"Ducking Ilia so hard" - Fans react as Islam Makhachev's coach deems Paddy Pimblett "worthy" of a title shot  

During a recent episode of The Javier & Mo Show, Islam Makhachev's head coach Javier Mendez stated Paddy Pimblett is worthy of a title shot in the UFC's lightweight division.

Pimblett stunned the MMA world this past weekend when he secured a TKO finish against Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 314. The Brit has been steadily climbing the UFC lightweight ranking since his debut back in 2021. With the win over Chandler, he has improved his record to 7-0 in the UFC.

Mendez is seemingly very impressed by Pimblett's skillset and has deemed him to be a worthy title challenger.

"Paddy is ready to face anybody. What he has done already, his credentials, his winning record in the UFC, his hype and what he can do, how he can motivate people. If they give him the title shot, he deserves it, because they gave it to him. Who gets into the arena with him next? I don't know. But is he worthy? Yes."

The Coach Mendez proceeded to praise 'The Baddy' for being able to build such an incredibly large fanbase across both England and America, later adding that he is himself a fan of the Scouser.

"He's very interesting. He's got the whole England behind him and a lot of America is going to be behind him, most of America will be. He has a lot of fans and I'm a fan."

Check out Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez's comments below:

The post sparked fan reaction on the platform, as one fan commented:

"Ducking Ilia so hard"

Others wrote:

"Ilia doesn't deserve but Paddy does?"

"Ilia owns the Dagestanis"

"They're more interested in a fight with Gaetjhe and Paddy than Charles, Ilia and Arman? Maybe Jon Jones isn't the biggest duck in the UFC."

"I'm no Islam fan but he needs to fight someone other than the guys Khabib beat if he wants to distinguish his legacy."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @Home_of_Fight on X]

---

Islam Makhachev lauds Alexander Volkanovski for winning back the featherweight title

Islam Makhachev has praised Alexander Volkanovski for getting his hand raised against Diego Lopes in his featherweight title fight at UFC 314.

Makhachev and Volkanovski clashed twice inside the UFC octagon. At their first meeting, the Dagestani was able to get his hand raised via unanimous decision after a hard-fought five-round battle at UFC 284. The two locked horns again at UFC 294, and this time, the Dagestani champion came out with a statement performance as he knocked his Australian opponent out cold in the first round.

Volkanovski suffered another knockout loss- this time at the hands of Ilia Topuria, and thereby lost his UFC featherweight title.

Makhachev recently shared a post on X, where he congratulated Volkanovski for coming back stronger against Lopes.

"Congrats @alexvolkanovski great comeback! Real champ in sport and life"

Check out Islam Makhachev's post below: