“It was very shortsighted by the UFC” – John Kavanagh on taking away McGregor’s featherweight belt

For the first time since Conor McGregor and his featherweight belt parted ways on Sunday morning, a member of his team has spoken about the situation as SBG head coach John Kavanagh appeared on the Red FM breakfast show this morning.

“It was more the UFC,” Kavanagh said when asked about whose decision it was to take the featherweight belt away from McGregor.

“For me personally, I was very disappointed with how they went about doing it.”

“It was a very messy set of circumstances which led to doing it. They lost a main event (at UFC 206) and then they haphazardly threw together a new main event.”

“They felt they had to make this for a title in order for it to sell so they brought in another interim title that Jose Aldo already has and then bumped Jose Aldo up to the current undisputed champion. Which just seems ridiculous to me.”

“Conor has only been 11 months since he won that title. There have been many, many examples of fighters waiting 15 months, 18 months before defending it. He’s 11 months and they stripped him of it.”

“I thought it was very shortsighted by the UFC how they went about doing it.”

Kavanagh was also asked about the possibility of McGregor fighting boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather to which he replied: “If the odds were good enough (on it happening) I’d put a few quid on it for next year.”

Kavanagh went on to say that it was no secret that talks had been happening for the last year between the pair but that he didn’t know if their has been a complete breakdown or if the bout was any closer to actually happening.

“Is it getting any closer? I don’t know is the short answer. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me to hear that it’s going to happen.”

“I mean, for Mayweather, he’s 49-0, I’m sure he wants that 50th fight. It’s a nice number.”

“Right now ask the average guy on the street, who do they want to see Mayweather fight, what fight is going to get the most amount of interest? And it would be a superfight with Conor.”

“Stranger things have happened in combat sports than a Mayweather vs. Conor fight.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised by it. Who knows? It’s one of the many options that are there for Conor so let’s see how the next couple of weeks go.”

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