Tag: Javier Mendez

Islam Makhachev’s coach: Beating Charles Oliveira would make Ilia Topuria a true lightweight

Javier Mendez is not interested in UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev fighting Ilia Topuria – for now.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] is not interested in UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] fighting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] – for now.

Featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) teased a move up to 155 pounds and expressed interest in a potential fight with [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC).

Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) dismissed Topuria as an opponent, but Mendez thinks if Topuria beats former champion Oliveira, it would legitimize him as a lightweight title challenger.

“Charles is not an easy fight for anybody, and I slightly favor Ilia because of his power and his boxing precision,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “Charles is great. He’s good with everything. He’s coming with the knees, he’s coming with this. So you can never count Charles out. He was a world champion for a reason. He’s a great competitor still, and him and Arman’s fight, he came really close a lot of times to submitting Arman, too. So you can never count him out. That guy is still is a world beater, and he could definitely be a title contender again real soon.

“So let’s say he does fight Ilia. Then all of a sudden, Charles beats him. Then all of a sudden we have a rematch with Charles, which would be warranted at that point. So let’s see what happens. But him coming up in weight and wanting to stay at lightweight, it’s a good step in the right direction vs. coming up to weight then staying back down at featherweight. That doesn’t really do very much for Islam. So if (Topuria) fights another lightweight at lightweight, that means OK, now people will look at him like he’s a lightweight. He’s a true legit lightweight.”

Topuria’s head coach revealed that the main motivation behind a lightweight move is the weight cut. However, Mendez says Makhachev might walk around even lighter than Topuria.

Makhachev’s next title defense comes in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC 311 headliner on Jan. 18.

“He’s motivated,” Mendez said of Topuria. “He’s a champion, for sure. He’s proven it. He’s gone up in weight. I also was told his coach said he was 187 (pounds). Islam, I don’t think has ever been that heavy. Islam, when he starts training camp two months out, Islam is about 179, 178.

“The guy is a great fighter. He’s got the best boxing hands in the business, I feel – best technical. He can do a lot of damage if he goes up in weight, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not interested in that fight whatsoever, at the present time. I’m interested in (Makhachev) defending against Arman, and then who knows – maybe the welterweight title is available at that particular time.”

[lawrence-related id=2792648,2792550,2792507,2792335]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Javier Mendez: Usman Nurmagomedov ‘the most talented I’ve ever trained’

Javier Mendez had high praise for Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] had high praise for Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Like former undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, current UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, and No. 1 UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman is trained by American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez.

Although Mendez has trained some of the most accomplished fighters including former UFC dual-champion Daniel Cormier, former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, and former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, he made a bold claim about Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0).

“I see Usman as being the pound-for-pound greatest fighter myself – he’s got all the attributes,” Mendez told Red Corner MMA. “He’s the most talented I’ve ever trained. In regards to whether he ever goes to the UFC or not, I don’t know if it’s going to matter as long as he keeps showing people how great he is. So to me, if at one point he never goes, great – he’s still going to be regarded as one of the great ones. He will. You watch.

“He will be regarded as one of the great ones because what he does in that cage is like nobody. I’ve never seen anybody do the transitions, the movement that he does – he’s unbelievable. He’s only 26. He’s only getting better. So let’s see what happens, but you never know. He may be a PFL fighter/Bellator fighter for the rest of his career. For me, I’m happy about that because he’ll be successful with it. Wherever he goes, it’s going to be success.”

Nurmagomedov, who’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Alexander Shabliy in September, doesn’t currently have a fight booked. But with Paul Hughes picking up a big win over A.J. McKee October at PFL: Battle of the Giants, that will likely be his next title defense.

[lawrence-related id=2779863,2769304,2769242]

Javier Mendez doesn’t think Ilia Topuria can hang with Islam Makhachev on the ground

Javier Mendez doesn’t think it would be wise for Ilia Topuria to go to the mat with Islam Makhachev in a fight.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] sees [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] having a tough time with [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] on the ground.

After becoming the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308, featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) continued to express interest in a fight with lightweight champion Makhachev.

Topuria is confident that he can submit Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), but American Kickboxing Academy head coach Mendez thinks it wouldn’t be wise for Topuria to tangle with Makhachev on the ground.

“That would be an area I’d be foolish to want to try to go up against, boxing for boxing,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “That’s not a smart move, you know? And it just would be like, if Ilia decided to go submission for submission with Islam, that’s not a smart move on his part either. So it’s all strategy and how you approach it, how your fighter approaches it and, what mistakes you can correct while the fight is going on.

