"Not quite part of the game plan" - Conor McGregor's coach on the Irishman attempting guillotine choke against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264
John Kavanagh recently broke down his pupil Conor McGregor's last fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
McGregor lost his trilogy bout against Poirier at the pay-per-view event after suffering a brutal leg injury. Minutes before breaking his shin, McGregor went for a guillotine choke that proved to be a crucial point in the fight.
During a recent appearance on Straight Talk with Mark Bouris, Kavanagh revealed that McGregor's guillotine attempt was unplanned. However, the SBG Ireland head coach hinted that the standup was going according to plan and would have resulted in a knockout had the fight gone on longer:
"Just look at the numbers – 2 to 1 in our favor in significant strikes. I mean, Conor's outlanding you 2 to 1 with significant strikes, that's just a matter of time before you're unconscious. Now, jump down the guillotine, pull the guard, not quite part of the game plan. S*** happens."
Nevertheless, Kavanagh lauded Conor McGregor's efforts to deal with adversity on the ground:
"Defended himself well off his back. Still back up and then who knows exactly what happened with the shin, whether he caught his elbow, whether he caught his knee, whether a little bit of stress on it in the lead-up to the fight."
Watch John Kavanagh talk about Conor McGregor's performance at UFC 264 below:
Conor McGregor is open to a fight with Paddy Pimblett
During a recent interview with UFC World, Conor McGregor was asked if he was interested in a fight against Liverpool's Paddy Pimblett.
The Irishman called the emerging lightweight contender a "good kid" and also noted his ties to Liverpool. Furthermore, McGregor did not turn down the possibility of a future showdown with 'The Baddy':
"He's a good kid, Paddy... You've got to love the Scousers. You know my father was born in Liverpool. One side of my family is from there. So, I've got a lot of love for that part of the world. And who knows? You know, I will never say no to nothing [on fighting Paddy Pimblett]. You know, never say never, as they say."
Check out McGregor's interview with UFC World below:
Paddy Pimblett joined the UFC in 2021 and made his promotional debut against Luigi Vendramini at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. He defeated Vendramini via knockout in the first round. Pimblett is next scheduled to fight against Rodrigo Vargas on March 19 at the UFC Fight Night event in London.