Conor McGregor has enthralled fans the world over with his striking prowess and showmanship in the UFC. Fans praise his resilience and his undying spirit. However, many people are not aware that Conor made his Octagon debut while dealing with a tooth infection. His coach John Kavanagh spoke opened up with more details in a chat with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
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“It Would Be Insane”: Coach Kavanagh Gives an Update on Conor McGregor Fighting at UFC 249
Conor McGregor made his UFC debut with an infected tooth
The ‘Notorious’ was dealing with an emerging wisdom tooth that got infected. However, he fought the pain barrier as he knew this was his ticket to bigger paydays. If he got through the match, he could be on his way to something much bigger than Cage Warriors Fighting where he made between $500 to $1,000 per fight.
Kavanagh says McGregor had not been teaching his gym class at the time UFC had been in touch. He refused to answer Kavanagh’s phone call, assuming the organization rejected him. “He picked the phone only after reading a message saying the UFC has been in touch,“ says Kavanagh.
Kavanagh further said, “Conor is very calm and calculated, doesn’t get hyper, doesn’t get excited.”
However, upon hearing the news, he began screaming in delight. The Notorious’ coach notes he did not ask about the opponent even once, instead concentrating only on the date of the bout. His coach liked that, as he feels a fighter should trust their management to pick a winnable fight.
“There are 2 types of fighters. One type just bothers about the when and are fine with it. The other type wants to know who the opponent will be,” said Kavanagh, who thinks a fighter should be more concerned about the date. In McGregor’s case, it’s as if he knows he can beat whoever is put in front of him and will give it his all.
It has been almost 7 years since ‘Notorious’ overcame his pain barrier to knock out Marcus Brimage. The win set him on a trajectory to the pinnacle of the sport, where he became the first man to hold titles in 2 weight divisions simultaneously.
