Javier Mendez: McGregor Is The Toughest Challenge Khabib’s Ever Had
Javier Mendez, the head coach at AKA, has been the most important person in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC career, aside from his beloved father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who sadly passed away last month.
Unfortunately, Khabib won’t be preparing at AKA for his next UFC lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24th, due to his concerns over the coronavirus.
The Biggest Threat
Many believe that Gaethje has the fighting style and the specific skill set needed to be the first man to defeat Khabib. Mendez however disagrees, and believes that the Irish superstar Conor McGregor remains the toughest challenge to his student, despite the fact that ‘The Eagle’ already beat him at UFC 229 in October 2018.
Speaking to ESPN (as transcribed by The Mac Life), Mendez said that there’s no doubt that McGregor is Khabib’s most dangerous opponent he’s ever faced.
“Conor [is Khabib’s greatest threat], hands down,” Mendez said. “Hands down, Conor. For me. Because look at the fight with Conor. He took him down the first round, how much damage did Conor sustain in that first round?
“How much control did Khabib have in the first round with Conor? … Where have you seen the opposite of that? … He’s had better control. Conor’s stand-up is great. … For me, Conor McGregor is the toughest challenge he’s ever had.”
Not Overlooking Gaethje
Mendez doesn’t dismiss Gaethje however, but still holds his opinion that McGregor is the biggest threat to Khabib.
“We’ll see what Justin brings to the table, but I still say Conor just based on what we went through.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor 2?
The fight between Khabib and McGregor in 2018 still holds the MMA pay-per-view record with over 2 million buys and the Irishman remains confident that he would be victorious in a rematch.
Another important factor is whether or not Khabib will be willing to fight McGregor again, as he has stated that he only has two fights left, and that he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre after Gaethje.
Do you agree with Javier Mendez? Or do you think Justin Gaethje posses a bigger threat to Khabib Nurmagomedov than Conor McGregor does?
See also: