'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIG/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAx9Cf/8QAHxAAAgIBBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgQBAwUABgcREzFx/9oACAEBAAE/AG81kdwq3q56+X6Mc8DngLqsbQCboKOxjuJkfvvS3OfI2PXqSSyKAKrhFNQkqJTADr//xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQv/aAAgBAgEBPwCn/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECEf/aAAgBAwEBPwCXp//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, recently gave his take on the UFC lightweight champion's future, stating that a "very dangerous" matchup in Justin Gaethje is no longer on the horizon for his pupil.
Gaethje won the BMF championship at UFC 291 last year by knocking out Dustin Poirier, setting himself up for a lightweight title shot. But at UFC 300, he lost his BMF title and No.1 contender status, suffering a devastating knockout loss to Max Holloway.
On his YouTube channel, Mendez discussed how tough of an opponent Gaethje would've been for Makhachev:
''To me, the guy out of all the guys that I thought for us stylistically was very dangerous out of all of them, I thought it was Justin Gaethje.''
Mendez added that he doesn't see 'The Highlight' working his way back into the title mix while Makhachev stays atop the division.
“It’s all apples and oranges right? Because everybody brings a different skillset, so I thought that he was the biggest threat for us and now he’s probably never going to be in the picture for us going forward. So, no need to talk about him for us as a threat because he’s never going to be there, I think.”
Check out Javier Mendez's comments below:
Previously, Mendez had to prepare for Gaethje when Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title against him at UFC 254.
Makhachev will now face Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Waiting on the sidelines is Arman Tsarukyan, who defeated former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 to stake his claim to a championship opportunity.
Islam Makhachev praises Dustin Poirier ahead of their clash
Islam Makhachev is gearing up for his third title defense, which will be against former interim champion Dustin Poirier. The reigning champion recently previewed the matchup, lauding 'The Diamond's' boxing.
In a recent interview, Makhachev claimed that Poirier has the best striking in the 155-pound bracket, saying:
"The best boxing in this sport in my division Dustin have honestly! Because he beat everybody, in the striking nobody can beat him."
Makhachev is coming off back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski, while Poirier is fresh off a victory over Benoit Saint Denis.
