Time for "Coach" Kavanagh to earn his pay

[PeacePipe]

What did round 3 show? He was outstuck by a far inferior striker who just wanted to show the world he could hang with Conor. Literally was doing the “look over here” then smack you in the face move. He hung in there sure. And throw his uppercuts with every ounce of energy he had, which was none. But that was basic fighting, not surviving when he’s in trouble. The knee to the head and the 18 or so fouls are actually a better albeit pathetic example of him not just giving up in that fight

I thought he won round 3 and it showed he didn't give up.

 

[do a moniker]

I really don't get the hate Kavanagh gets here. He is a legit BJJ black belt and, by all accounts, a good grappling coach. Nelson trained under him from an early age, as did McGregor. Edmond arguably got lucky when Rousey, one of the most well-decorated judokas of her generation, just happened to walk into his gym. But are we really to believe that Kavanagh, the owner of a small gym in Ireland, just happened to luck out with not one but two fighters? Fighters who were not already established athletes when he started training them, fighters who started with him in their late teens? As far as I can tell, Kavanagh is a decent coach – no better or worse than other coaches of similar gyms. He's no Matt Hume or Firas Zahabi, but there are just a handful of coaches at that higher level.

The hate comes from his status due to Conor. The casual thinks he is in the Zahabi, Hume, etc tier because of his association with Conor. And die hards do not think he has earned that fame. And I do think he got a bit lucky. Most success is mixed in with luck. What people would like to have seen is Kav's gym be more like Bang Muy Thai. That dude MADE TJ (minus all the drugs of course). And TJ is a perfect example of someone who has grown leaps and bounds in his wide skill set, and it is directly from his involvement with Ludwig. Conor is a natural striker with "it's not actually that bad" other MMA skill sets. Kav has done little except nod and encourage the fragile ego'd Conor. Which, as Phil Jackson will attest to, is not an easy task and he should get plenty of credit for that on it's own. People also give him flack for not standing up to Conor and making his camps more difficult or forcing him to evolve. And those chickens are coming home to roost as he is 1-2 of recent, with an additional ridiculous tap out to Nate Diaz. Whether that is fair or not, who knows, but that is at least the explanation of why he gets a hateraid bath.