“Too quickly” – Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez believes the lightweight champion was HASTILY AWARDED his pound-for-pound ranking
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Javier Mendez (L) says Islam Makhachev (R) was given his pound for pound ranking too early (Image Courtesy - MiddleEasy (L) and Reuters (R)
Usually, the biggest hype-men for fighters are their own coaches. That can be negative, or positive, depending on the circumstances. An example of the negative will be Pat Barry telling Rose Namajunas she was winning the fight against Carla Esparza when in truth she wasn’t.
None of these concerns plague Islam Makhachev, who is coached by Javier Mendez of AKA gym. Despite being of legendary status himself, the American tries his best to keep his fighters, which till recently, included Khabib Nurmagomedov, in line with reality. And, its not like he’s new to having champions borne out of his gyms – AKA has produced Khabib Nurmagomedov, Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, and of course, Islam Makhachev (all champions).
In characteristic fashion, he has shown this feature of his yet again. Islam Makhachev is the lightweight champion of the world. Additionally, he was given the Number 3 spot in the rankings after his emphatic victory over Charles Oliveira. After Israel Adesanya’s loss, he has risen to a career-high of #3. However, Mendez isn’t the biggest fan of Makhachev’s high ranking.
He said, “Look, you know this just as much as I do, Islam went to No. 2 spot pound-for-pound in the UFC in just one fight? How? To give him that spot of No. 2 pound-for-pound in just one fight, no…He’s going to be No. 1. But they gave him this just because of one fight.”
Islam Makhachev faces off against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 for supremacy over the pound for pound rankings
It then seems like Mendez is trying to reel in his fighter, away from the distracting glitz and glamour that this sport can have. And, truth being told, the pound for pound isn’t a real title – that is, it is an arbitrary list that changes over time according to recent performance and fan perception.
The Russian ticks both those boxes – of performance and perception, respectively. He has always been a fighter that has been feared and avoided by the lightweight division. When Charles Oliveira did sign up to fight Makhachev, people were unconvinced as to his credentials. However, his arm triangle finish silenced all of his critics, and then some.
That being said, Makhachev is new to the top of the pile. He must continually prove himself against the elite of the sport, to be considered one of the best to do it. And just that, he will attempt to do, it once February comes. At UFC 284, Makhachev takes on featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to contest the lightweight belt and the pound for pound #1.
Currently, Volkanovski is reigning atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Since his entry to the UFC, he has not lost a single fight. Additionally, his resume includes victories over Max Holloway and Jose Aldo. That being said, Makhachev is a different breed of lightweight, and as such, fans should expect an intense showdown in Perth.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)