Conor McGregor and John Kavanagh scoop MMA awards

Conor McGregor and his coach John Kavanagh have both been honoured at the 2017 World MMA Awards.

McGregor, who made history this year by becoming the first simultaneous dual-weight UFC champion, was named the Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year for the second consecutive time.

The lightweight champion fought off competition from other candidates, including reigning UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and Stipe Miocic.

McGregor was reported to have vacated the Featherweight strap last year, according to the UFC. McGregor however, maintains that he has not relinquished the belt.

In addition to picking up the Fighter of the Year gong in 2016, McGregor was also awarded the International Fighter of the Year. He was nominated in that category again this year, but Khabib Nurmagomedov took the award this time.

Meanwhile, his mentor John Kavangh was declared the winner of the Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year.

Respected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani took the MMA Journalist of the Year award, edging out fellow MMA writers including Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Helwani took to social media to thank those who voted for him:

 

I will never take this for granted. Thank you very much to all who voted for me. After the year we had together, I think this one means a little more. Like I've said before, the way you've had my back since I started continues to blow me away. I'll never forget what you did for me last year and will forever be thankful. I don't know what I did to deserve your incredible support but it means the world to me. Thanks to Fighters Only, my amazing colleagues at Vox and the members of the MMA community who give me their time each and every day. I sincerely love covering this sport and I still can't believe I get to do this for a living. Thanks to my family for their love and in particular my amazing wife Jaclyn for holding down the fort when I'm away. First time I got one of these we were just a couple and now we are parents to 3 angels! Lastly, I know it's en vogue these days to be anti-media but I've never been more proud to be a journalist and hope I can continue to be one for many, many years to come. Thank you for letting me cover this sport for you. I love you all.

A post shared by Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) on Mar 2, 2017 at 11:04pm PST

The award ceremony took place at the Venetian Theatre at The Venetian in Las Vegas.

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