Lone’er Kavanagh makes his UFC debut on Saturday – but his road to the promotion wasn’t always plain sailing.
The 25-year-old who trains at GB Top Team in Mitcham may have been left reconsidering his career path when he was bested in his first amateur bout, outpointed by Festus Ahorlu as a teenager at Fury MMA 9 in September 2013. Kavanagh took two years to hone in on his skills in the cage before facing Jawany Scott at Rise Of Champions in October 2015 with high hopes of finally having his hand raised.
However, he once again tasted victory – submitted by a vice-like rear-naked choke in the second round of the contest. With an amateur record of 0-2 at the time, many fighters may have decided to call it quits there and then – after all, star-power and achievement doesn’t tend to come to those who have a knack for losing.
Thankfully, Kavanagh decided to stick at it, securing a unanimous-decision win over Myles Richards under the BCMMA banner in May 2017. Kavanagh then saw two draws against Omar Sargent and Nik Bagley Respectively, before beating Mudhin Abubakar the following year – making the decision to go pro.
Speaking exclusively to the Irish Star about how his career kicked off, Kavanagh explained: “I had my first-ever amateur fight when I was like 14-years-old and obviously building myself up through the ranks, making mistakes and learning from them I feel like have made me the fighter that I am today.
“For me, you have to make mistakes in order to learn. Through my amateur career, I made a couple mistakes, getting into the pro ranks… I feel like I’ve just tried to refine myself through my team-mates and through everything else, through my coaches, and just keep getting better and better every time.”
He added: “Of course losing sucks, but me going through those losses made me realise that I never want to lose again. I do whatever I can, I train my a*** off. I do whatever I can to make sure I never feel those feelings again.”
While Kavanagh’s amateur record could be described as a mixed-bag, his professional career has been the polar opposite. Fast forward to 2024 and the flyweight has racked up an impeccable record of seven wins and zero losses, making his way through his respective division in Cage Warriors with ease.
Kavanagh found viral fame in August this year when he signed up for Dana White’s Contender Series, bagging a UFC contract in incredible fashion. The Contender Series recruits the best up and coming fighters from around the world for a single fight in Las Vegas under the watchful eye of UFC president White, who then picks and chooses which fighters he wants to sign to the promotion.
Kavanagh was pitted up against 6-0 An Tuan Ho at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas come August 13, leaving White completely speechless when he delivered his opponent a stunning first-round knockout. The Londoner started out incredibly strong during the bout, showing impeccable movement while mixing up his striking.
Around half way into the round, Kavanagh sprang towards his opponent with a solid left hook followed by a glancing right cross, sending Ho to the canvas out cold. Completely stunned by the performance, White could be seen mouthing “holy s***” before staring at the talent in amazement.
Speaking exclusively to the Irish Star this week about that night, Kavanagh explained: “To be honest, it was so surreal. Being in the situation that I was in and getting that finish was amazing. I felt on top of the world. But with me I’m always like, ‘okay, sweet. I’m so thankful for that happening, but what’s next?’ And luckily I’ve been given the opportunity to fight on UFC Macau.”
Kavanagh makes his official UFC debut on Saturday when Macau, China, hosts the UFC. Former bantamweight champions Petr Yan and Davison Figueireido headline the card, which is jam packed with an abundance of Chinese talent. Kavanagh is set to go head-to-head with fellow debutant Jose Ochoa (also 7-0) at the Galaxy Arena.
A knockout artist who’s recently shown that he has skills on the ground, Peru’s Ochoa is still yet to see the judges’ scorecards after seven professional bouts – with six KO/TKOs to his name as well as an anaconda submission in his last bout. When asked about what he thinks of his dangerous opponent come Saturday, Kavanagh admitted: “To be honest with you, I don’t watch too much of my opponents just because you end up obsessing over them and stuff like that.
“So I leave it more down to my coaches to do their research, and then I listen to what my coaches say. But from what I’ve seen of him, obviously he’s good. He’s in the UFC for a reason, he’s 7-0 for a reason. I know he’s a good fighter, but I do believe that I’m better.”
