UFC: Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh insists this is ‘the best he’s ever been’ and predicts a championship-round finish of Donald Cerrone

Conor McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh says fans will be seeing the Irishman at “the best he’s ever been” and predicts a championship-round win against Donald Cerrone at his comeback bout on January 18.

The 31-year-old McGregor (professional record 21-4) – who has not fought since his title-fight loss to current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 – has been embroiled in a series of out-of-cage controversies but Kavanagh insists the former double champion is back on track.

“I think he’s the best he’s ever been … because of his consistency over the last few months,” Kavanagh told The Mac Life. “There’s a real return to it, smiling on the mat, enjoying it all … a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter. I think this is going to be the best he’s ever been.”

Future UFC hall-of-famer Cerrone (36-13) has lost his last two fights, against Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. The 36-year-old has often struggled against forward-moving southpaws, but Kavanagh is more interested in mindset than tactics.

“To be honest, with Conor’s fight IQ and understanding of the game, this training camp is about all of us getting out of his way,” Kavanagh said, adding that the pair’s agreement to fight at welterweight’s 170 pounds was simply because McGregor did not want to cut weight. “It’s not so much about us coaches sitting down with a game-plan and filling Conor in. He knows more about fighting than all of us put together.

“It’s nice not to have to worry about making weight … the last couple of weeks it’s always in the back of your head to cut weight and train a little bit depleted. He’s practically on weight all the time now. It’s going to be against a heavier opponent … but I don’t think there’s going to be that much of a weight difference – Cerrone doesn’t strike me as enormous and I don’t think it’s going to play a role.”