John Kavanagh recalls amusing story of the moment he realized Conor McGregor had helped make MMA mainstream

Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 189 (left) and John Kavanagh (right) [Kavanagh image via Mark Bouris on YouTube; McGregor image via @fightpicsgohard on Twitter]

Conor McGregor is often credited by many as the man who helped put the UFC on the map and make MMA a mainstream sport. The Irishman is arguably the most popular combat sport athlete on the planet and is definitely the biggest draw in the UFC.

Before McGregor's rise to superstardom in the UFC, MMA wasn't massively popular as a sport in Ireland. However, the former two-division champion changed things forever, making MMA mainstream in Ireland thanks to his massive popularity across the globe.

#OnThisDay in 2015,

Conor McGregor knocked out Chad Mendes and won the Interim UFC Featherweight title at UFC 189 👑

The Notorious won the $50K bonus for his Performance of the Night 💵

#UFC #MMA | @TheNotoriousMMA @ufc https://t.co/odBfJfIR0l

His head coach, John Kavanagh, recently spoke about how McGregor's success as a fighter had a "knock-on" effect in popularizing the sport of MMA in Ireland, especially among youth. This has led to the emergence of several state-of-the-art combat sports gyms across the country, providing youth with the infrastructure required to make it as professional fighters.

Apart from that, the general public in the country are not just aware of the sport but follow it regularly, which is clear from an interesting story Kavanagh shared during an interaction with Nick Peet and Adam Catterall:

"It's had a fantastic effect on the amateur scene, grassroots level. When a star comes along from a certain country, whatever that sport may be... It has a knock-on effect that the 10-year-olds, eight-year-olds that are watching, they start taking up the sport... I always bring up the old story of walking into a shop and an older woman pulling me aside and saying, 'Is Conor working on that takedown defense?'... That was really one of those moments where I went, 'Wow, this is becoming mainstream here.'"

Watch Kavanagh's interview below:

Conor McGregor back in training as potential opponents line up hoping to bag the money fight

Conor McGregor seems to be closing in on a return to the octagon with every passing day. The 'Notorious' Irish superstar has almost completely recovered from the leg break he suffered last year and has returned to the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, Ireland.

The Irishman is expected to return to the cage by the end of this year or early next year. Charles Oliveira, the top-contender in the lightweight division, has already expressed a desire to fight McGregor for the currently vacant lightweight title. McGregor, however, is yet to confirm whether he is interested in the fight.

YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul has also urged Conor McGregor to step inside the squared circle once again in a fight that could earn them both multi-million dollar paydays.

Jake Paul fires back at Conor McGregor…

[📽️ @JakePaul] https://t.co/H856bKANiK