Five reasons that Conor McGregor will defeat Jose Aldo, by John Kavanagh
By James Dielhenn
Last Updated: 11/12/15 9:34am
Sky Sports have got the inside-story of Conor McGregor's meticulous preparation to fight Jose Aldo, from his coach.
John Kavanagh, the head coach at the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, is the mastermind behind McGregor's UFC success so far. It is Kavanagh's job to whip McGregor into shape for his featherweight unification fight against Ado on December 12.
Kavanagh exclusively gave Sky Sports five reasons why McGregor will win...
Pressure is for tyres
Kavanagh said: "The God of War just sat down one day and tried to create the perfect warrior. Here he comes, it's McGregor - he looks the part, he speaks well, he's intelligent and he excels in what normal humans think are high-pressure situations.
The God of War just sat down one day and tried to create the perfect warrior.
John Kavanagh
"I remember very clearly in his UFC debut, we walked into the cage. It was my first time as a coach at that level so it was new to all of us. Before he knocked out Marcus Brimage, he walked over to me and said 'this feels no different to the gym'. My heart was beating very quickly and it felt a lot different to the gym for me, but Conor went out there for the first time, and the rest is history.
"In any other fighter I can think of, experience would favour Jose. There's a very, very small percentage of people on this planet who, when put in an incredibly high-pressure situation, not only do they rise but they go far beyond it. For whatever reason, Conor has a bunch of factors that come together when it's time to fight."
He will KO you… and tell you how!
Kavanagh said: "Conor has a generic X-factor when it comes to punching - even I don't know exactly what that is. He hits differently to any other featherweight. He has long levers, and exceptional technique. It's hard to find a better system than western boxing to teach you how to hit as hard as possible.
"There are two things I always see when Conor's fights start as his opponent faces me. After the first exchange, their eyes widen as they realise 'I haven't been hit like this before, it feels different'.
"The second is that the talk is real. It's not to sell tickets. He is genuinely saying what he believes, he's not trying to hype a fight. He comments upon what he sees, and he is prepared to say whatever he says face-to-face with his opponent. And yes, he'll continue that talk as he's fighting."
Aldo is an easier fight than Mendes
Kavanagh said: "It's hard to argue against Jose being the pound-for-pound No 1. He's a decade undefeated, he's the only featherweight champion ever. He's had a fantastic run but that's going to end. Jose's proven twice that he's better than Chad. But, in terms of style, this fight is simpler for Conor than when he fought Chad.
"Jose will try and stand with Conor. Fighters from Europe - and Ireland in particular - grew up fighting tough boxers so preparing for an American wrestler like Chad is a newer challenge. Facing a good striker like Aldo is nothing new to us.
"I'm a results man, and Aldo's results speak for themselves. But in his last few fights he's taken more punishment than he used to - just look at his face after he beat Chad, he was unrecognisable. Remember Mendes is quite new to striking, he doesn't have 10 years of training like Conor has.
"Does Jose think he take that amount of punishment against Conor? Look at how many sub-60 second knockouts Conor has on his record."
Aldo's trademark leg kicks won't matter
Kavanagh said: "When was the last time they had a significant impact on a fight? You have to go back four or five years. Those kicks worked against Urijah Faber, who is a natural bantamweight, who was very green to striking in those days.
"You're going back in MMA history to think of a time that Aldo's kicks worked. When was the last time? I can't remember, maybe somebody can tell me a recent time but I haven't seen it. Mendes, a very short wrestler who fights orthodox, didn't have any trouble with it. Now Aldo is facing a rangy southpaw.
"Kicking a southpaw is dangerous - Conor has broken two guys' legs by blocking their kicks. If you are close enough to kick Conor, his left hand is close enough to hit you, and that's a bad exchange for you."
McGregor can submit Aldo
Kavanagh said: "Don't think we're not training for a 25-minute fight but I'd truly shocked if it went that long. Conor can submit anybody because he's a fantastic martial artist. His main sparring partner for this fight is Gunnar Nelson who is preparing for Demian Maia on the same night as Conor's fight. Nelson is a welterweight submission specialist and Conor holds his own against him.
"Is there a chance that Aldo could be hurt and leave his neck out of position? Yes, I can visualise Conor choking him.
"I won't predict the shot that finishes Aldo - I'll leave that to the expert himself."
