John Kavanagh praises Conor McGregor for putting himself ‘in scenarios where failure is a very real possibility’

On Monday night, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor released an honest and astute assessment of his UFC 229 submission loss to undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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“Thoughts on my last fight. Round 1. I believe from a sport standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. Zero position advancement or damage inflicted. But top position. From a fight standpoint the first round is mine. Actual shots landed and a willingness to engage. Straight left early. Knee to the head on the low shot. Elbows in any and all tie up scenarios. Opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round. Round 2 he is running away around the cage before being blessed with a right hand that changed the course of the round, and the fight.
It was a nice shot. After the shot I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played. If I stay switched on and give his stand up even a little more respect, that right hand never gets close and we are talking completely different now. I gave his upright fighting no respect in preparation. No specific stand up spars whatsoever. Attacking grapplers/wrestlers only. That won’t happen again. I also gave my attacking grappling no respect. To defense minded. Lessons. Listen to nobody but yourself on your skill set.You are the master of your own universe. I am the master of this. I must take my own advice. Round 3. After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage.
Round 4. My recovery was not where it could have been here. That is my fault.
Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence. A stable position. Here however, I made a critical error of abandoning my over hook at this crucial time, exposing the back, and I end up beaten fair and square.
What can I say? It was a great fight and it was my pleasure. I will be back with my confidence high. Fully prepared. If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It’s all me always, anyway.See you soon my fighting fans I love you all.” – Conor McGregor on Instagram. 

This statement from Conor McGregor prompted his head coach, John Kavanagh, to praise the Irish star for putting himself in situations where defeat is such a plausible outcome — from his 2017 boxing match with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather, to this recent battle with Nurmagomedov.

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“‘Success is not Final and Failure is not Fatal.’ The difference is not the talk or even that left hand. It’s the mindset to continually put himself in scenarios where failure is a very real possibility and if that happens then accepting it, learning from it and trying again. So many people are frozen into inactivity due to fear of failure, fear of ridicule. The reality is that success is not about avoiding failure but the knowledge that it’s an important and inevitable step towards your goals. I look forward to the rise…” – Coach John Kavanagh on Instagram.

What do you think the future holds for Conor McGregor after UFC 229?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/23/2018.