Conor coach: Khabib actions were understandable, his teammates were crim…
John Kavanagh: “Conor had a very tough fight and then the guy hits him in the back of the head. … I think what they did is literally criminal.”
SBGi founder John Kavanagh, one of the world’s greatest coaches, spoke recently with Ronan O’Flaherty for Ireland’s The Independent, about Conor McGregor’s loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, in the main event of UFC 229.
“In preparation for the fight, when I watched Khabib’s style, I think I became too defensive,” said Kavanagh. “I was thinking how to not lose rather than thinking about winning. I haven’t actually spoken to Conor since then, so I can’t speak for him, but I’ve already put my hand up for that. I think that was a mistake I made and if we get a rematch, I would change it drastically.”
So will there be a rematch?
“I guess it really depends on Conor,” replied the coach. “We’ve had a few text exchanges since the fight, but I haven’t had a face-to-face with him and, when we do, that will be my conversation with him. I’ll ask him what his motivation is. Let’s hear how much he wants to do. Is it one more fight, is it five more There’s that old saying that it’s hard to get up and go running when you’re sleeping in silk pajamas. MMA is a tough, tough sport. The training is grueling and he has his second kid on the way, so does he still have that? I think so.”
The brilliant coach also referenced the UFC 229 post-fight melee.
“When Khabib jumped out of the octagon, it wasn’t that big of a deal to me,” he said. “He jumped down and shoved Dillon, Dillon shoved him back and it was over. What the other guys did was a lot more disturbing because Conor had a very tough fight and then the guy hits him in the back of the head. … They weren’t involved in the fight, it was between Khabib and Conor. I think what they did is literally criminal.”