IRISH UFC FIGHTER Conor McGregor is on the right track as he steps up attempts to regain to full fitness, according to his coach.
The SBG featherweight won his first two fights in the Octagon earlier this year but after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the victory over Max Holloway in Boston over the summer, he required surgery in September and has been recovering in the US ever since.
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that they will host an event in the third quarter of 2014 with McGregor pencilled in to for a homecoming fight. Whether or now he will make his comeback before then however, depends on how well his rehabilitation goes.
Speaking to TheScore.ie yesterday, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh praised his determination.
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“He is meeting or exceeding all markers,” Kavanagh said. “By the time he’s back in Ireland he will basically be able to train most of the elements at a light controlled pace and finish off the remainder of his physio here.
“He’s well on track and mentally is very strong and staying positive which is a huge part. You hear stories of people slipping into depression and gaining loads of weight or not following their physio but he has approached it with the same level of gusto that he would approached approach a jiu-jitsu class – like a pro.
“It really depends on the next three or four months. As far as I’m aware, they’re going to be here in September. I haven’t had anything confirmed but let’s say they are. They won’t want him fighting at least four months before so he will have to fight around March.
If he is ready by then, I can see them getting him a fight. If he’s not ready, then they won’t put him on in May, June or July as they won’t want to risk him being hurt before the Dublin card.
“We’re going to have a much better idea around late February.”
The UFC’s return to Dublin for a second event, the first was in January 2009, will hopefully allow Irish fighters to showcase their talents on a world stage. Kavanagh is optimistic of having a number of fighters competing on the night.
“I’m sure Norman Parke will be there. He has been doing very well lately with a bunch of wins in a row. I’d be very surprised if I had less than three fighters but I think I could have five or six. It really depending on how the next few months pan out.”
“He’s a nut,” Kavanagh laughs. “He half-mentioned it and I wasn’t really paying attention then I saw a picture of this lunatic sitting on the toilet with a massive gorilla on his chest. When Conor hasn’t got MMA training to distract him he does other stuff.
It’s kind of cool though. I don’t think people will look at it and say ‘that’s Straight Blast Gym’. It just looks like a gorilla, eating a heart, wearing a crown.
It’s not like Paul Kelly’s one that just says ‘Wolfslair’. You may as well get Nike print across your forehead. This is more generic.”
There will always be a market to exploit in Ireland. Even though there is apparently a recession Irish people seem to always have the money to waste on sporting events that are anything but what they appear to be.
We saw it with Bernard Dunne with the O2 packed everytime he fought there even though he was fighting lads who were handpicked so they could cash in. When he had to fight the mandatory challengers he was exposed.
Dana White sees that he can cash in with the Irish people so willing to spend money. No doubt McGregor will have several fights handpicked so they can sell out a few O2 dates and bleed the Irish dry before he fights an actual good fighter and is exposed.
“Money to waste on sporting events”…”bleed the Irish dry”…You would swear by your comments that people aren’t free to make their own choices on whether to buy a ticket or not!
Whether Mcgregor fights or not, the O2 will sell out with the thousands of UFC fans in Ireland! If people want to spend their hard earned money on going then its their choice, whether you believe its a waste or not!
I went to all of Dunnes’s fights in the O2. I dont class any of them as a waste of money. It gave everybody in there a great feeling and was very enjoyable to watch!
Agree with what you say about Bernard Dunne to a certain extent, Brian Peters and Rte certainly built up some of those fights to be far more than they actually were, to entice the casual fans. But people got their moneys worth with his performance against Cordoba.
But as far as McGregor goes with the UFC.. McGregor is already huge in the states and the last thing the UFC needs is to be showing his fights at 2 in the afternoon over there. They’ll have him fight next year in Dublin but after that I’d say most of his fights will be in the states.The o2 is only roughly a 9k seater stadium. The UFC makes far more off televison deals and pay per views than they do off ticket sales. The likes of Alexander Gustaffson whos swedish and a huge hit there has only got to fight there once, because its far more profitable for the UFC to have him on at a prime time in the US on pay per view cards.
And as far as opponents go, theres talk of him fighting Diego Sanchez in his next fight which is by no means an easy one. A big lightweight, whos a veteran. The quicker the UFC get him up the ladder and closer to contention for a title the more money for the UFC. McGregor has an international audience at this stage, not just the Irish.
