Conor McGregor coach John Kavanagh makes brutally honest Khabib fight admission
CONOR MCGREGOR’s preparations for his grudge match with Khabib Nurmagomedov were too defensive minded, his head coach John Kavanagh has claimed.
McGregor made his long-awaited return to the Octagon last month in the main event of UFC 229, where he challenged Nurmagomedov for the lightweight crown he was stripped of in April.
The Irishman’s bid to become a two-time 155lbs champion ended in the fourth-round courtesy of a neck crank, which he begrudgingly submitted to.
Throughout the build-up to UFC 229, many mixed martial arts observers were wondering if McGregor would be able to deal with Nurmagomedov’s top-of-the-food-chain wrestling and relentless pressure.
And to his credit, ‘The Notorious’ did manage to see off some of Nurmagomedov’s takedown attempts, much to the surprise of many.
Kavanagh was impressed by McGregor’s takedown defence but believes he focused too much on the prospect of 'The Notorious' being put on the canvas than implementing their usual offensive strategy.
"In preparation for the fight, when I watched Khabib's style, I think I became too defensive,” the SBG Ireland head coach admitted in an interview with The Independent ie.
“I was thinking how to not lose rather than thinking about winning.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Kavanagh hasn’t spoken to his most famous student about his most recent setback.
In preparation for the fight, when I watched Khabib's style, I think I became too defensive
He added: “I haven't actually spoken to Conor since then, so I can't speak for him, but I've already put my hand up for that.”
Should a rematch with Nurmagomedov - which would more than likely shatter the pay-per-view buy record set by the pair’s first encounter - come to fruition, Kavanagh wouldn’t make the same mistake he made this past fight camp.
He said: “I think that was a mistake I made and if we get a rematch, I would change it drastically."
McGregor - Ireland's first UFC belt holder - was bitterly disappointed with the outcome of his comeback fight, which he went into not respecting Nurmagomedov's stand-up.
"Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight," McGregor said in an Instagram post discussing his latest loss. "It was a nice shot.
"After the shot, I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage.
"That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played.
"If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now. I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever.
"Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won’t happen again."
McGregor, 30, is keen to have a rematch with his successor at the summit of the lightweight division but is willing to face whoever the UFC brass puts in front of him.
"If it is not the rematch right away, no problem," the UFC's first simultaneous two-weight world champion said in the same Instagram post. "I will face the next in line.
"It’s all me always, anyway. See you soon my fighting fans I love you all."