John Kavanagh paid a glowing tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov's father Abdulmanap after his death from complications due to coronavirus.
Abdulmanap passed away at the age of 57 and tributes have flowed in from across the world of mixed martial arts for a respected coach who helped to mould Khabib into the undefeated UFC lightweight champion.
McGregor's coach Kavanagh described him as 'a genius of combat sports'.
Straight Blast Gym guru Kavanagh tweeted: "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. A genius of combat sports and absolute inspiration to so many up and coming fighters.
"Sadly only entering his prime of coaching such a loss and tragedy. RIP and best wishes to his family during this difficult time."
SBG fighter Peter Queally credited Abdulmanap with saving him from a scary situation after a recent fight in Russia, saying: "RIP Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. In my last fight in Russia the crowd started attacking the cage after I won, it was turning into a scary situation, my safety seemed in genuine danger.
"Abdulmanap came into the cage & settled things very quickly. He seemed like a great man."
The death comes just over a week after Conor McGregor claimed that he figured Khabib dad's coronavirus illness was a cover-up for Khabib pulling out of a fight with Tony Ferguson in May.
In a post on social media which was later deleted, McGregor said: "I figured it was all just a cover up about Abdulmanap.
"A cover up to hide the lack of activity and the pulling out of fights and running away. Good luck but remember - Allah sees all!"