“That’s what I think is more important than anything. When the fight does get matched, it’s just your game plan, your strategy, executing it. Whether he can hang with Islam or not on the ground, I would have to say no. Based on what I see with everybody and Islam. The only person that really did the most with him was Khabib, and at the end of the day, the longer you grapple with Islam, the worse it’s going to get.”

Mendez dubbed Topuria as the best boxer in all of MMA, and even though Makhachev has proven he can stand with the best, he wouldn’t advise him to do so against Topuria.

“I mean, when he took Max down with ease in the first round, I said, ‘That’s the way you fight MMA,’ and he has a very strong stand-up game,” Mendez said of Topuria. “I would think that he’s probably the best boxer in the whole entire division. He’s really crisp and very on point with his boxing, and therefore you see how he uses it really, really well. He’s a complete fighter, but his boxing, I think, is his best attribute out of everything he does. He’s impressive, very impressive.”

[lawrence-related id=2721622,2766339,2761324,2744455]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Javier Mendez finds it ‘weird’ that Merab Dvalishvili refuses to acknowledge Umar Nurmagomedov as No. 1 contender

Javier Mendez is confused why Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t want to fight Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] is confused why [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] doesn’t want to fight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) dethroned Sean O’Malley with a dominant decision win to claim the bantamweight title in Saturday’s UFC 306 headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas. In the post-fight news conference, Dvalishvili insisted that Deiveson Figueiredo is a more worthy challenger than Nurmagomedov.

Mendez doesn’t want to accuse Dvalishvili of being scared of Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), but says he should fight whoever the UFC declares as No. 1 contender.

“I don’t know what the hell to think because how can you say the other person is more deserving when the ranking put Umar as No. 2?” Mendez told Submission Radio. “And they also promised Umar the fight or whoever the winner was going to be between Sandhagen and Umar that they would get the next title shot. The UFC is coming through with their with their promise and that’s what they’re trying to put together.

“Why Merab is trying to maybe avoid him – I don’t know if he is or isn’t. I really don’t know. It’s weird. My fighters, what I tell them is, when you’re the champion, you just get ready to fight whoever they put in front of you, you fight. If you’re not a real champion, then fine – pick who you want to pick. But if you’re the real champion, you fight. The only thing you should be able to choose is the dates.”

Mendez admits he initially hoped Nurmagomedov would have fought bigger star O’Malley for the title. The American Kickboxing Academy head coach also thinks Nurmagomedov would have done more damage on the ground to O’Malley than Dvalishvili did.

“It would have played out different,” Mendez said. “It wouldn’t have been the same. Sure, on the ground, it would have been bad for O’Malley, but he might have got finished on the ground with Umar, had Umar been able to take him to the ground. More than likely, I think, based on what I saw, if had it been Umar on the ground on him like that, Umar is more of a submission specialist than Merab is.”

[lawrence-related id=2770057,2767782,2761114]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Javier Mendez compares Jon Jones to Lance Armstrong, discredits UFC champ as MMA GOAT

Javier Mendez believes UFC champ Jon Jones’ past failed drug tests eliminate him from the greatest of all time discussion.

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez believes [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ past failed drug tests eliminate him from the greatest of all time debate.

UFC CEO Dana White has been stumping hard for heavyweight champion Jones, chastising media for ranking him No. 3 in the pound-for-pound standings behind light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Mendez-trained lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, who is No. 1.

But Mendez argues that based on Jones’ history with failed tests linked to performance-enhancing drugs, he shouldn’t be considered the greatest fighter of all time.

“Dana is still insisting that Jon Jones is pound-for-pound No. 1,” Mendez said on his “Javier Mendez Podcast.” “He has his valid points, but my valid point is I just say one thing: Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France how many times? And basically he got all those titles taken away from him because of one thing: doping. And even though it was many years later that they caught him, he lost all his Tour de France (titles). Well, it’s been a fact, it’s been proven Jon Jones has been caught doping. So, I’m sorry, I think that disqualifies him just based on that alone.”

Jones’ second win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 was overturned to a no contest when he tested positive for the anabolic steroid turinabol. His sentence was significantly reduced from four years to a 15-month sentence after he provided “substantial assistance” to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which ran the UFC’s program at the time. Jones stated he did not knowingly take any prohibited substances and that the substances he consumed were tainted.

Jones failed a third drug test prior to his UFC 232 rematch with Alexander Gustafsson when he tested positive for the same turinabol metabolites. However, USADA determined they were trace amounts in the form of picograms incapable of giving Jones a competitive advantage. He defeated Gustafsson in the UFC 232 headliner to reclaim the vacant light heavyweight title.

