John Kavanagh News
John Kavanagh tells Dillon Danis to come back to SBG Ireland and prepare for an MMA fight: "He's not a boxer"
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2023
SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh is hopeful Dillon Danis will return to Dublin to prepare for an MMA fight. Danis finally returned to combat sports last weekend as he boxed influencer Logan Paul. Danis ended up being DQ’d in the sixth round, but before that, he was getting badly beat as he barely threw any punches.
Video | Conor McGregor receives BJJ black belt from Coach Kavanagh at SBG
Harry Kettle - September 5, 2023
UFC star Conor McGregor has formally received his BJJ black belt from head coach John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland. For the longest time now, Conor McGregor has been part of the SBG Ireland family. He made his name under the umbrella of the gym, and it’s where he’s been training since he first started his mixed martial arts journey. It’s been one hell of a road to get to this point, but at this stage, nobody can deny that he’s the biggest star in the history of the sport.
John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor is no longer motivated by money, names four opponents who could get him “out of the silk pajamas”
Harry Kettle - January 24, 2023
John Kavanagh has listed a handful of possible opponents who could tempt Conor McGregor to return to the Octagon. For so long now, fans have been watching and waiting to see if and when Conor McGregor would return. He appears to have recovered from his broken leg, with the only question being who he will fight upon returning.
Coach John Kavanagh gives Conor McGregor training update: "He hasn't lost a beat"
Josh Evanoff - July 15, 2022
Former UFC dual-weight champion Conor McGregor is looking great in training according to John Kavanagh. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of the cage since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier last July at UFC 264. That outing saw McGregor lose via TKO, due to a broken leg he suffered in round one. The brutal injury has left the former champion sidelined for over a year.
John Kavanagh lists six opponents that Conor McGregor could fight in his UFC return
Christopher Taylor - December 6, 2021
John Kavanagh has named six opponents that his star pupil Conor McGregor could fight in his highly anticipated UFC return. McGregor (22-6 MMA) has not competed since suffering a broken leg during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier this past July. That setback marked the Irishman’s second loss in a row and third in his past four fights overall.
John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor has "got a hundred opponents lined up" for UFC return
Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021
MMA coach John Kavanagh joked that his pupil Conor McGregor has “got a hundred opponents lined up” for his upcoming UFC return in 2022. McGregor is coming off of back-to-back TKO losses to Dustin Poirier earlier this year, the second of which saw the Irishman suffer a nasty broken leg in his defeat. The hope is that McGregor will continue to make progress in his recovery from the broken leg and then return to fighting in 2022. When he does eventually step back into the Octagon, then his coach at SBG Ireland, Kavanagh, believes there will be no shortage of potential opponents.
John Kavanagh wants to see Khamzat Chimaev fight his pupil Gunnar Nelson next
Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021
MMA coach John Kavanagh says that he wants to see top welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev fight against his pupil Gunnar Nelson next. Kavanagh, who is of course the longtime head coach of UFC superstar Conor McGregor, took to his social media on Tuesday to make a matchmaking suggestion to the UFC. As far as the coach goes, he believes that a fight between Chimaev and Nelson would make a lot of sense. With the UFC rumored to be holding an event in London in March, Kavanagh believes this would be the ideal situation to hold this potential fight between Chimaev and Nelson. Take a look below at what the coach said about this potential welterweight fight.
Dillon Danis, John Kavanagh react to Conor McGregor's knockout loss
Tom Taylor - January 25, 2021
Dillon Danis and John Kavanagh, two of the most important people in Conor McGregor’s inner circle, have reacted to his loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor met Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 on Fight Island last Saturday. The pair’s lightweight showdown was a rematch of a 2014 fight that McGregor won by first-round knockout. This time around, Poirier evened the score, ruining McGregor’s lead leg with calf kicks, and stopping him with punches in round two.
