SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh doesn't speak to the media too often, but when he does you usually don't want to miss it.
Not only is he one of the most influential coaches in the MMA world with breakdowns that are worth of hearing, but most notably of course he is the head coach of the one and only Notorious Conor McGregor. And typically anybody tied to McGregor will make headlines when they speak, especially when they speak about the man himself.
On Monday, Kavanagh appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. Of course, Kavanagh had to speak about The Notorious One and what the return plans are. After suffering a gruesome leg injury during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier back in July, McGregor has been rehabbing, but has not exactly been quiet.
Following some of the nasty comments that McGregor made before and after his fight third fight with Poirier, many fans, including myself, wish that he would've stayed quiet and off of social media while he completes his rehab process. McGregor has done just about everything except stay quiet. He has been more present than ever on social media, saying even more controversial things that many would argue are putting a growing stain on his legacy.
However, recently McGregor has switched his social media tone from less trash talk and more return talk. McGregor has stated that he is focused on trying to recapture the 155 pound lightweight belt, despite the fact that he's been posting photos of himself looking bigger than ever and claiming that he's currently 190 pounds.
Just take a look at this comparison between July and now (while shamelessly promoting his new pub in Dublin of course)!
When speaking with Helwani about McGregor's return, Kavanagh revealed what his favorite matchups that he is eyeing for the return are. Kavanagh stated that the Nate Diaz trilogy fight is the fight that he thinks makes the most amount of sense right now.
Kavanagh also mentioned another name that fans have been mentioning as a potential return matchup in Tony Ferguson.
Among Ferguson and Diaz, Kavanagh also mentioned other names such as Dan Hooker, Islam Makhachev, and saying that whoever wins the upcoming title matchup between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier will be an obvious target.
McGregor has recently stated that he will start sparring again around April. From there, look for McGregor fight talks to start heating up. If I were to try to predict how things will go, I would say look for a McGregor return sometime in late summer or fall of 2022. You can view the full interview between Helwani and Kavanagh here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ufDyYE-rA
