Coach John Kavanagh reacts to Sean O'Malley accusing Conor McGregor of being "jealous and bitter"
Conor McGregor's ongoing feud with Sean O'Malley has gone largely unnoticed by the Irishman's head coach, John Kavanagh. However, he was recently told about 'Sugar's' dismissal of McGregor as being envious of him.
However, according to Kavanagh, feuds between fighters rarely capture his attention. Instead, he prefers to focus his attention squarely on the development of MMA.
Kavanagh said as much in his exclusive sitdown with Lucky Block, and never once spoke ill of O'Malley despite his allegiance to McGregor as a mentor. He stated:
"I'll be a hundred percent honest, I don't follow the sport all that closely in terms of the drama stuff. I rarely miss a card. I'm very obsessive about following the fights and keeping my eye on if there's sort of changes or trends happening, whether it's in certain takedowns or certain strikes that get popular one month and then fall apart the next month."
Not only did Kavanagh not say anything negative about O'Malley, but he also opted for diplomacy by wishing the reigning UFC bantamweight champion well in his future endeavors.
"As for these kinds of soundbites, and this fighter said that, I don't really click on any of those articles so I don't really know what Sean is saying but I wish him all the best."
Despite Kavanagh's disinterest in the ongoing rivalry between McGregor and O'Malley, the animosity between the aforementioned fighters has reached a boiling point. McGregor, who was once O'Malley's idol, is now someone 'Sugar' is eyeing as a potential foe.
Conor McGregor's coach predicts the Noche UFC 306 main event
While Conor McGregor's return has been delayed, John Kavanagh still follows every card the UFC assembles. Thus, it should come as no surprise that he offered Lucky Block a prediction for Noche UFC 306's headliner between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
"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."
Despite recognizing Dvalishvili's pace and wrestling, Kavanagh ultimately favors O'Malley's counterpunching.
"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."
With Noche UFC 306 just days away, we'll soon find out if Kavanagh's prediction comes true.