Conor McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, has ended all speculation: The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion won’t fight at UFC 249.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov announced he was not going to fight Tony Ferfusen on April 18, McGregor teased in Instragram that “is in fight shape”.
“No chance of that,” Kavanagh told ESPN on Friday on Instagram Live. “Ireland is on a pretty strict lockdown (due to coronavirus). Me and Conor have no physical interactions. There’s no physical interaction at the gym. Gyms are shut down.”
McGregor’s previous short-notice fights have featured switches from his original opponent – not him stepping in for someone else.
“To try and rush that together, I just don’t think it would be smart,” Kavanagh said. “He certainly isn’t fighting so that he has food for the next six months. That’s not where he is in his life.”
Kavanagh confirmed Gaethje’s name was in the conversation.
“(Gaethje) was certainly one of the ones that was being talked about,” Kavanagh said. “That was right up there.”