“I Was Genuinely Shocked by It” – Coach Jon Kavanagh Relived the Iconic “There’s Only One Conor McGregor” Chant That Filled the Arena at His First Major MMA Triumph

UFC star Conor McGregor built a reputation for his brash attitude and charismatic persona. Further, his larger-than-life personality followed him both inside and outside the octagon, and, as a result, he rocked the popularity charts. The Irish fighter’s craft with the camera only added to his long following. While his reign in the UFC established him as one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, his audience-alluring skills date back to the time the ‘Mystic Mac’ fought under the Cage Warrier banner. Not only did the Dublin-born leave the Helix arena with the gold, but his presence also enchanted the home crowd.

Notably, the incident that took place on 2 June 2012 finds a special narration in his MMA coach John Kavanagh’s book, “Win or Learn: MMA, Conor McGregor and Me: A Trainer’s Journey”. The noted coach bore witness to the phenomenon that his discipline had become as he entered the cage with an intention of claiming the title.

The city size crowd filled the small Helix arena for Conor McGregor

The 46-year-old reminisced how the arena, with a meager capacity of 1,000, sounded like it managed to pack in half of the Dublin. In addition, the promotion gave the ‘Notorious’ scope to exhibit his entertaining facet in the interviews, as he was in the Octagon.

However, the BJJ practitioner failed to realize the extent to which the 34-year-old had captured the imagination of the MMA world until he began his walkout to the cage that fateful night. While the reception for earlier fighters was loud, it touched another scale when the former UFC champion walked out.

Encapsulating the experience, the MMA pioneer wrote, “People were going crazy. I was genuinely shocked by it. This is something very different, I thought. It’s a cliché, but there was an electricity in the air as Conor entered the cage.”

The opponent, Dave Hill, crushed by the audience’s shouts, felt he had to take on the entire arena instead of one fighter.

The crowd chanted the iconic chant as McGregor intimated his opponent

Typical to his nature, he taunted his opponent while the referee gave pre-fight instructions. Thus, the 26-6 record holder imitated the ominous fate that his opponent had fallen to.

While the SBG Ireland product indulged in trash talk, the crowd chanted, “There’s only one Conor McGregor”. McGregor made quick work of his opponent as he put Hill to sleep with a rear-naked choke in round 2. Thus, he picked his first submission win and also the champion’s title. Subsequently, he went on to win another title shot and earned the double champ tag in Cage Warriors.

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What do you think of this incident narrated by the MMA coach John Kavanagh about Conor McGregor? Do you believe McGregor carries a larger-than-life persona? Let us know in the comments below.

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