John Kavanagh slams Claressa Shields for telling MMA fans to "bow down"
Tom Taylor - December 9, 2020
Famed MMA coach John Kavanagh has some choice words for boxing star Claressa Shields, who recently told MMA fans to “bow down” to her. Shields is widely regarded as the best female boxer in the world, and is slated to make her MMA debut in the PFL cage in 2021. Ahead of her debut, Shields is demanding respect from MMA fans for being bold enough to make the transition between sports.
John Kavanagh was not a fan of Snoop Dogg's commentary on Tyson vs. Jones fight
Tom Taylor - November 30, 2020
Renowned mixed martial arts coach John Kavanagh was not impressed with Snoop Dogg’s commentary during last weekend’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight. Tyson and Jones, 54 and 51 respectively, collided in an eight-round heavyweight exhibition fight on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Despite the age of the two men, the event generated massive international interest, with many stars of the combat sports world tuning in—Kavanagh included.
Coach Kavanagh says fighters have pulled him aside to say: "I might not like your boy, but we should all be sending him 5%"
Chris Taylor - July 2, 2020
Coach Kavanagh claims that a few UFC fighters have pulled him aside at events to send their appreciation to his ‘boy’ Conor McGregor for “changing the game”. John Kavanagh’s claim came shortly after Dustin Poirier suggested that he credited his defeat to McGregor as the reason for his career resurgence.
John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje was 'close to being done'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 29, 2020
Head coach John Kavanagh claims Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje was close to materializing. Gaethje has been on a tear since dropping back-to-back bouts against Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez. “The Highlight” is riding a four-fight winning streak. In that span, he’s beaten Tony Ferguson, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and James Vick.
John Kavanagh open to lightweight tournament when UFC resumes
Adam Martin - April 10, 2020
MMA coach John Kavanagh is interested in seeing the UFC hold a tournament for the lightweight title upon resumption if its fight schedule. All upcoming UFC events are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, which was set to take place at UFC 249, was one of the fights affected by the postponements. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, two of the UFC’s biggest stars, also won’t be fighting anytime soon on account of the UFC schedule currently being on hiatus.
John Kavanagh offers Tony Ferguson some advice about fighting at UFC 249
Adam Martin - April 3, 2020
MMA coach John Kavanagh gave some advice to top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, who is currently awaiting a new opponent for UFC 249. Ferguson was set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249, but Nurmagomedov will no longer be able to compete at the event due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions in Russia and the U.S. That leaves Ferguson without an opponent, though the UFC has reportedly offered him a short-notice fight against Justin Gaethje to save the card.
John Kavanagh dreams of bringing UFC and Bellator titles to SBG Ireland
Mike Pendleton - March 19, 2020
John Kavanagh has been the head coach of SBG Ireland since 2001, and most fans know him as the coach behind Conor McGregor. Yet he’s far more than just that.
John Kavanagh talks the evolution of Conor McGregor: “He’s trying to make himself a better person."
Natasha Hooper - February 19, 2020
Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh acknowledges major mistakes made by his fighter, but says he is “proud of how he’s come through those things.” “The Notorious” returned to the UFC Octagon this year for the first time since his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He faced Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in his comeback and bulldozed his way to victory in just 40 seconds of the first round.
John Kavanagh feels UFC 247 was a clear victory for Jon Jones
Adam D Martin - February 9, 2020
Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh said on his social media that he felt Jon Jones clearly deserved to win the decision against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. In one of the most controversial title fight decisions in recent years, Jones edged out a narrow unanimous decision victory by scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. It was an extremely close fight that was fought tooth-and-nail by two of the best light heavyweights in the world, but most including UFC president Dana White seemed to side with Reyes earning the decision. The judges, however, awarded Jones the win, something which Kavanagh agrees with.
John Kavanagh wants Conor McGregor to fight Justin Gaethje at welterweight next
Cole Shelton - January 21, 2020
Conor McGregor has options for who he fights next, but according to his coach, John Kavanagh, he wants it to be against Justin Gaethje. In the main event of UFC 246, McGregor made his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon against Donald Cerrone at welterweight. There, the Irishman made quick work of “Cowboy” as he knocked him out in 40 seconds.