John Raymond Kavanagh was born in Churchtown, Ireland and educated at the local De La Salle College. The middle child of Alan and Margaret, John was Ireland's first MMA fighter as well as the first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt in Ireland. Kavanagh is now a third degree black belt and is probably best known as the head coach of former 2 division UFC Champion 'The Notorius' Conor McGregor. Kavanagh also coaches numerous other UFC competitors including Gunnar Nelson and Makwan Amirkhani and former UFC competitors coached by him include Cathal Pendred. Kavanagh owns a gym in Dublin, officially called SBG Ireland HQ. Upon its opening in September 2019, the gym was christened 'The Monster' by Conor McGregor for its large size and thus has become known by this nickname in the press, social media and MMA circles.