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John Kavanagh, the longtime coach of former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, has hit the gong for the countdown to UFC 257. The event is set to take place on January 23, 2021.
In a recent Tweet, Kavanagh shared Conor’s goosebumps-invoking walkout at UFC 246 and referenced the Irishman's impending return.
“51 days. Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same", wrote Kavanagh.
Conor McGregor put on an immaculate striking display in January earlier this year, needing less than a minute to finish UFC veteran Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
‘The Notorious One’ hurt ‘Cowboy’ with shoulder strikes before landing a vicious kick that rocked him. He then followed up with brutal ground and pound to end the fight.
He is now set to have a rematch against Dustin Poirier, who is ranked number 2 in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
Poirier and McGregor last squared off at UFC 178 in September 2014. However, that fight was at featherweight.
Conor finished Dustin via KO in less than 2 minutes of round 1 and then went on to eventually capture the featherweight and lightweight belts - becoming the first UFC fighter to hold two straps simultaneously.
Poirier, too, would capture the interim lightweight belt after defeating Max Holloway.
Conor McGregor has mentioned on several occasions that winning the title again is his ‘destiny’ and has been looking sharp in his preparations for the bout.
Poirier has also stated that a win would get him in contention to fight for the title next.
John Kavanagh, it seems, has blown the battle horn. Either way, this will be an interesting and highly entertaining fight.
Conor McGregor’s path back to becoming the UFC
lightweight champion
Before dismantling Cerrone, Conor McGregor had fought Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
While McGregor would lose by submission in the 4th round, the bad blood between the two led to an ugly brawl after the match.
Fighters from both teams were involved and disciplinary action was taken against several of those involved.
Khabib has since relinquished the lightweight title after defending it two more times.
However, UFC President Dana White remains hopeful about his return and Khabib is still listed as the 155-pound champion.
Therefore, it is safe to assume that the winner of this bout should get to fight for the title next.
Justin Gaethje, though, remains the number one ranked fighter and could be seen squaring off against UFC newcomer Michael Chandler in yet another top-of-the-line fight in the weight class.
If an unofficial UFC lightweight tournament gets underway to decide the champion, what will Conor McGregor's chances be?
