Coach, Javier Mendez could not be more elated. His pupil Islam Makhachev just defended his lightweight title yet again, this time against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s coach recently did an interview where he talked about a potential fight with UFC star, Conor McGregor down the line.
Javier Mendez recently sat down for a conversation with Red Corner MMA. During their discussion, Mendez addressed Conor McGregor calling out Islam Makhachev and a potential fight between the two.
Conor is the kind of guy you want to root against or root for. Regardless you want to see him. Me I want to see him get beat by Islam. So for me, him doing what he is doing is causing a lot of attention. So you know, there would be nothing better for me and Khabib, than to have Islam have a fight with him somewhere down the line.
Javier Mendez on Red Corner MMA
The coach does not mind ‘The Notorious’ stirring up drama against Islam Makhachev. The Irishman recently called out the reigning lightweight champion, sparking tension and a potential rivalry. McGregor accused Makhachev of allegedly having a staph infection before his fight with Dustin Poirier.
Coach Mendez even gave it to McGregor for observing it in the first place. However, according to his statement, the infection was already 3 weeks past by the time everybody caught onto it. McGregor’s ongoing feud with Makhachev is rooted in their association with Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s past rivalry with him. The tensions between McGregor and Makhachev seem to be intensifying, now that he is back on the scene.
Javier Mendez talks about Khabib Nurmagomedov back in Islam Makhachev’s corner
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA after his father died. He eventually took up coaching and was seen cornering some of his Dagestani teammates for a while. However, the Dagestani champion had completely walked away from the sport for a while to spend time with his family. Now, he is back and coach Mendez could not be more happy.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is not a great cornerman according to coach Javier Mendez (Image via Imago)During the interview with Red Corner MMA, Mendez talked about Khabib Nurmagomedov back in the corner and the difference it made. Mendez addressed Khabib’s passionate nature and said:
I love him so much. He brought life to the corner. Khabib brought life to the corner.
Javier Mendez on Red Corner MMA
Mendez even said that the former UFC champion is on his way to becoming one of the greatest coaches of all time. However, as a corner man he needs some work, Mendez said smilingly. Apparently, the former undefeated champion was getting too excited during the fight at UFC 302 and the commission was not happy about it.
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