Conor McGregor was awarded his black belt in jiu-jitsu this week. His long-time coach, John Kavanagh, bestowed this prestigious honor upon the former UFC champion at the SBG Ireland gym. McGregor has started training for a fight with Michael Chandler, which is scheduled for late 2023 or early 2024. He was seen sparring with Irish UFC prospect Ian Garry in Dublin on Sunday.
Related: Conor McGregor and UFC star Ian Garry sparring together
While in Ireland, Conor McGregor attended a jiu-jitsu class with Kavanagh, who presented him with his black belt at the end of the session.
Kavanagh said, “It’s not normal to give out a belt during the no-gi class, but nothing about this man’s career or life has been normal. He has been an incredible exponent of martial arts his whole life and has excelled in the professional area. But for me, it’s his interest and passion about it day to day that make him special.”
McGregor was emotional as he thanked Kavanagh and said:
“I appreciate this, guys. Thank you, John, for so much over the years. It’s great to be home and around UFC talent. I’m with SBG for life, and this means the world to me.”
Conor McGregor continued by stating that he had been practicing jiu-jitsu for a long time and that Kavanagh’s award of a black belt meant a lot to him. When you get a black belt from John, it gets deeper, he remarked.
“Coach Kavanagh doesn’t have a lot of black belts.”
Conor McGregor
After attaining parity with the Cage Warriors, McGregor became the first dual-weight UFC champion. Forbes assessed his net worth at $180 million in 2021. He will definitely make the UFC Hall of Fame.
However, Conor McGregor last fought in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier.