John Kavanagh wasn’t shocked to see Dustin Poirier utilize calf kicks in his bout against Conor McGregor at UFC 257 , but the SBG Ireland head coach did admit that the devastating effect of those kicks certainly caught them by surprise as Poirier handed McGregor the first TKO loss of his career in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to ESPN in the aftermath of the fight, Kavanagh revealed just how debilitating Poirier’s kicks were as what looked like a positive start to the fight for McGregor ended abruptly in the second round. Immediately after the fight, McGregor pointed to inactivity as one of the key factors in his defeat before revealing just how damaging Poirier’s kicks were. Kavanagh agreed but said that even additional training wouldn’t have fully prepared his man for the kicks he took. “He does so much sparring that you hope that there’s not going to be ring rust, because he’s getting the rounds in,” Kavanagh said
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Conor McGregor’s coach explains devastation of Dustin Poirier’s leg kicks at UFC 257 – MMA Junkie