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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

Conor McGregor's coach admits UFC star's weight was "extreme and unhealthy"

Conor McGregor's longtime coach is happy the Irishman no longer makes the gruelling cut down to 145lb for his UFC fights.

McGregor competed at featherweight for most of his career, but moved up to lightweight after knocking out Jose Aldo to win the undisputed 145lb title in 2015.

Despite never missing the mark in any of his fights, McGregor would often look extremely dehydrated and depleted whilst weighing in.

Whilst McGregor's weight cut was always carried out under the supervision of a medical professional, Kavanagh said the Irishman would never cut back down to 145lb.

“You might have seen some extreme pictures of Conor from years ago when he was fighting in the lower weight classes in the UFC," Kavanagh said on an Instagram live session.

Conor McGregor is a former UFC featherweight champion (GETTY)

"They were very extreme and they were all done under the eyes of a medical professional. Even he himself wouldn’t ever go back to those weight classes now.

“It’s not healthy, and it’s not for the longterm. I would encourage you to look at his more recent pictures he’s putting up on Instagram.

"Look how big and strong that looks. That’s what it is to be a fighter, get big, get strong, and be healthy for life."

McGregor jumped up two weight classes after beating Aldo to fight Nate Diaz in a welterweight clash, losing for the first time in the UFC as he was tapped out.

He would avenge the loss to Diaz later that year whilst also winning the lightweight title to become the first fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.

McGregor has switched between lightweight and welterweight for his most recent fights, but is without a win at 155-pounds since 2016.

Who should Conor McGregor fight in his UFC return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

The UFC star will likely make his return to the cage this summer after breaking his foot against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 last year.

And Kavanagh would like to see the third encounter between McGregor and Diaz when his fighter returns to the cage.

"That would be a way to end it wouldn't it. I think Conor only has one or two left as well," Kavanagh told Mirror Fighting.

"The Nate trilogy I just think those two guys are like Batman and the Joker, they're going to face each other forever. It's almost unimportant who wins.

"They are just perfectly made opponents. It's great fun to build up, they both snipe at each other a lot but there's a bit of the tip of the hat as well.

"They're both warriors and both great fighters, it would be lovely to see that trilogy."

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