John Kavanagh, affectionately known as "Coach Kavanagh" in MMA circles, appeared on TV3's "The Late Review" last night to defend the legitimacy of mixed martial arts.
Kavanagh, the man responsible for training Ireland's best known UFC fighter, Conor McGregor, appeared on the panel show hosted by Tom McGurk and was challenged on a number of issues regarding the sport.
As one would expect, the extreme violence was brought into the discussion as well as the culture surrounding the sport and at various points throughout the interview, MMA was referred to as nothing more than a "spectacle".
Journalist Eoghan Corry who opposed the sport said: "It [MMA] is ephemeral and inconsequential. It’s not a sport that’s here to stay. It’s something that has arisen out of the debris that was the collapse of professional boxing into all its constituent parts.”
To his credit, Kavanagh defended the athletes and the sport saying: "I think it’s highly competitive. I wouldn’t use the word violent. I would concede that this sport played at the level Conor McGregor does, it is dangerous. There’s dangers, as there is with all sports played at a professional level, whether it’s rugby or boxing and so on. But is it more dangerous than them? Factually speaking, no.”
The full interview is available below.
Hat tip: SevereMMA.com
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