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I mopped the gym to pay for my MMA career after becoming homeless… now I’m sponsored by Conor McGregor and a top star
Irish MMA star tells SunSport about her special friendship with Conor McGregor
SINEAD KAVANAGH has gone from mopping the gym floor to becoming a top MMA star in the space of ten stunning years.
Kavanagh first walked into the famed Straight Blast Gym in Dublin aged 28 over a decade ago.
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It came off the back of a successful amateur boxing career that saw her compete with Katie Taylor, Natasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall.
But a lack of money or opportunities in the ring left Kavanagh - who had just welcomed son Leon into the world - down on her luck.
She found herself battling homelessness and looked at MMA as one final chance to make a living out of fighting.
But Kavanagh had to convince esteemed coach John Kavanagh - the man who mentored Conor McGregor - to let her train free of charge.
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She said: “I thought, ‘Right, I’m going to give this MMA a crack.’ It was the last crack at the whip and yeah, it f***ing worked out!
“I walked into John’s gym and my mate was actually talking for me and he said, ‘This girl is good, will you look after her?’
“And John said, ‘Alright. Come down.’ I said I had no money to pay you, because I didn’t. I was literally broke, f***ing homeless, I just had a son.
“I had not a penny, I scraped my money together just to get a bus to training, it was hard times.
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“And yeah, John said, ‘Here’s a mop. You can mop the floors after training.’ And the rest is history, I just came down and kept doing it.
“And I fight in the biggest f***ing arenas in the world, I’ve fought the best in the world and I’m making a living out of fighting which was always a dream of mine to do and I achieved that.”
Kavanagh became yet another star to come out of the SBG where McGregor was coached to two UFC titles.
She was soon signed to Bellator and in 2021 challenged for the featherweight title but suffered defeat to legend Cris Cyborg.
Kavanagh was due to return on March 22 in Belfast against Leah McCourt, who she defeated in 2022, but her rival pulled out injured.
Remarkably, Kavanagh beat McCourt after suffering TWO tears in her leg in just the opening round.
Kavanagh battled on with one leg to win on points and had to be carried out by McGregor, who was cageside screaming in support.
Sinead Kavanagh: How I fought through agony
SINEAD KAVANAGH rematches Leah McCourt in Belfast on March 22 - two years after tearing her leg twice in their fight.
Here, Kavanagh tells us how she managed to battle through the pain and agony to win.
She said: “First 30 seconds she took me down and I was on the ground, just like, ‘What is wrong with my leg?’ There was something stinging and it just didn’t feel right.
“But then when I got up and kicked her with that leg, I just went, ‘Nope, there is something wrong with my leg!’
“I couldn't stand up, it just kept giving out. As the fight went on it just got more painful so I just grinded my teeth.
“I wanted to win and I knew if I could just hold onto the last round I could get my hand raised and that’s what I done.
“I don’t think anyone would have gone through the pain that I went through in that fight and win, on one leg, at her own game. I couldn’t even punch.”
She said: “He’s a big support for me to get through that.
"He carried me out of the cage and went back into the changing room and was like, ‘That’s your ACL gone, you’ll be grand, you’ll be out for a bit.’
“It happened with him in the Max Holloway fight. He’s a big support for me, sponsors me and is always there for me.”
The featherweight was carried out of the cage by McGregor and coach Kavanagh in a now iconic moment.
And it symbolised two of the most important figures in all of Kavanagh's career.
She said: “I wouldn’t be where I am without John Kavanagh, he’s given me all the knowledge that I need to know in MMA.
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“Obviously I’m learning all the time but he’s a mastermind at MMA and jiu jitsu and I take everything seriously whatever he tells me.
“With Conor’s support, sponsoring me, being there for me, hitting me up with texts and all, it’s absolutely a dream sometimes how well I’ve done out this game.”
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