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John Kavanagh has admitted that the injury which forced Conor McGregor out of UFC 303 could have been avoided.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has not competed since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was due to return against Michael Chandler in June 2024, but withdrew after breaking his little toe during training.
It was the first time in McGregor’s career that he had pulled out of a scheduled fight. After such a lengthy spell away from competition, however, “The Notorious” was unwilling to return unless he was fully fit.
Kavanagh has now taken responsibility for the incident, admitting that he should have introduced stricter safety measures during the sparring session in which McGregor was injured.
“I’ll say it more bluntly than he will,” Kavanagh told The Ariel Helwani Show. “I should have had protective equipment on both fighters from the beginning.
“The session was a little rushed. It is different when you are sparring properly compared to sparring for cameras during something like ‘Embedded’ or ‘Countdown.’ It became a little disorganised, and we did not handle it correctly.
“I have to hold my hands up. I should have made sure they were wearing all the necessary equipment.”
Kavanagh explained that McGregor awkwardly struck his training partner Tristan’s elbow during the opening minute of the first round.
“He whispered to me between rounds that he thought his toe was broken,” Kavanagh added. “I tried to stop the session, but he insisted on completing the remaining four rounds.
“He managed to finish all five because adrenaline can carry you through, but the injury was nasty.”
McGregor is now set to make his long-awaited comeback in a rematch against Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the main event of UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Kavanagh admitted that seeing McGregor’s absence stretch from three years to five left him feeling responsible.
“I felt sick—really sick,” he said. “It was my fault, and I am not going to avoid saying that. I should have made sure they had the proper equipment.
“We have been extremely careful throughout this training camp. He has not had a knock, a bruise or any other issue. He is 100 percent healthy, and people will get to see the best version of him.”
