undefeated in professional boxing, landed his fifth professional victory back in December in Florida, stopping former undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley with a stunning fifth round knockout to secure his second career win over the St. Louis veteran.

In the time since, Paul – who recently hinted at an August comeback to the sport, has been linked to numerous potential opponents, including UFC trio – Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and the above-mentioned Dubliner, McGregor.

Yet to entice any said trio to accept a fight against him, Paul recently responded to McGregor’s head coach, Kavanagh, who claimed that should he wish to train at the SBG facility in Dublin, he would welcome.

“If Jake (Paul) walked through the doors I’d tell him to sign up, pay his fees and get on the mat,” John Kavanagh told The Mirror. “He would be very welcome here, I’d love him to come by and train here, I’ve heard he’s got a great energy, he’s a great character.”

Jake Paul distances himself from a trip to Dublin to train at Straight Blast Gym

Responding to Kavanagh’s welcoming message, Paul insisted that he would not train at the Dublin-based gym, maintaining that he would not ply his trade with “losers”.

“I don’t train with losers,” Jake Paul told Mirror Fighting. “So as nice and respectful as that is, coach (John) Kavanagh can suck my nuts. And Conor McGregor, you can suck my butthole because I don’t train with losers like that, this guy hasn’t won a fight so why would i want his bum a** coach teaching me.”

John Kavanagh Explains Conor McGregor’s Body Transformation

Conor McGregorConor McGregor’s longtime coach, John Kavanagh, has explained why the former dual-weight UFC champion has seriously bulked up in recent months. ‘Notorious’ hasn’t fought since suffering a catastrophic leg injury in the first round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. During his time away from fighting, McGregor has […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor’s longtime coach, John Kavanagh, has explained why the former dual-weight UFC champion has seriously bulked up in recent months.

‘Notorious’ hasn’t fought since suffering a catastrophic leg injury in the first round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

During his time away from fighting, McGregor has been bulking up and at one point reached 190lbs which is 35lbs away from the lightweight limit he is expected to need to reach for his comeback fight.

According to Kavanagh, McGregor’s recent weight gain is nothing to be concerned about and is simply a result of ‘Mystic Mac’ being limited in terms of the type of workouts he can do with an injured leg.

“You know, Conor is a very hard trainer and he’s not going to go to the gym and mess around,” Kavanagh told news.com.au.

“The only thing he could go is lift weights,” Kavanagh added.

“So guess what? He lifted all the weights.”

“In terms of am I worried in a couple months time he’ll struggle with the weight? No,” Kavanagh said.

“He’s made weight for 15 years, never missed once. For all his boxing fights, all his MMA fights, he’s never missed his weight class once.

“What he is going to come back I believe is much stronger. Any strength and conditioning coach will tell you, it’s not massively difficult to get somebody cardio fit, but it is hard to get them strong. So he’s focusing on what he can do now, which is get strong, strong, strong.”

John Kavanagh Happy For Conor McGregor To Return This Summer

The SBG Head Coach went on to explain that McGregor’s injury has healed and now they can begin the process of getting back into fight shape.

“The purely physical side of it is pretty much done now,” Kavanagh said.

“The bone is well healed. As he likes to say now, he has a titanium shin for kicking people in the head.

“So all the mechanical stuff is done and now it’s a case of starting to reintroduce the MMA-style drills. Because the way you move, it’s a little bit less predictable and you don’t want to do that until you really are structurally sound.

“When we start the fitness training, the excess fat and the excess weight will burn off just from the amount of calories you burn doing this sport.

“I think (European) summer time sounds about right,” Kavanagh said.

“We’re kind of just getting back into MMA training so four months of that and couple weeks for high-intensity fight camp training.

“International Fight Week in July is always a big one for the UFC. Sounds like that would make sense.

“Who is the big question. I really don’t know. I really don’t know. Whoever it will be, I’m just excited if Conor’s excited by them.” (Transcribed by FOX Sports)

Do you agree with John Kavanagh? Is Conor McGregor’s new bulky physique nothing to be worried about?

