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Conor McGregor’s Coach Reveals What Differentiates Average Fighters and Champions

Published 03/09/2021, 8:35 AM EST

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Coach John Cavanagh posted a tweet on Twitter talking about the mental fortitude of a champion. He revealed his philosophical definition of a fighter and the tools you require to be a the best. Being Conor McGregor’s coach has surely given him the respect that he deserves, and his words hold great value.

“The majority of effective fighting techniques are simple. By definition, they do not require exceptional ability. If you can perform them while under the pressure of being watched, you can be a fighter. If you can perform them perfectly while hurt and tired, you can be a champion,” he said.

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Kavanagh is an Irish martial arts coach and a former fighter himself. He practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is a black belt. He is the founder and head coach of the Irish MMA gym Straight Blast Gym Ireland in Inchicore and is the current president of the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association.

You might know one of his students. Since the beginning of his career, Conor McGregor has been fighting under him and won two UFC belts in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Gunnar Nelson and Makwan Amirkhani are also a part of his association.

Conor McGregor’s rise to the pinnacle of the sport under John Kavanagh

The Irish superstar entered the UFC with a lot of hype when he won the CWFC featherweight and lightweight titles simultaneously, becoming the first European to do so.

His UFC career wasn’t far behind, and he set the world on fire with his blistering striking and a hammer of a left hand. He won the featherweight title after several impressive wins by defeating the champion Jose Aldo in 13 seconds.

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He followed that up with an amazing two-fight rivalry with Nate Diaz, where both the men shared the honors. In the second round, he did the unthinkable and beat the Lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, to become the first fighter to hold belts in multiple weight classes.

Conor has repeatedly talked about his coach’s massive part in his success. In return, he has helped John Kavanagh win the MMA Coach of the Year award in 2017.

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Written by:

Aniket Awasthi

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Aniket Awasthi is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. This STEM undergraduate combines an insatiable urge to write with his admiration for MMA and the UFC in general to enhance his journalism. He calls charismatic names like Chael Sonnen and 'The Count' Michael Bisping as his favorite fighters, but he is a great admirer of the rise of Israel Adesanya ever since he fought Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221.
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