"I was subjected to a couple of rounds by this 2000 pound gorilla" - John Kavanagh details grappling with Conor McGregor for the first time since his leg break
Conor McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh is all praise for his star pupil. In an appearance on BLOCKPARTY on the Blockasset YouTube channel, the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) Ireland coach discussed his first grappling session with McGregor after the latter’s infamous 2021 leg break.
Kavanagh showed off a few marks on his forehead after their recent grappling session. He also jestingly suggested that his fiancée, Orlagh Hunter, was initially worried after seeing the marks on his face when he returned home.
However, once he let her know that Conor McGregor had visited the gym, she was unsurprised. Kavanagh stated:
“He just kind of showed up by surprise. And of course, he grabbed me by the neck. And I was subjected to a couple of rounds by this 2,000-pound gorilla. And I came home, and I walked in the door, and Orlagh went, ‘What the f**k happened to you? What’s wrong with your head?’ And I said, ‘Oh, Conor showed up.’ And she just sort of rolled her shoulders and went, ‘Yeah, that makes sense.’”
“But yeah, we had a great roll around. And I think that’s literally my first time grappling with him since the leadup to the last fight. So, it’s been a while. He’s back healthy now. He’s back, able to do all the facets of MMA training.”
Watch John Kavanagh discuss the topic at 45:35 in the video below:
Michael Bisping on a potential dream matchup between Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson
Conor McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion suffered a gruesome leg injury in that bout. Thankfully, he’s well on the road to recovery and will likely return by February/March 2023.
Michael Bisping recently weighed in on Conor McGregor’s comeback fight and addressed the possibility of him facing former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. Presently, McGregor’s on a two-fight losing streak, whereas Ferguson’s on a four-fight losing streak.
Intriguingly, both McGregor and Ferguson have lately hinted at moving to the welterweight division for their upcoming fights. In a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, ‘The Count’ opined that McGregor desperately needs to return to the win column and Ferguson would be a winnable fight for him.
Furthermore, reiterating that the two MMA legends match up well with one another at this stage of their careers, Bisping said:
“They’re both old-school names. And they’re both fan-friendly. They’re both fighters that people like to tune in and watch. So, makes a lot of sense if you ask me – Tony Ferguson ‘El Cucuy’ taking on ‘The Notorious’.”
Watch Bisping's assessment below: