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Nicolas Atkin

John Kavanagh thinks Conor McGregor will fight in 2019 – and wants to see him complete the Nate Diaz trilogy, despite recently undergoing surgery on his hand.
The Irishman hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since a fourth-round submission defeat by lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last October.
McGregor has publicly stated he wanted an immediate rematch with Khabib, who defends the title against interim champion Dustin Poirier, and Tony Ferguson is waiting in the wings to fight the winner.
“If you’re gonna put a gun to me, it’d be the Diaz trilogy, that’d be for me,” Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, however.




“I always loved the Diaz trilogy, I’ve said that from the start,” he added. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how Nate looks in the fight coming up.
“But if it’s Conor excited and motivated and pushing himself hard, it doesn’t matter that much to me. Anybody fighting in the UFC are good opponents, different challenges.”


Kavanagh agreed with Helwani that a November fight with Diaz at Madison Square Garden in New York makes sense if Diaz beats Anthony Pettis on August 18 at UFC 241.
But the Irish coach said he would be “absolutely” in favour of McGregor taking a rematch with Nurmagomedov.
“There’s absolute confidence I have in him and he has in himself,” Kavanagh said. “He’s a very unique person and character. Only recently we’ve been watching the fight and I’d be very confident in the rematch.”

There was speculation McGregor could fight in July, with Anthony Pettis and Justin Gaethje rumoured as potential opponents, but a hand injury suffered in sparring last month required surgery.
“We had a bit of a knock back,” Kavanagh said. “He [McGregor] just clipped the guy in the side of his head, damaged his hand. He went to see a really good hand surgeon, he’s undergoing therapy right now. He’s always preparing for a fight.
“All those names were being mentioned, dates were being mentioned. He was in fantastic shape already. He was getting back into more martial arts specific training. It was just unfortunate, it was a great spar and fantastic to see him moving again. He’s taking it well, its a step back but we’re taking five steps forward.”

Kavanagh also thinks the former two-weight champion is as focused as he was during his meteoric rise to superstardom in the UFC
“This is a game where it’s full on, it’s full contact, it’s dangerous,” he said. “When he [McGregor] won the second belt and he beat Eddie [Alvarez in November 2017], he’d achieved everything he’d set out to achieve.
“He was very wealthy, he was world champion, you’ve got to then take some time and think what’s gonna motivate to do it any more.

“He said himself that became a bit of a problem. What is it? Get another belt, make some more money? He’s realised it’s the love of the sport – he loves training, he loves competing, and legacy, being remembered as one of the best ever if not the best ever.
“That’s what’s really come back into it since the beginning of the year. That’s what I wanted to see. He’s a very well known student of mine but he’s also like a kid brother. I don’t want to see him doing something for the sake of it and maybe getting hurt because he’s not fully there.
“But now he absolutely is. We’re having a lot of deep conversations about technical sequences and training regimes and so on. It really reminds me of his rise and to see that again is exciting.”


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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

John Kavanagh wants Conor McGregor to face Nate Diaz next – and thinks he will fight in 2019

Dana White stands between Nate Diaz (left) and Conor McGregor in the build-up to their UFC 202. They have fought twice with one win each. Photo: AP

Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) fights Conor McGregor (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 4, 2018 Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor poses for cameras following a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. - McGregor is under investigation in his native Ireland on an accusation of sexual assault, the New York Times reported on March 26, 2019. The report, in which the Times cited four unnamed sources, came a day after the trash-talking star of the Ultimate Fighting Championship wrote on Twitter that he had decided to retire from his career inside the octagon. (Photo by Isaac Brekken / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

FILE- In this Oct. 6, 2018, file photo, Conor McGregor is escorted from the cage area after fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 229 in Las Vegas. Nurmagomedov and McGregor will remain suspended at least until December because of a brawl inside and outside the octagon after their UFC match in Las Vegas, but the Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, allowed some prize money to be released to Nurmagomedov. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

WWE star Becky Lynch ‘would do very, very well in MMA’ says Conor McGregor’s coach

Becky Lynch poses with John Kavanagh at the SBG Ireland gym in Dublin. Photos: Instagram

John Kavangh shows Becky Lynch a hold at his SBG gym.

Becky Lynch grapples at John Kavangh's SBG Ireland gym.

One Championship and Eddie Alvarez playing a dangerous game with Eduard Folayang fight

Timofey Nastyukhin catches Eddie Alvarez with a big right hand in Tokyo. Photos: One Championship

Eddie Alvarez congratulates Timofey Nastyukhin

Timofey Nastyukhin catches Eddie Alvarez

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Xiong Jingnan kicks Angela Lee before the referee steps in to end their strawweight title fight in the fifth round. Photos: One Championship

Angela Lee hugs her brother Christian Lee. Photo: One Championship

Petchmorakot Petchyindee celebrates his win over Giorgio Petrosyan

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Sage Northcutt is recovering from a nine-hour operation on eight facial fractures after his One Championship debut ended in a 29-second KO loss. Photo: Instagram

One Championship: Dana White says ‘no one cared whatsoever’ about Demetrious Johnson in UFC

Demetrious Johnson hits Yuya Wakamatsu. Photos: One Championship

Demetrious Johnson in One Championship Tokyo

Sport

Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts

John Kavanagh believes ‘Notorious’ will be back in the UFC Octagon this year despite hand surgery
Kavanagh thinks McGregor is as motivated as ever – ‘it reminds me of his rise and to see that again is exciting’


John Kavanagh believes ‘Notorious’ will be back in the UFC Octagon this year despite hand surgery


Martial arts