Morning Report: John Kavanagh ups the ante on Connor McGregor's two-minute stoppage prediction
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With a title shot on the line, UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor has enough to worry about when he faces veteran Dennis Siver Jan. 18 in Boston, Mass.
He hasn't exactly been shy about his predictions, claiming he'll stop Siver halfway through the first round.
"So January 18th, I feel I will stop Dennis Siver inside two minutes," McGregor said earlier this month. "I've ran through some scenarios, I cannot see him escaping the first two minutes. He is a seasoned veteran, he is a kickboxing expert, a taekwondo expert, he is my most experienced competitor that I will ever have faced. But I feel that under two minutes it will take me to dispatch him, and again it will make way for the football stadium in Ireland."
Well, make sure you're not late to the party, because McGregor's head coach and trainer John Kavanagh sees the fight going quite a bit quicker.
"I don't know, I think [McGregor's] wrong to be honest," Kavanagh told Independent.ie. "I can't see it go past a minute."
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that McGregor will be awarded a title shot with a win over Siver in Boston, but where it could take place is just as intriguing.
Kavanagh says the prospect of McGregor possibly challenging featherweight champion Jose Aldo on home soil in Ireland is neither a distraction or motivation.
"It's just fact," said Kavanagh. "This has been seen coming for a long time. In interviews you're asked, 'What do you think of your next opponent? What do you think of the next fight?' So you have to answer. Now, when fans hear the answer they go, 'Oh, he's looking past the next opponent. We're not."
Kavanagh assures his prized pupil isn't looking past Siver, despite a noticeable lack of the German being promoted ahead of the main event bout in Boston.
"You've asked the question so we give the answer, but in the gym, every day, the preparation is the same," said Kavanagh. "No matter who he ends up facing. If it's Siver, great. If he drops out and Cub Swanson steps in, great. It doesn't make a difference. The preparation is done as best as we can and then in interviews if you're asked to project where we are a year or two from now, you try to give answers.
"By no means are we in the gym kicking back with cigars and whiskey saying, 'Well, we can chill past this guy and let's focus on the Aldo fight.
View attachment 169
With a title shot on the line, UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor has enough to worry about when he faces veteran Dennis Siver Jan. 18 in Boston, Mass.
He hasn't exactly been shy about his predictions, claiming he'll stop Siver halfway through the first round.
"So January 18th, I feel I will stop Dennis Siver inside two minutes," McGregor said earlier this month. "I've ran through some scenarios, I cannot see him escaping the first two minutes. He is a seasoned veteran, he is a kickboxing expert, a taekwondo expert, he is my most experienced competitor that I will ever have faced. But I feel that under two minutes it will take me to dispatch him, and again it will make way for the football stadium in Ireland."
Well, make sure you're not late to the party, because McGregor's head coach and trainer John Kavanagh sees the fight going quite a bit quicker.
"I don't know, I think [McGregor's] wrong to be honest," Kavanagh told Independent.ie. "I can't see it go past a minute."
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that McGregor will be awarded a title shot with a win over Siver in Boston, but where it could take place is just as intriguing.
Kavanagh says the prospect of McGregor possibly challenging featherweight champion Jose Aldo on home soil in Ireland is neither a distraction or motivation.
"It's just fact," said Kavanagh. "This has been seen coming for a long time. In interviews you're asked, 'What do you think of your next opponent? What do you think of the next fight?' So you have to answer. Now, when fans hear the answer they go, 'Oh, he's looking past the next opponent. We're not."
Kavanagh assures his prized pupil isn't looking past Siver, despite a noticeable lack of the German being promoted ahead of the main event bout in Boston.
"You've asked the question so we give the answer, but in the gym, every day, the preparation is the same," said Kavanagh. "No matter who he ends up facing. If it's Siver, great. If he drops out and Cub Swanson steps in, great. It doesn't make a difference. The preparation is done as best as we can and then in interviews if you're asked to project where we are a year or two from now, you try to give answers.
"By no means are we in the gym kicking back with cigars and whiskey saying, 'Well, we can chill past this guy and let's focus on the Aldo fight.