Conor McGregor’s Coach Rules Out Return To Featherweight: ‘It’s Not Healthy’

Conor McGregorJohn Kavanagh has ruled out a potential return to past featherweight stomping grounds for his student, former UFC two-weight champion, Conor McGregor in the future, claiming that a comeback to the 145lbs division for the Dubliner is less than healthy.  McGregor, a former undisputed featherweight and lightweight champion, has also competed at the welterweight limit […]

Conor McGregor

John Kavanagh has ruled out a potential return to past featherweight stomping grounds for his student, former UFC two-weight champion, Conor McGregor in the future, claiming that a comeback to the 145lbs division for the Dubliner is less than healthy. 

McGregor, a former undisputed featherweight and lightweight champion, has also competed at the welterweight limit on three separate occasions during his tenure with the organization, the most recent of which was in January 2020.

Conor McGregor scooped the undisputed UFC featherweight title in December 2015 with a record-setting KO win over Jose Aldo

The 33-year-old is currently sidelined following a trilogy rubber match loss against former interim lightweight titleholder, Dustin Poirier back in July of last year at UFC 264, suffering a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss after he fractured his left tibia.

Expected to return to the promotion sometime this year beyond the summer, the Crumlin native has been linked with a slew of potential foes in his Octagon comeback, including the likes of former foe and past featherweight kingpin, Max Holloway in a rematch – as well as current division titleholder, Alexander Volkanovski.

However, Kavanagh has ruled out an excursion for the McGregor at featherweight in the future, citing the health risks it poses to his student in making the 145lbs championship limit, after ending his time in the division seven years ago.

“You might have seen some extreme pictures of Conor (McGregor) from years ago when he was fighting in the lower weight classes in the UFC,” John Kavanagh said during an Instagram live session. “They were very extreme and they were all done under the eyes of a medical professional. Even he (Conor McGregor) himself wouldn’t ever go back to those weight classes now.”

“It’s not healthy, and it’s not for the long term” John Kavanagh continued. “I would encourage you to look at his more recent pictures he’s putting up on Instagram. Look how big and strong that looks. That’s what it is to be a fighter, get big, get strong, and be healthy for life.” (Transcribed by Daily Mirror)

Competing on seven separate occasions at featherweight since his 2013 move to the organization, McGregor enjoyed a 7-0 undefeated run at 145lbs, including an interim title and subsequent unification championship win in December 2015.

Conor McGregor debuted in the promotion with a first round knockout win over Marcus Brimage, before besting the aforenoted, Holloway, Diego Brandao, Poirier, Dennis Siver, Chad Mendes, and Jose Aldo before then making an impromptu welterweight division move for back-to-back bouts with Nate Diaz in 2016.

John Kavanagh Provides An Update On Conor McGregor: ‘The Physical Stage Of Recovery Is Complete’

Conor McGregorConor McGregor’s longtime coach, John Kavanagh, has provided a positive update on the MMA superstar and his potential return to fighting. ‘Notorious’ has been healing up since suffering a fractured tibia and fibula during the first round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier back in July. During a recent interview with FOX Sports, Kavanagh […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor’s longtime coach, John Kavanagh, has provided a positive update on the MMA superstar and his potential return to fighting.

‘Notorious’ has been healing up since suffering a fractured tibia and fibula during the first round of his third fight with Dustin Poirier back in July.

During a recent interview with FOX Sports, Kavanagh claimed that McGregor’s recovery process is now complete and he will soon re-enter camp.

“Yeah, I think the physical stage of recovery is complete now,” Kavanagh said. “He’ll very soon be switching over now to start to train mixed martial arts again — that’s when all the fun begins. You’ve seen his posts there himself. You don’t have to wonder what he’s doing, he posts about it. He’s been enjoying himself over Christmas. But he’s ready to enter that more serious phase of training and not enjoy the good life as much and get back in the gym and start getting ready for another contest.

“…I think by the time it’s probably summertime we’re looking at for him to step backing there, his weight will be down again [to reach 155].”

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3?

Now that McGregor is officially injury-free talk will surely turn to who he will fight next. Kavanagh seems to be hoping for a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz but insists whoever his man takes on will definitely be a blockbuster event.

“I’m just excited to see him back in there,” Kavanagh responded. “It’s always a big occasion. There’s not much like a McGregor fight week and fight night. It doesn’t really matter. You say any name and it’s exciting.

“Probably the [Nate] Diaz trilogy would be a fan favorite. But let’s just get back healthy, back ready and back competing.” (Transcribed by MiddleEasy)

Who do you want to see Conor McGregor face when he returns?