Coach Javier Mendez refuted Daniel Cormier’s take that Islam Makhachev is a more dangerous fighter than Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Daniel Cormier talked about Islam Makhachev’s skills
A few weeks ago, DC raved about Makhachev’s skill set on his YouTube channel. While it’s not surprising for Cormier to do that, he generated quite a buzz when he declared Makhachev as “more dangerous” than his mentor Nurmagomedov.
“I think Makhachev possesses a lot of those same types of qualities [with Khabib],” DC said. “Very similar when he gets you on the ground but because he’s a better striker, I feel he is even more dangerous than Khabib was during his prime.”
Nobody is more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov
Speaking to MMA Mania, Makhachev’s longtime coach Mendez reacted to Cormier’s comment. According to Mendez, he has never seen anybody more dangerous than Nurmagomedov. However, Mendez said DC is not wrong if he meant that Makhachev is more skilled than “The Eagle.”
“OK, he’s more skilled in multiple areas, yes. More dangerous? Nobody is more dangerous, in my opinion, in the world than Khabib,” Mendez pointed out. “Nobody, no one, I don’t care. I haven’t seen one that is more dangerous than Khabib in the sense of danger. I mean, you can’t do nothing to him. It’s very difficult to do anything to him.”
“Khabib is the most dangerous because, first of all, in my opinion, I’m being biased because I love him to death, he’s got the hardest chin I’ve ever seen on anybody. He’s been hit. The only person who rocked him a little bit, a tiny bit, was Michael Johnson,” he continued. “Michael Johnson hit him with one hell of a shot and other than that, no one else has hit him with anything. Justin Gaethje’s hit him, but did nothing. He steamrolls everybody. Now, I think ‘DC’ probably meant more skilled, yes that’s correct. But, more dangerous? I don’t think there’s ever been a man more dangerous than Khabib.”
Makhachev is widely regarded as the best lightweight fighter of his era. That said, the comparisons to Nurmagomedov are expected to be constant as both Dagestani fighters have almost the same arsenal and they also dominated their rivals.
Makhachev defended his lightweight belt once again at UFC 294 when he finished Alexander Volkanovski in less than one round. Cormier recently called for Dustin Poirier to be Makhachev’s next title challenger and Coach Mendez seems to like the idea.
Watch Javier Mendez’s full interview below:
