In the fight game, we are so used to parties from both sides snarling at each other.
Javier Mendez is backing his fighter to win at UFC 229, have no fear about that, but that has not stopped him from saying nice things about his opponent.
Nurmagomedov’s first lightweight defence will be against a man who has only ever fought in that division (in the UFC) once before and, on the same night, claimed the belt – Conor McGregor.
Even the most casual of MMA fans will tell you that this title fight will be an intriguing match-up between striker and wrestler. The records of both men back that up. McGregor has 17 knock-outs or TKOs from his 24 fights (21 wins, three losses). 11 of Nurmagomedov’s 26 victories have come via submission and his has two UFC wins via strikes.
McGregor is no slouch when it comes to wrestling and his take-down defence has improved since his UFC debut. Still, he will be in for the biggest grappling test of his career.
Javier Mendez, head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, has been working closely with the Dagestani for the past five years and is confident about his chance at UFC 229. That has not stopped him from talking up the range of skills possessed by ‘The Notorious’.
During a wide-ranging chat on The Euro Bash podcast, Mendez said:
“To me, [McGregor] is the best stand-up guy in the whole UFC, in my opinion.
“He’s got incredible relaxation, he approaches it like a scientist, he knows how to read you, he knows how to bait you…he knows how to put you right into that trap and before you know it you’re caught sleeping.
“He’s a master, in my opinion, on the fighting arts and he’s also got a ground game; he’s good everywhere. I’m not sleeping on how great he is. I’m prepared for everything but he is a great fighter.”
Mendez says Nurmagomedov will be working hard on his striking and stand-up game, but he is not suddenly going to change things up for the biggest fight of his career.
“This is basically the classic grappler versus striker fight,” he says. “Keep in mind that they can both grapple and they can both strike, it’s just one is better than the other at [each discipline].
“We’re the better grappler, he’s the better striker, but that doesn’t mean we won’t strike, it just means he’s better. It’s about who plays whose game.”
