John Kavanagh responds to critics who felt that Conor McGregor was 'too nice' against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh has addressed critics who claimed that a chivalrous Conor McGregor felt too timid at UFC 257.
Coach Kavanagh dismissed such critics and stated that Conor McGregor is a changed fighter who does not rely anymore on verbally assaulting his opponents. However, Kavanagh believes that the Notorious one can certainly change his persona at the drop of a dime.
"Conor can certainly hit that switch. He is, as we have seen many times, massively respectful of Dustin and appreciative of the skill level. But he wanted to take his head off. There was no doubt about that. He was not pulling any punches in the cage. Conor is a veteran of the game. He can turn it on and off like a light switch at this stage of his career"
John Kavangh also revealed that ahead of UFC 246 he received a plethora of personal messages stating that Conor McGregor would lose to Donald Cerrone. The so-called sports psychologists claimed that Conor's courteouness could be the reason for getting defeated. However, Conor McGregor dusted Cowboy in 40 seconds and emerged victorious.
"In the lead up to the Cerrone fight, I had every [sports] psychologist on planet earth warning me that he is messing up... everybody was warning me. If we went in and lost to Cerrone they would've said, 'We warned you, he has got to be that guy'. It did not go that way this time [at UFC 257] so everybody's prediction is now correct"
Will Conor McGregor ever go back to his old persona?
The verbal assault and pre-fight antics that surround a Conor McGregor fight have been a major reason for the Irishman's success as an entertainer.
Often this results in his opponents getting aggravated and falling prey to the Notorious one's counter left hand. This was the case when Jose Aldo fought Conor McGregor at UFC 196 and lunged in to attack him as soon as the fight began. It took thirteen seconds for the Irishman to flatline Aldo to become the featherweight champion of the world.
It is possible that Conor McGregor switches to his old self if he fights Nate Diaz next. A back and forth verbal attack can be expected during the buildup for this trilogy fight. The rivalry between the two fighters was the selling point for the first two fights.
Along with his striking prowess, Conor McGregor's arsenal also contains the ability to get to his opponents by invaditheir psyche during the buildup. It will be interesting to see if the brash version of the Irishman makes return to the UFC, especially in the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight if it happens.