Coach John Kavanagh has refuted the notion that support for Conor McGregor from Irish fans has decreased significantly.
McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon this Saturday night (Jan. 18). He’ll meet Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246. While McGregor is still considered to be the biggest star in MMA, some feel his stock has dropped considerably in the eyes of Irish fans due to his antics outside the Octagon.
Coach Dismisses Notion Of Lost Support For McGregor
SBG Ireland head coach Kavanagh appeared on MMAFighting.com‘s Eurobash podcast. During his appearance, Kavanagh said the reality is McGregor hasn’t lost support in Ireland.
“I’d love for people to spend a little bit of time, like I do, driving through town with Conor or having to call into a shop with Conor, and being mobbed for selfies and people shaking his hand and congratulating him,” said Kavanagh, as featured on a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast.
“I think people sometimes confuse Twitter life with real life and believe stuff on Twitter, but very, very few people are on Twitter. In real life, when you’re going through Dublin and the airport, there are crowds of people screaming and running up to us. I’m not sure I agree with that, maybe there will be a couple of people on Twitter that will write something nice after it if he wins, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.”
McGregor has been under fire for his run-ins with the law. After his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in Oct. 2018, McGregor was arrested for smashing a fan’s iPhone and was fined for striking a bar patron in a pub in Ireland. The “Notorious” one is also reportedly under investigation for two sexual assault allegations.
