Issue 172

November 2018

Before McGregor painted the UFC crowds with the tricolor of the Emerald Isle he was a working-class kid from a Dublin suburb. His journey began as a fresh-faced 12-year-old when he stepped into Crumlin Boxing Club – a gym with a history dating back to the 1930s.

Soon after learning the sweet science he sought to attempt the new equation of mixed martial arts, which he’d eventually solve to become the UFC’s cash cow. He honed his craft at the SBG Ireland gym under the tutelage of head coach, John Kavanagh, who’s been a vital cog in the McGregor machine.

Their innovative methods have caused other athletes in the UFC to re-think their own training.

“I feel like MMA became about lifting weight, training heavy and sparring heavy rounds,” explains McGregor. “But I wasn’t interested in that; it’s the brain that makes the body move right and left so you must nurture it.

“It’s not about lifting heavy and sparring hard. It’s about the body being loose, flexible and having great balance – that’s the basis for what martial arts is about. That’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to learn every way the human body can move." And doing it to great effect, might we add.