Javier Mendez has been talking about a potential super fight between his star client, Islam Makhachev, and the star of UFC 308, Ilia Topuria.
The featherweight sensationally defended his title by becoming the first man to knock out Max Holloway at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
Post-fight, talk immediately turned to what’s next for the impressive Spaniard.
Title defenses against top contenders Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes seem likely, but Topuria is also interested in an eventual fight with Makhachev.
Ilia Topuria branded ‘the best boxer’ in MMA after UFC 308
Ilia Topuria started his career as a grappler, but over the past few years, he’s become one of the most devastating strikers in the UFC.
By knocking out Volkanovski and Holloway in back-to-back fights, Mendez is now certain that ‘El Matador’ is superior to Conor McGregor and a bunch of other UFC stars who claim to be MMA’s best boxer.
Mendez told Submission Radio: “What I saw from him was that he’s a complete MMA fighter. He can take you down. He has a good IQ.
“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.
“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.
“But his boxing, I think, is his best attribute out of everything he does. He’s impressive. Very impressive.”
“I’ve been saying he’s a good boxer. But last night proved to me that he’s the best boxer presently in the UFC. Actually, in the entire world. He’s the best boxer in MMA.”
How would Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria play out?
Ilia Topuria predicts he’ll submit Makhachev when they eventually clash, but the Russian’s coach would be much more confident in his fighter’s chances on the floor.
Mendez continued: “You know, like I said, he’s got the best boxing. I believe in the whole division, you know, the whole all divisions, not just one. All of them.
“So that would be an area I’d be foolish to want to try to go up against boxing for boxing. 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 you know what mistakes you can correct while the fight is going on.
“So that’s what I think is more important than anything is when the fight does get matched. It’s just your game plan, your strategy, executing it you know.
Mendez claims Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only man who he’s seen cope with Makhachev on the ground, so he seriously doubts Ilia Topuria will stand much of a chance in a grappling match.
He concluded: “Whether he can hang with Islam or not on the ground I would have to say no based on 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.”