John Kavanagh Talks About The Time Conor McGregor Crashed J-Lo’s Birthday Party

In an interview with The Irish Independent, MMA coach John Kavanagh spoke about a time when UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor crashed the birthday party of Jennifer Lopez. Here are highlights:

On why MMA is in a cage: “They used to hold the events in boxing rings but a lot of our sport is grappling and wrestling and people kept going through the ropes, so it was part functional. The chain-ring fence allowed the fans to see, and you could lean against it without going through, but a part of it was definitely theatrical. If you watch that documentary about UFC 1, they were discussing having fire on the outside, or a ring surrounded by alligators in a moat, and it was Hollywood meets sport. But now it’s just the format. A ring? It’s boxing. A cage? It’s mixed martial arts. But if it was up to me, I would probably try for a different look so that wasn’t people’s first impression.”

On the tension before a fight: “It’s incredible and it’s what makes Conor so special, because the amount of people that break down, and I see them breaking down, and by the time they walk to the cage, they’re exhausted. Conor gets bigger, somehow he gets bigger, and I believe that’s a one-in-hundred-thousand (trait) because most people wilt… millions of eyes on you… a guy over there who has trained to take your head off… the build-up… the tension… the walk-out. I find it fascinating that he can do it. I couldn’t do it.”

On the time Conor McGregor crashed Jennifer Lopez’s birthday party: “We go in and J-Lo catches his eye and comes running over like a schoolgirl: “Oh! Conor McGregor! Thank you for coming. Let’s dance!” She drags him to the dancefloor and they start dancing and I’m like: ‘Oh, here we go, just another crazy story.’ Ronaldo is there. He comes over, tells me that he reads everything (I write) and follows me on Instagram. I’m thinking: ‘Wait until I tell my dad about this!'”