Conor McGregor’s long-time coach John Kavanagh has spoken to BBC Northern Ireland about what 2018 may hold for the UFC superstar.
Dana White recently indicated that if McGregor doesn’t defend his title soon that he would likely be stripped of his lightweight title, but that’s not something that appears to be giving Kavanagh much cause for concern.
“Conor’s still the champion. They can say what they want – I have his belt at home, actually,” Kavanagh told the BBC. “He’s still the champion. He’s making the decision on what makes sense for the next move. It’s kind of early days yet. We’re just watching how that has developed while he’s been away; he’s had other going things on. Let’s see what happens in 2018. I’m excited about it, anyway.”
In the mean time though, Kavanagh says McGregor is back in the gym doing what he does best.
“I’m happy to see him back just regular training,” Kavanagh said. “He had a lot going on in his life, a lot of stuff outside of fighting was going on in his life. He seems to be getting the hang of all that. He’s back training almost everyday now.”
However, Kavanagh said McGregor has yet to confirm exactly what he plans to do next, though he has his own ideas about what would be best for him.
“I think 2018 will be another big year for us,” Kavanagh said. “Exactly what that is, I don’t know yet. The plan is forming, but as they say, stay tuned. … My opinion, I’ll be pushing very hard for MMA. The boxing was a nice detour from what we’ve done, but mixed martial arts is my passion. If I have anything to do with it, he’ll be in the octagon this year.”