Mendez also disagrees with White calling Jones the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

“He would be in a big consideration, but he hasn’t fought since (2023),” Mendez said. “So, I don’t know how you can put him in that category because of what he did before. He’s not active. If he was active, then there’s a bigger challenge for that, but he’s not active.

“His abilities? Yeah, I can see that, 100 percent. I mean, the guy is one of the greatest of all time, for sure. But for me, I value the greatest of all time based on what they do outside, not just what they do inside.”

[lawrence-related id=2767787,2767066,2766749]

Javier Mendez likes Islam Makhachev’s chances at middleweight: ‘He’s that good’

Javier Mendez backs Islam Makhachev moving up to middleweight.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] backs [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] moving up to middleweight.

UFC lightweight champion Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) dreams of dual-champion status, but his plans of moving up to welterweight have been put on hold after his friend Belal Muhammad captured the 170-pound title.

Arman Tsarukyan is touted to be Makhachev’s next opponent, which would give Makhachev an opportunity to break the UFC record for most title defenses at lightweight.

“That’s a good reason to fight Arman or anybody else, and you get the most defenses in the lightweight history,” Mendez told Red Corner MMA. “I can’t believe three is the record. That’s just amazing how it turns over.

“So many fighters have won titles there, but they never kept it more than three title defenses. So Islam will break the record, and I want to see him go down as one of the greatest of all time, and I believe he’s on track to do that.”

Makhachev’s return has been delayed after suffering a ligament injury in his hand. If Makhachev notches one more title defense, Mendez would like to see him go after another UFC title.

With welterweight not happening, Mendez thinks Makhachev has the skill to excel at middleweight.

“Then after that let’s see what happens,” Mendez said. “Maybe Islam gains weight and goes to 185. I mean, he’d have to gain weight, obviously, because that’s a little big for him. You never know. He’s that good. (He’s) pound-for-pound No. 1 for a reason.”

[lawrence-related id=2759640,2758889,2753772]

Javier Mendez: Injured Islam Makhachev ‘definitely not’ fighting at UFC 308 in October

Javier Mendez says Islam Makhachev’s return won’t be going down at UFC 308 in October.

The odds looked slim for an October return for [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], given his recent comments.

Now his coach, [autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], has lent much credence to that possibility.

Mendez, long-time coach of Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC), recently gave an update on his pupil’s hand injury. He said there’s still no timeline for his return, but what is certain is that his expected return against Arman Tsarykyan at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi won’t be going down.

“Yes, he’s got a ligament injury, and he’s getting consultation from different doctors, and we’ll see what they say he has to do,” Mendez told Helen Yee. “But yeah, he’s not going to be able to train for a fight till probably late (November-December), or maybe January.

“It depends on what the UFC and him and can come up with, but he’s definitely not going to be able to fight in October like people are hoping.”

Although the event and date will have to change, Mendez is confident that Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will remain as challenger, especially after Belal Muhammad won the welterweight title from Leon Edwards this past Saturday at UFC 304.

“I would think it would be the Arman rematch because I don’t see anything else in the horizon, being that Belal won the welterweight title,” Mendes said. “I seriously, seriously doubt that they would want to fight each other, so I think that changes the dynamic of going-for-two-belts situations.

“I think Arman was on point as far as the next opponent, anyway. That’s the fight I would want to happen, anyway.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Javier Mendez says Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘needs to master’ cornering: ‘He goes a little crazy’

Javier Mendez thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov could use some work on his cornering.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] could use some work on his cornering.

The UFC Hall of Famer returned to cornering his teammates when he assisted his protege, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, in his title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 earlier this month. Makhachev submitted Poirier to notch his third title defense.

Mendez would like to see Nurmagomedov relax more while giving instructions.

“He needs to master the corner, though,” Mendez told Helen Yee. “We still need to work the corner because he goes a little crazy on there, up and down, slamming on the table. I said, ‘Calm down, calm down.’ He gets really amped up.

“I mean, he loves his fighters so much, his brothers that you know, everything goes into that fight when he goes – I forgot what it was like to have him in the corner. It’s kind of crazy.”

Mendez, the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, gave Nurmagomedov advice on how to improve as a cornerman.

“I gave him instructions on, ‘Hey, it’s OK to do what you need to do, but just sit down, yell as loud as you can to get your fighters’ attention, you don’t have to hit the table, stand up and cause the commission to keep telling us to sit down,'” Mendez said.

“So I said, ‘Scream louder, scream as loud as you can.’ He goes, ‘Coach, how am I going to reach him,’ I go, ‘Scream, scream as loud as you can.’ You’ve got to be able to say things within reason because you’ve got to listen the crowd. The crowd’s screaming, there’s nothing you can say. The fighter ain’t going to hear nothing.”

