Conor McGregor has his work cut out for him ahead of his big UFC 329 return against Max Holloway this Saturday. In preparation for the comeback bout, McGregor's head coach vows the former two-division UFC champion has pulled out all the stops.
It's been five years since McGregor stepped foot in the Octagon for his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. At various points during his hiatus, McGregor was expected to remain on the sidelines forever. However, his longtime coach at SBG Ireland, John Kavanagh, said Wednesday that he realized McGregor was serious about fighting again once the UFC star quite literally moved into the gym around last Christmas.
Speaking in-studio on "The Ariel Helwani Show" in Las Vegas, Kavanagh acknowledged that although he thought it was a great idea for McGregor to camp out at SBG, he admittedly didn't expect it actually happen — and thought it would last for only a day.
"I had a storage room, and he asked if he could put a bed in it. ... A couple of nights of the week, he was sleeping there, especially on sparring days," Kavanagh told Uncrowned.
"We're trying to make sure we did everything right for the last six months. It was a certain mindset that comes with that. You're in that environment — from 6 a.m., the gym is loud and busy. I just thought it was a bit of a 'Rocky III' moment: Go back, get the eye of the tiger."
It's been five years since McGregor stepped foot in the Octagon for his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. At various points during his hiatus, McGregor was expected to remain on the sidelines forever. However, his longtime coach at SBG Ireland, John Kavanagh, said Wednesday that he realized McGregor was serious about fighting again once the UFC star quite literally moved into the gym around last Christmas.
Speaking in-studio on "The Ariel Helwani Show" in Las Vegas, Kavanagh acknowledged that although he thought it was a great idea for McGregor to camp out at SBG, he admittedly didn't expect it actually happen — and thought it would last for only a day.
"I had a storage room, and he asked if he could put a bed in it. ... A couple of nights of the week, he was sleeping there, especially on sparring days," Kavanagh told Uncrowned.
"We're trying to make sure we did everything right for the last six months. It was a certain mindset that comes with that. You're in that environment — from 6 a.m., the gym is loud and busy. I just thought it was a bit of a 'Rocky III' moment: Go back, get the eye of the tiger."
22 days ago
