John Kavanagh reveals the key differences in Conor McGregor’s preparation for UFC 202

Getting closer.

There's just six days to go until Conor McGregor steps back into the Octagon to face Nate Diaz. And while the build-up has been very low key by McGregor's standards that will all change over the next few days as Operation Hype cranks into the gear. There's tickets to shift, pay per views to sell. But judging by the comments from John Kavanagh this has been the most ideal fight preparation of McGregor's career. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/749678880970113024 The changes the featherweight champion made to his training regime are well document but speaking on the MMA Hour Kavanagh revealed just how effective those changes have been.

"The last cycle was particularly tough and it was expected," Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani. "The performance coach said to expect this and by the end of it you would be weary and sore and tired and kind of done. But that's the idea because then we go into the two-week tapering phase. "We're one week into that and speaking to him yesterday he is absolutely buzzing. I've never seem him like this six days out from the fight. Six days out from a fight you're normally creeping around the house a bit because the weight cut's in, he's tired of training and all the media obligations. But we didn't have to do all that much this time. There's no weight to be cut, the training went perfect. He's like a kid on Christmas Eve. "One hundred per cent this has been the best [training camp] that we've ever done."

McGregor has been using a three and one training regime (not to be confused with the three-in-one at your local takeaway) where he trains - and trains hard - for three days before being rewarded with a day off. Three weeks training is rewarded with a rest week.   The cancellation of this rematch at UFC 200 means it will have been a 20 week build up all in all by the time he steps in the Octagon on Saturday night but Kavanagh believes this well-paced regime means that he will be in perfect physical, mental and technical condition come Saturday night.

"It certainly would have been [too long a buiuld up] with the old approach. If we had approached this even like the Mendes fight, where it was pretty much train seven days a week, maybe the seventh day was lighter bit we almost went to the gym every day "But this way is different. You've heard Conor speak about the three days on, three days off, you can kind of go hard because you can see that break coming up. It's not a never-ending, 12 weeks to go or 18 weeks to go. "This is how I'd like to keep Conor training year round to be honest. I don't see any reason to stop with this cycle, which matches this hormonal cycle we go through weekly or monthly anyway. "

Whatever happens on Saturday night McGregor can have no excuses about his preparation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCgt2C_fmsg