John Kavanagh has explained that he is fully aware that his reputation in on the line when Conor McGregor takes on Nate Diaz at UFC 202 in one of the most highly anticipated rematches in MMA history.
We've seen updates from McGregor across his social media platforms in the build up to this fight where the Dubliner has shown off the many changes that have been made to his preparations, and his coach believes that the improvements that have been made this time around are greater than ever.
Writing in his regular column for The42.ie, Kavanagh admitted that McGregor and his team are lucky to have the chance to make up for the loss at UFC 196 as he expressed his belief that not only the fighter's reputation was at stake.
This is a very important fight for Conor, but I also feel that my own reputation as a coach is at stake. This contest can be a bit of a game-changer for us all. Some observers who are obsessed with weight classes and belts don’t see this as a very meaningful fight. They’re more interested in seeing Conor defend his featherweight belt and going after the lightweight strap too.
But for me, we’re very lucky to be in a position to have an immediate rematch. In most cases, fighters have to be patient in order to get that chance. Having an opportunity to reverse an unfavourable result under the same circumstances just a few months later provides us with a chance to show that ‘Win or Learn’ isn’t just a catchy phrase. It really is something we practice and we have done for a long time.
Kavanagh will have put any nervous McGregor fans' minds at ease with what he said regarding the specific preparation to fight Nate Diaz, who he describes as similar to a long-distance runner in his ability to absorb shots, but also interesting was his fight prediction, which he also offered in the article.
We heard on the UFC 202 conference call last week that Conor believes he will reverse the outcome and finish Diaz in the second round, but Kavanagh sees the fight lasting a little longer but ultimately coming to the same conclusion.
We’re ready for 25 minutes but I do believe that the cumulative damage will have become too much by the fourth round, resulting in Nate’s corner stopping the fight if the referee doesn’t do it before that.
The main worry that fans of McGregor had when this rematch was announced was that he simply wanted a "do-over" and would approach the fight in the same way, but having seen the additions he has made to his team of training partners from what he has shown us, as well as Kavanagh's comments, it's quite clear that the rematch is a very different proposition for all involved in the camp.
While we haven't heard much from the Diaz camp, it will be very interesting to see what shape he arrives to fight in and how he has approached his second shot at McGregor knowing that a win would essentially grant him the ability to call the shots regarding his next steps.
There's not long to go now, and you can read Kavanagh's thoughts in full over on The 42.ie:
