Now Ye're Talking - to John Kavanagh

Hazys wrote: »

With MMA being so competitive these days to be a top fighter you basically have to be all in, training 24/7, making a lot of sacrifices and only a small amount of the top fighters make enough to live comfortably once they retire. Do you worry that fighters can get so invested in the game that they can't turn it off and know when to hang up their gloves and some have sacrificed so much for MMA they are left with little alternatives when they retire? Its was kinda sad to see BJ Penn being a shadow of himself at the weekend and you wish he could retire and move to another chapter of his life.

The White Feather wrote: »

1. Why does Jesus love knockouts so much and does the Devil love submissions?

2. I am doing BJJ but wonder how much cardio and strength training to do.If I train in BJJ 3 times a week, how do I get the balance right and not be too tired for the actual BJJ class!

3. I think I saw you say that you didn't like the analogy of BJJ is like Chess. Why not?

4. When I was young, I used to play fight with my older brother. He would annoy me by intentionally punching my hands so I would give up. Have you thought of Conor punching Floyd's brittle hands to make him drop them or give up?!!

Alicano wrote: »

Hey John.

Thanks for all the excitement and enjoyment you and your team have provided in recent years.
Some non mma questions if that's ok?

1)6 celebrity/ non celebrity dinner table guests? Alive or dead.
2)At what time of the day does afternoon become evening?
3)Last 3 dialled people on your mobile :-)

Thanks again and best wishes with everything ahead.

Mellor wrote: »

Thank so for doing this John.

- What was the highlight of your recent trip to Australia?

- You were Ireland first BJJ blackbelt, at latest count there are now over 50 Irish Black belts. How many have you promoted? (Included your students who revieved their belt from Matt).

- The UFC frequently mentions that Gunni received his blackbelt from Renzo. Were you involved in that promotion at all? Was it simply because he was in NYC at the time. Or was it a decision so that he could compete at IBJJF worlds? (2nd degree blackbelt verification rules)

Boom_Bap wrote: »

What's your favorite submission in BJJ?
Is there a favorite 'move' that you like?

vapor trails wrote: »

Things are pretty good in the country economically now and I'm sure you'd admit to a fair degree than Conor has been a huge part in the growth and success of SBG & MMA as a whole. As fellow business owner (I'm in retail) how hard did things get during 2008-2011 ? That rates bill coming in for your big gym must have been painful & I can only imagine that young lad's getting €188 off the dole each week couldn't have been very reliable for their membership fee's.

blapabrew22 wrote: »

You're banished to an island for a year (not Ireland!) however before dropped off, you're allowed to bring one of each of your favourite things. What would you bring for the following:

Food
Movie
Book
Person
Drink
Album

Notorious93 wrote: »

Hi John,

2 questions...

Do you think MMA would be viable as an Olympic sport?

Also wondering, is there any of Conor's past opponents that you and Conor have developed a good relationship with post-fight that ye keep in contact with now and again? I'll assume that Jose is not one of them!

Deleted User wrote: »

I have listened to Sam Harris and Jocko Willink talk about BJJ in the most reverential of tones. Describing it as less a fighting style and more an almost philosophical religious like experience. A way of life more than a mere sport. This would be one example of Harris writing about it.

Have you heard any of their material on this and would you agree with or understand where they are coming from on it?

They seem to think that more so than any other fighting style too - there is no real "Pinnacle" to reach as even at the height your game you learn something new every time you get to the mat?

What would it take to beat Jocko ?

wonderfullife wrote: »

1. Without giving away any specific gameplans, do you think Conor's corkscrew lead uppercut/left cross can land cleanly against any fighter?

2. Do you think Sinead Kavanagh rushed things when she dropped her opponent with that right hook at Bellator 173? As in would she have been better to stand her up on wobbly legs than diving into her guard?

3. Do you see any similarities in terms of a learning experience between Sinead's defeat and Conor's loss to Sitenkov at a similar stage in his career?

4. Are you excited by your new Lynx/SBG partnership and what can it do for the team other than ensure you all smell good lol? Will a Lynx logo be on the next batch of t-shirts and, if so, when are they out?

5. Was the criticism you took for not being in Artem's corner for the Swanson fight unfair? I criticized you a lot for that scheduling conflict. My opinion was based on flight times from Sydney to Nashville being shorter than Sydney to Dublin.

6. Is Richie Smullen in good shape for Rhys McKee and a prediction? I'm thinking sub Round 1, overly optimistic?

7. Do you think Conor's jiujitsu is under-rated because he normally flattens his opponents and we don't get to see a lot of it? People point to Sitenkov, Duffy and Nate but on the flip-side he dominated Max positionally and his modified X-Guard sweep against Nate was great.

8. Some "experts" in the MMA Forum here are saying that you are "completely useless" for the Floyd camp because you don't come from a boxing/striking background and you don't have the faintest notion about boxing and then they mention Pendred as an example to prove their point. Then the likes of Luke Thomas kept on calling Dillon "Conor's BJJ Coach" and he wasn't the only media member doing it.

Do you ever get fed up of people trying to diminish your role or influence?

9. Any concerns stylistically for Charlie for the Galore Bofando fight? Bofando's a KO-artist with a ridiculously good right hook and left high kick and Charlie is coming off a stoppage loss. I would have preferred to see him go in with a grappler not a striker.

10. Have you noticed any change in Gunni and Conor since they had their kids?

Thanks. Sorry for the essay. Hope you're keeping well.

scudzilla wrote: »

Few questions here John, i've steered clear of the MMA/Conor questions, sure you'll have enough of them

1. What did ya think of GnR at Slane (even though ya were probably sat in the Prawn Sandwich area) and apart from GnR, what other bands are you into.

2. What's your favourite type of cheese??

I also trained as a Mechanical Engineer, and was set for a good career as a toolmaker, gave it up after 4yrs as hated working in a factory, do you still remember how to work a lathe/milling machine?

im6foot4 wrote: »

What's your take on the Law of Attraction, and do you implement it in your philosophy of teaching?