[lawrence-related id=2746103,2745253,2743811]

Javier Mendez confident Dustin Poirier’s guillotine won’t work on Islam Makhachev at UFC 302

Coach Javier Mendez doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Dustin Poirier try to score his first guillotine at UFC 302.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is known in the MMA world for his persistence and never-give-up attitude.

He’s 15 years and 39 professional fights into his MMA career, and yet here he is once again fighting for an undisputed UFC title. This Saturday, Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) challenges UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 302, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Poirier’s unbreakable determination is not something only seen in his trajectory in the UFC, but also in his fights. Apart from countless comebacks and Fight of the Nights, he’s become infamous for his guillotine choke attempts, a submission he’s yet to land in his career. 

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], head coach of Makhachev, advises Poirier against the guillotine choke, as he’s seen its effectiveness firsthand when Poirier fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019.

“Look, the first time when Khabib fought Dustin, Khabib told Islam, we’re going to train the guillotine, and they did it,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “In the fight, they had already talked about the guillotine, so they would let Poirier exhaust his arms. So what happened is that Khabib got in that position against Dustin. It was the first corner I worked with Khabib’s dad. I had never worked with his dad before, so when he went for it, Khabib’s dad and I turned and looked at each other and threw our hands up like, ‘Ahh, what a dummy. He’s going to burn his arms out.’

“So look, if Dustin plans to do that with Islam, there’s a great chance that the same thing is going to happen. Islam is very, very tough to finish that way. If he couldn’t do it against Khabib, I think it’s best he goes for something else because there’s a good chance you’re not going to get it this time.”

Mendez is not only confident that Makhachev will be able to defend Poirier’s guillotine chokes, but also every attack. He believes his student has a big advantage over Poirier and expects him to win convincingly.

“We already fought him, so we know everything he can do,” Mendez said. “He’s very dangerous, very dangerous. If we treat him as dangerous, and we do what we’re supposed to do, it’s not going to be a tough fight for us. It’s going to be a fight that favors us. Islam is incredible in all areas and disciplines. He’s got the boxing, the jiu-jitsu, the Muay Thai. He’s got it all. Sambo. He’s got it all, and that’s why he’s the No. 1 in the world.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Javier Mendez not interested in Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria: ‘He doesn’t need to fight him’

Islam Makhachev’s coach weighs in on Ilia Topuria’s comments of interest in a UFC lightweight title shot.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] needs to pump the brakes on his push to get a lightweight title shot against [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Mendez, head coach of Makhachev and other notable fighters at American Kickboxing Academy, heard of Topuria’s request to fight Makhachev but was not interested in the idea. Mendez believes there are bigger challenges at the moment other than the UFC featherweight champion.

“You know what, for me, if Islam were to do another champ vs. champ fight, it’s better for him to go up in weight,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “If we had the choice, if UFC told us we could fight with the UFC welterweight champion or Topuria, we’d choose welterweight. That’s what I want. I’m confident that that’s what Islam wants, too.”

Mendez has respect for Topuria and his body of work but pays little mind to his comments. At the end of the day, it’s the promotion that decides what’s next for both fighters and not Topuria.

“(Ilia) is a great fighter, and he’s been doing well, but he (Makhachev) doesn’t need to fight him,” Mendez said. “That’s my opinion. I think Tsarukyan is a better choice. That’s what I think. Ilia needs to do more in his weight class. He wants to go up in weight and challenge for a second belt, but we want to do the same. And what happened? The UFC didn’t let us. We wanted to, but they told us to defend. What UFC tells us to do, that’s what we have to do. It doesn’t matter what you say, what we say, what Ilia says. What matters is what the UFC wants.

“The UFC just comes up to you and offers you a fight, and you get to say yes or no. They’re not going to have you picking your fights. Maybe there’s a chance they do that a little, but only people like Conor McGregor and Khabib if he were still fighting because of what they draw.”

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) this Saturday in the main event of UFC 302, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Like Makhachev, Mendez suggests Topuria should defend his belt first against someone in his weight class – starting with whom many believe to be the greatest UFC featherweight champion.

“Look at all the title defenses Alexander Volkanovski had to do at featherweight,” Mendez said. “He’s the No. 1 at featherweight, so why not give him a rematch? He should get a rematch from everything he’s done. And look, Ilia is even saying he wants to fight Conor McGregor, but Alexander Volkanosvki wants the fight again and is willing to go to Spain to fight you. So hey, give the man what he deserves. How many times did he defend the featherweight title? He needs the rematch.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.