Sinn Féin-politikern och den tidigare UFC-atleten Paddy Holohan släppte under veckan sin självbiografi i hemstaden Dublin. I samband med lanseringen intervjuades ”The Hooligan” av ’Eurobash’ och den ansträngda relationen till hans tidigare tränare kom på tal.
”Jag höll Johns rygg i flera år”
Under måndagskvällen samlades vänner, familj och gamla träningskamrater för att uppmärksamma självbiografin ’Hooligan’. I samband med lanseringen deltog Holohan i ’MMA Fightings’ podcast ’Eurobash’. Under samtalet berättade Holohan om hur relationen till coach John Kavanagh utvecklades under karriärens gång. Transkribering via ’MMA Fighting’.
I think what happened was, a huge group of people went and did something really, really great together and I feel like a lot of that is forgotten about. John doesn’t really talk about us and talk about the lads that put the situation where it is now…with me and John, for many years I had worked for the man and I had jumped through hoops for the man—many more hoops than he jumped through for me—he taught me the way. A coach and fighter is a two-way process. At the start it’s a one-way street, you’re learning from the coach and the coach gives you attention and time, but then it becomes a two-way street and that’s when it went wrong.
Anledningen till att de skar sig mellan de båda grundar sig bland annat i en dispyt kring en gemensam investering.
I had John’s back for many years and when it came time for him to have my back, he didn’t; he sat on the fence. When it came time to rectify it, we were asked for a fee of €5000 ($5555). To me, it’s not about the f*cking money, it’s about the control—you pay me and that means I’m above you—that’s all it is. There have been many ways that John could’ve stepped in and done the right thing, but unfortunately, he didn’t. It doesn’t make me bitter, I’m just sorry that I put so much time and so much respect and love into something and I didn’t get the return from it.
Gick karriärens sista match 2015
“The Hooligan” berättade också att han har svårt att se hur det ska ordna upp sig mellan honom och Kavanagh i framtiden. Bland annat hänvisar Holohan till coachens agerande under en intervju med Ariel Helwani.
Even if you listen to his Ariel Helwani interview and he asked him [if we could repair the relationship], [John] said, ‘Sure’. I think that answered it. We’re all from Dublin, we’re not stupid; we know body language. With John, I don’t think [we can repair the relationship]. I don’t think he’ll ever cross that bridge. Whatever happened on his side, in his situation, he thinks something else, something different [happened]. But the situation was and still is, you should’ve had my back when you said you’d have my back when I went out and I put my whole life on the line, my whole career. If that gym had failed off the back of that, I would’ve had no livelihood. I have a kid, I have kids, so what would I be doing? I couldn’t make up with someone who took a shot at my livelihood.
Holohan gick karriärens sista match i oktober 2015. Irländarens totala matchfacit slutade på 12-2-1 och fem av dessa drabbningar ägde rum i UFC.
