John Kavanagh is one of the most popular MMA coaches in the world. He`s the head coach of former UFC champ Conor McGregor and Straight Blast Gorrila gym in ireland. His first visit in Bulgaria was just this month. The first black belt in BJJ from Ireland came to Bulgaria to corner one of the top welterweights on the Balkans – Georgi Valentinov. The 26-years old Bulgarian is now part of Bellator and he credits that to Kavanagh’s support and mentorship.
The MMA pioneer Kavanagh gave a special interview for us. He started off with saying that he really enjoyed his trip to Bulgaria and loved the crowd at the event he went to coach Valentinov. It even reminded him of Ireland! He also complimented the local fighters for their skills and spotsmanship.
Here`s what he said about starting working with Valentinov:
“Some time ago his manager (Nikola Atanasov) contacted me. He brought Georgi to Ireland. I liked his attitude in the gym. He was humble, but hard-working. He was very focused and has a great record. What I saw last night was amazing – 2000 people cheering his name. He was hosting the show and fighting. That’s amazing for a 26 yrs old man.”
The head-coach of SBG Ireland mentioned that Georgi is very well-rounded and he has plenty of different sparring partners to train with in Dublin.
Here`s what kind of fighters Kavanagh likes:
“I like fighters who are looking to finish. That`s what the fans and the promoters want. Georgi has that”
Watch the rest of the interview and see what Kavanagh had to say about Conor McGregor, young fighters and the rules in his gym:
