Conor McGregor made a mistake heading into theDustin Poirier rematch in January.- That's according to McGregor and coach
John Kavanagh , who want to fix it ahead of a trilogy bout. - Kavanagh said the team need to drill more aspects of
MMA rather than being reliant on boxing.
Conor McGregor made a big mistake that his head coach John Kavanagh is trying to fix ahead of the Dustin Poirier trilogy bout later this year.
Poirier knocked McGregor out in a stunning Fight Island upset January when a combination of merciless leg kicks and a shellacking against the fence in the second round saw the Irishman drop to the floor and lose consciousness.
In the weeks after the loss, having consoled himself on board a $4 million yacht in Dubai with his young family, McGregor conceded that he deserved to lose the fight.
He said he was too "single disciplined" in his approach, reliant on an ineffective boxing stance, and was looking through Poirier because a lucrative payday against Manny Pacquiao was presenting itself behind the scenes.
Speaking to BT Sport earlier this month, Kavanagh confirmed this view, saying: "We got a bit obsessed with boxing. There was talk of a big boxing fight after that. Our bad, our mistake, our fault."
The coach, who trains students out of a Straight Blast Gym facility he owns in Dublin, added that in future camps they need to ensure that they drill all aspects of MMA - particularly jiu jitsu and kickboxing.
"We have to fix that technical detail," said Kavanagh. "It's not like we have to fix everything.
"It's just a small enough area, get that back into the whole game. The knock on him was the boxing mentality going into an MMA mentality.
"Conor was always famous for his movement, his ability to change stances - his bounce as he would say - and we need to bring that all back.
"It's there; it's under the hood. It's not like the skills need to be learned or even relearned. They just have to be reignited and we have to start that process."
Soon after McGregor's defeat to Poirier, Pacquiao's team said the eight-weight boxing champion was moving on from a crossover bout with the Irishman as public interest had dwindled.
But McGregor has his own focus and is determined to secure an instant rematch, a third installment in his developing rivalry with Poirier, who he beat in 2014.
Poirier's calf kick strategy 'was genius'
Eddie Alvarez, a former
The pair's 2015 fight took place in the 145-pound featherweight division, while their second was a weight higher at lightweight.
"Poirier is not a small 55er; he's a big 55er," One Championship athlete Alvarez told us.
"So, to be able to cut to 45, for him, that's exhausting. I think at 45, he wasn't his best self, and at 55, he has a proven track record, still has his power, has his feet, and puts guys away.
"And I think it was a whole different fight in itself, and it showed.
"Along with that, implementing his cornerman's calf kick strategy, taking away Conor McGregor's left hand was genius - I thought it was a great strategy."
In his interview with BT Sport, Kavanagh said they would need to work out a solution for the calf kicks - strikes that caused so much damage McGregor struggled to walk without the assistance of crutches after the fight.
To secure the win in the third bout, that is yet to be booked by the UFC but is expected to take place in the summer, the MMA legend Georges St. Pierre said McGregor must leave his comfort zone.
"He needs not to be the boss of his training camp," the Canadian superstar told ESPN this week. "He needs his coaches to tell him now you're gonna spar this guy, you're gonna go there, do this.
"Even if it doesn't please him, he needs to go through that because if you stay in your comfort zone, the only thing that can happen is you will go down."