- Conor McGregor loves the mirror, has a massive ego, and will never be a "fat, old guy."
- That's according to his long-time coach John Kavanagh, who recently told Business Insider that the Irish striker is in phenomenal shape.
- McGregor has not fought in the UFC for more than a year, meaning his status as an athlete is ambiguous.
- But at a press conference in Russia last month, he said he was going to fight thrice in 2020, beginning with a January bout in Las Vegas.
- His comeback comments followed a New York Times report that said the MMA star is facing a second sexual assault investigation in Ireland. McGregor's publicist denies any report accusing him of sexual assault.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
DUBLIN - Conor McGregor has too great an ego to end up some fat, old man, his coach John Kavanagh told Business Insider.
The Irish striker's status as a UFC athlete is currently ambiguous. He has not fought since his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov more than a year ago, and has not won a fight since 2016.
However, at a press conference in Russia last month, McGregor said he is returning to an Octagon in January, will fight in Las Vegas, and wants three fights in total in 2020.
His comeback comments followed a New York Times report that said the MMA star is facing a second sexual assault investigation in Ireland. McGregor's publicist said the fighter denies any report accusing him of sexual assault.
Business Insider knows McGregor has been training regularly at Kavanagh's Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin's Inchicore district for months.
When we visited SBG in September, we asked Kavanagh about rumors linking McGregor with a comeback bout against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, Frankie Edgar, and Justin Gaethje.
"I'm in this game too long to speculate on it. It becomes a headline and then I get in trouble," he said. "When something's confirmed, I'm sure I'll be told, we'll train for it, we'll fight, and that's that.
"I hear the rumors, same as you. I don't even bother texting him about it because there's a new rumor every day. I'd love to see him against anybody. Bring them all on."
Even in September, McGregor was training hard at SBG, with Kavanagh tweeting photos showing McGregor looking big, strong, and ready for battle.
"He has a massive ego, of course he's going to look good," Kavanagh told us. "He's always in shape. He's not going to be a fat, old guy. He loves the mirror, he loves looking good, and he loves being an athlete. He's in phenomenal shape right now and we're back training away."
Here's McGregor loving the mirror:
Conor McGregor's 'technique is sublime'
Earlier this week, Kavanagh tweeted that SBG would no longer be open to non-members "during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m." He said this was "due to reasons."
The cryptic explanation left Kavanagh's followers speculating that the reason was because McGregor is now deep into his training camp ahead of an anticipated comeback in the new year.
For Kavanagh, it is one more fight that not only sees McGregor attempt to bounce back after resounding defeats to Floyd Mayweather in boxing and Nurmagomedov in MMA, but a chance to reestablish McGregor as one of the top fighters on the planet.
"I believe he's arguably the best in the world," Kavanagh told us. "His technique is sublime. His timing. Everything about what he does is fantastic.
"I love watching him. I love training him. I learn every time he's on the mat ... There's always something new in what he does. He's a savant in this area.
"He could buy an island and we'd never hear from him again," Kavanagh said. "So why is he coming down here and getting punched in the face and thrown on his head, killing himself on a bike and a treadmill?
"It's because he loves martial arts and competing. It's fascinating to be around someone like that. He's obsessive."
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Due to reasons @SBG_Ireland is no longer open to non-members during the hours of 10am to 4pm. Please feel free to drop in outside these hours for pics or to visit our shop etc. Thank you for understanding.
- Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) November 13, 2019