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Inside the new $550k Straight Blast Gym, John Kavanagh's famous fight club that's home to Conor McGregor
Inside the new $550k Straight Blast Gym, John Kavanagh's famous fight club that's home to Conor McGregor
Sep 26, 2019, 18:03 IST
Welcome to Ireland's Straight Blast Gym, one of the most famous fight clubs on the planet.
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The gym was founded by MMA coach John Kavanagh in 2001, the first person in Ireland to be awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
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The Straight Blast Gym is located in Inchicore, a suburb 5 kilometers west of Dublin's city center.
The first thing you see when you walk through the double doors is an homage to the successes of the athletes who call Straight Blast Gym their home.
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There is also a tribute to McGregor, which reads: "SBG Ireland HQ is home to the world's first UFC champ champ."
You have to leave your shoes at reception, but once you're inside, it's clear Kavanagh got a lot of space for his money.
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There is a dedicated weights area, but Kavanagh told us: "I'm not a [European gym chain] David Lloyd … I don't need 50 treadmills, that's not what it's about."
This is Kavanagh's full-sized MMA Octagon.
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The gym officially opened on Sunday, September 22.
Kavanagh's official partners at SBG include Monster Energy, Everlast, and Lockhart and Leith Nutrition Services.
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McGregor has been in the new, improved SBG multiple times already.
There is a full-sized boxing ring upstairs.
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Kavanagh hopes to change the image of mixed martial arts in Ireland.
"People have the impression it's just a bunch of nutcases wanting to kill each other, but it's just ordinary people," Kavanagh said.
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One of the areas Kavanagh seemed most satisfied with was the changing rooms.
There is also a communal sauna which can fit up to 40 people, according to Kavanagh.
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At the end of a mixed martial arts class and a session in the sauna, gym members and athletes alike can then do some shopping — inside a cage, of course — where they can buy SBG-branded shirts, and a jiu jitsu uniform called a gi.
John Kavanagh has already produced one world renowned UFC champion, and there could be another elite fighter ready to burst out of the Straight Blast Gym as 22-year-old Bellator MMA fighter James Gallagher looks like a brilliant prospect.