No they were not a waste of money as he was winning but he was beating nobodies. He beat one good fighter in his career and was then exposed by the better ones and put into retirement. He avoided the best fighters for as long as possible so he, Peters and RTE could all make as much money before he was exposed and the bubble burst. If he was a great fighter he would still be boxing now and certainly wouldn’t have retired when he did.
It’s too early to judge how good McGregor is going to be but I’m sceptical.
Agreed. But there’s no value for the UFC in nursing him against nobodies in Ireland. They should move him on quickly enough. If he beats Diego Sanchez convincingly I’ll start believing. I’d much rather he stayed at featherweight though, and I think the UFX could feel the same, so that fight mightn’t happen. They could give him a handy fight like Andy Ogle at featherweight in Dublin but I hope not. Cole Miller would be an interesting one, and a step up in class.
Tough one..he would definitely outstrike him, Sanchez has sloppy striking and he overcommits way too much. Sanchez is a beast though and he would come in heavier than McGregor. I reckon McGregor would beat him..but I’d rather he stayed at featherweight!
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There will always be a market to exploit in Ireland. Even though there is apparently a recession Irish people seem to always have the money to waste on sporting events that are anything but what they appear to be.
We saw it with Bernard Dunne with the O2 packed everytime he fought there even though he was fighting lads who were handpicked so they could cash in. When he had to fight the mandatory challengers he was exposed.
Dana White sees that he can cash in with the Irish people so willing to spend money. No doubt McGregor will have several fights handpicked so they can sell out a few O2 dates and bleed the Irish dry before he fights an actual good fighter and is exposed.
“Money to waste on sporting events”…”bleed the Irish dry”…You would swear by your comments that people aren’t free to make their own choices on whether to buy a ticket or not!
Whether Mcgregor fights or not, the O2 will sell out with the thousands of UFC fans in Ireland! If people want to spend their hard earned money on going then its their choice, whether you believe its a waste or not!
I went to all of Dunnes’s fights in the O2. I dont class any of them as a waste of money. It gave everybody in there a great feeling and was very enjoyable to watch!
Agree with what you say about Bernard Dunne to a certain extent, Brian Peters and Rte certainly built up some of those fights to be far more than they actually were, to entice the casual fans. But people got their moneys worth with his performance against Cordoba.
But as far as McGregor goes with the UFC.. McGregor is already huge in the states and the last thing the UFC needs is to be showing his fights at 2 in the afternoon over there. They’ll have him fight next year in Dublin but after that I’d say most of his fights will be in the states.The o2 is only roughly a 9k seater stadium. The UFC makes far more off televison deals and pay per views than they do off ticket sales. The likes of Alexander Gustaffson whos swedish and a huge hit there has only got to fight there once, because its far more profitable for the UFC to have him on at a prime time in the US on pay per view cards.
And as far as opponents go, theres talk of him fighting Diego Sanchez in his next fight which is by no means an easy one. A big lightweight, whos a veteran. The quicker the UFC get him up the ladder and closer to contention for a title the more money for the UFC. McGregor has an international audience at this stage, not just the Irish.
No they were not a waste of money as he was winning but he was beating nobodies. He beat one good fighter in his career and was then exposed by the better ones and put into retirement. He avoided the best fighters for as long as possible so he, Peters and RTE could all make as much money before he was exposed and the bubble burst. If he was a great fighter he would still be boxing now and certainly wouldn’t have retired when he did.
It’s too early to judge how good McGregor is going to be but I’m sceptical.
Agreed. But there’s no value for the UFC in nursing him against nobodies in Ireland. They should move him on quickly enough. If he beats Diego Sanchez convincingly I’ll start believing. I’d much rather he stayed at featherweight though, and I think the UFX could feel the same, so that fight mightn’t happen. They could give him a handy fight like Andy Ogle at featherweight in Dublin but I hope not. Cole Miller would be an interesting one, and a step up in class.
I don’t think he would beat Diego sanchez.
Tough one..he would definitely outstrike him, Sanchez has sloppy striking and he overcommits way too much. Sanchez is a beast though and he would come in heavier than McGregor. I reckon McGregor would beat him..but I’d rather he stayed at featherweight!
He’s a featherweight /lightweight
“It’s a most distressing affliction to have a sentimental heart and a skeptical mind.”