SBG Ireland Head Coach John Kavanagh Wants to See Conor McGregor Complete His Unfinished Business With Nate Diaz…
Will they ever fight again? Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz haven’t appeared in a UFC octagon since 2016. ‘The Notorious’ fought Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight title in November of that year. He hasn’t fought under MMA rules since.
Meanwhile, Diaz’s last appearance was actually against McGregor, in their August, 2016 rematch. The Stockton, California native lost that fight by a razor-thin split decision, with many fans believing the result had gone the other way.
Diaz clearly wants to finish the trilogy, but it doesn’t look happening anytime soon. However, McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, is adamant that he wants some closure. He supports McGregor fighting Diaz again, but this time at both men’s natural weight of 155, and writing the final chapter of their rivalry.
Super Coach
John Kavanagh is one of the best coaches in the MMA world. He was Ireland’s first ever Brazilian Ju-Jitsu black belt, and the fighters in his stable include McGregor, Gunnar Nelson, James Gallagher and Dillon Danis. He’s also a genuinely nice guy. He insists that the Diaz fight is something he’d like to see happen. Kavanagh told Express Sport:
“Well, you know, it’s one a piece. And I just think stylistically it’s a good fight. And even the lead-up, there’s a lot of fun in the lead-up. I think they work personality wise against each other in the press room and so on.”
That’s true but come on – this rivalry has run out of gas. There’s one massive barrier in the way and his name is very difficult to spell: Khabib Nurmagamedov.
Khabib Time
As a professional fighter, you can’t throw a dolly at a bus carrying your rival and then refuse to fight. Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagamedov has to happen – assuming ‘The Notorious’ clears his legal trouble up. Nobody wants the Diaz fight right now. Sure, in the future, after the insanity that would McGregor vs Khabib, then we’ll talk. Not now.
“For me, as a fan, I just think it’s a really fun matchup,” Kavanagh continued. “So the equalizer to be drawn at 155lbs, I just think it would put a nice exclamation point and underline that part of his life. But it doesn’t look like it’s meant to be, at least not now. So we’ll see.”
Sorry, Coach Kavanagh. You’re awesome but now is not the time.
Public Appearance
McGregor made his first public appearance since his arrest, when he attended BAMMA 35 in Dublin’s 3Arena last weekend. He was supporting his SBG teammate Kiefer Crosbie, who went on to defeat Josh Plant via TKO in the first round.
He also received a lot of praise for an Instagram post that he shared of him sitting alongside a young fan, Ian O’Connell, who is paralysed from the waist down. McGregor made it clear how inspiring the young man’s attitude to life is. Good to see the ‘Notorious’ is settling down a little bit again. Now come back and fight!
