John Kavanagh (martial artist)

John Kavanagh (born 18 January 1978) is an Irish martial arts coach, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and former professional mixed martial artist. His students include fighters such as Conor McGregor, Makwan Amirkhani, and Gunnar Nelson.

John Kavanagh
Born (1978-01-18) 18 January 1978 (age 46)
Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland
ResidenceDublin, Ireland
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb)
TeamStraight Blast Gym Ireland
Rank4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Matt Thornton
2nd degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate under Pat Conlon[1]
Mixed martial arts record
Total6
Wins3
By submission3
Losses3
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision1
OccupationMartial arts coach
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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He is the founder and head coach of Irish MMA gym Straight Blast Gym Ireland in Inchicore.[2] He is the current president of the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association.[3] Kavanagh was inspired to take up mixed martial arts after watching footage of the UFC tournament in 1993.[4] A pioneer of MMA in Ireland, he competed in some of the earliest local circuit MMA events in Ireland and the UK and is the first Irish man to receive a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[4] Kavanagh was welcomed into the Straight Blast Gym International association of gyms in 2001 by SBGi founder Matt Thornton.[4][5]

Today, Kavanagh is known as one of the best MMA coaches in the world,[6] being nominated for the World MMA Awards "Coach of the Year" in 2016,[7] and winning it in 2017.[8]

Kavanagh is also the promoter of a mixed martial arts organization Euro Fight Night which held their inaugural event in October 2019.[9]

John Kavanagh is the current president of the Irish Amateur MMA Organisation, IMMMA.[10]

Awards and achievements

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
6 matches 3 wins 3 losses
By knockout 0 1
By submission 3 1
By decision 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3–3 Robbie Oliver Submission (armbar) UZI 2: Combat Evolution 8 March 2003 1 2:26 Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Loss 2–3 Danny Batten Submission (keylock) UZI 1: Cage Combat Evolution 30 November 2002 2 N/A Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Loss 2–2 Leigh Remedios Decision (unanimous) UC 1: Ultimate Combat 1 10 March 2002 3 5:00 Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
Win 2–1 Tamel Hasar Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Wars 1 23 February 2002 1 N/A Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom
Loss 1–1 Bobby Karagiannidis KO (punches) Pride and Honor: Pride and Honor 24 November 2001 1 N/A South Africa
Win 1–0 Leighton Hill Submission (triangle choke) Grapple & Strike 1 29 May 2000 1 0:55 Worcester, England, United Kingdom

Instructor lineage

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Kanō JigorōTomita TsunejirōMitsuyo "Count Koma" MaedaHélio GracieRolls Gracie & Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie JrRigan MachadoChris HaueterMatt Thornton → John Kavanagh

Further reading

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  • Kavanagh, John (2016). Win or Learn: MMA, Conor McGregor and Me: A Trainer's Journey. Penguin Random House UK
  • Slack, Jack (2017). Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor Mcgregor. John Blake Publishing Ltd

References

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  1. ^ Kavanagh, John (2016). Win or Learn. Penguin. p. 6. ISBN 9780241977675.
  2. ^ Kevin Van Valkenburg (17 January 2020). "Allegations, controversies complicate Conor McGregor's return". espn.com.
  3. ^ "Outside the Octagon - John Kavanagh: Irish MMA's Game Changer | UFC &reg - News". ufc.com. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Slack, Ch 1. Straight Blast Gym
  5. ^ Mussa, Matthew (6 July 2017). "John Kavanagh, McGregor's Coach: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  6. ^ Blair, Alex (16 October 2016). "John Kavanagh reveals the day he bare-knuckle fought Conor McGregor". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  7. ^ "World MMA Awards winners: Holly Holm cleans up in multiple categories". MMAJunkie. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  8. ^ Farrell, Sinéad (3 March 2017). "Conor McGregor and John Kavanagh scoop MMA awards". newstalk.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  9. ^ Peter Carroll (11 November 2019). "John Kavanagh: I'll happily step down as IMMAA president when MMA is recognized in Ireland". mmafighting.com.
  10. ^ "New body established to represent MMA in Ireland headed by John Kavanagh".
  11. ^ Bryan Tucker (2 March 2017). "World MMA Awards 2017 Results". mmafighting.com.