John Kavanagh Says His Reputation Is At Stake In Nate Diaz Rematch

The highly-anticipated rematch between Nate Diaz and UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is upon us, as the blockbuster UFC 202 card is merely two weeks away and has mixed martial arts (MMA) fans around the world foaming at the mouth in anticipation.

McGregor is seeking redemption after his upset loss to Diaz this past March, as the Stockton Native’s superior ground game resulted in ‘Notorious” downfall after being forced to tap to a well clenched rear naked choke in the second round.

The Irish champ and his team have been deep in preparation for the rematch that he has been obsessing over since the conclusion of their initial meeting, and at the forefront of production is SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh.

Kavanagh recently wrote an exclusive piece for The 42, in which he claims the result of the rematch against Diaz holds his own reputation as a coach at stake:

“This is a very important fight for Conor, but I also feel that my own reputation as a coach is at stake. This contest can be a bit of a game-changer for us all. Some observers who are obsessed with weight classes and belts don’t see this as a very meaningful fight. They’re more interested in seeing Conor defend his featherweight belt and going after the lightweight strap too.

But for me, we’re very lucky to be in a position to have an immediate rematch. In most cases, fighters have to be patient in order to get that chance. Having an opportunity to reverse an unfavourable result under the same circumstances just a few months later provides us with a chance to show that ‘Win or Learn’ isn’t just a catchy phrase. It really is something we practice and we have done for a long time.

I know Conor will do himself proud, while also proving that methodology to be correct by ensuring that this fight is very one-sided. I do believe that this win must be very dominant. It can’t be a close decision or anything like that. In that case there won’t be much satisfaction.

We want to deliver a contest which will remove any doubts or questions in the aftermath. We want to put a definitive stamp on this to prove that for us, it really is a case of win or learn.

I firmly believe that Conor’s loss to Diaz earlier this year will turn out to be a significant turning point in his career, which will really stand to him as we embark on this next part of the journey and the next batch of fights, whether they’re at featherweight, lightweight or welterweight.

We know what routine to follow now. Technically speaking we were already quite sound. Routine was the missing link. We have it now and I’m very excited about moving forward with it.

There can be no excuses here if we don’t get the result we’re pursuing. The preparation has been flawless. But the reassuring thing from our point of view is that I know we won’t need any excuses because it’s not going to come to that.”

Diaz and McGregor will collide once again in the main event of UFC 202 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 20, 2016.

You can read Kavanagh’s full article here.