JOHN KAVANAGH IS adamant that 155lbs is the ideal weight for Conor McGregor, yet the Straight Blast Gym fighter hasn’t fought in that category for nearly four years.
In what will be his 10th bout since joining the ranks of the UFC, McGregor will finally return to lightweight this Saturday night when he faces the division’s defending champion, Eddie Alvarez, at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Having conquered the featherweight [145lbs] division last December by dethroning Jose Aldo, McGregor’s two previous outings in 2016 were welterweight [170lbs] fights against Nate Diaz. At 155lbs, without the arduous weight-cut or having to take on significantly larger opponents, Kavanagh expects to see his most high-profile fighter at his best.
McGregor’s last lightweight outing was on New Year’s Eve in 2012, when he defeated Ivan Buchinger to win his second Cage Warriors title before moving to the UFC. A win against Alvarez on Saturday night would see the Dubliner become the first fighter to hold multiple UFC titles simultaneously. For Kavanagh, it’ll be a case of Goldilocks and the two belts.
“It’s like the Goldilocks porridge — a little bit too hot, a little bit too cold, and just right,” the SBG head coach explained to The42, when asked for his thoughts on the three weight classes McGregor has been active in.
“His last fight before going into the UFC was at 155 [pounds] and, for me, that was the ideal weight. But I guess the fights that had influenced [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby’s decision to reach out were the 145 fights. Sean looks after the 145 and below divisions so he nabbed him for 145, so we just rolled with it.”
In an exclusive interview with The42 before he departed for New York this week, Kavanagh also discussed several other topics, including why preparing McGregor for Alvarez has been more straightforward than it was for Nate Diaz.
See the video above for the interview in full.
