Islam Makhachev has improved "the least amount" among Khabib Nurmagomedov's clan, says AKA head coach Javier Mendez

Javier Mendez recently said that Islam Makhachev has made the least strides among all of Khabib Nurmagomedov's teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). The MMA fighters from Dagestan, namely the two cousins of the UFC Hall of Famer and his close friend Makhachev, have been longstanding members of the AKA gym, honing their skills under the guidance of Mendez.

The famed MMA coach has closely monitored the career trajectories and skill development of these fighters and undoubtedly has a strong understanding of their potential for growth. During a recent episode of his self-titled podcast, Mendez revealed that Makhachev had been the fighter who gained the fewest new skills under his guidance.

However, he clarified that this was because the reigning UFC lightweight champion was already operating at an exceptional level, leaving little room for significant improvement:

"Islam improved the least amount out of all of them [Dagestanis], but he was already, you know, come on, he's pound-for-pound number one. So how much more is he going to improve? He's not going to improve a tremendous amount. He's going to improve a little bit, and he has improved. He's improved a little bit in every area, you know—smarter, better shape, just everything about him has improved."

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (1:22):

Makhachev is set to defend his 155-pound title for the fourth time in a highly anticipated rematch against Arman Tsarukyan. The bout will headline UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

The 33-year-old Dagestani was last seen in action at UFC 302 in June 2024, where he secured a fifth-round submission victory over Dustin Poirier.

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Javier Mendez shares why Islam Makhachev ranks as pound-for-pound best over Jon Jones

UFC CEO Dana White has firmly maintained that reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the pound-for-pound (P4P) best fighter in the world, despite Islam Makhachev's official top ranking on the list.

However, many, including Javier Mendez, argue that 'Bones' doesn't truly merit the top spot due to his prolonged inactivity. In a recent interview with Hablemos MMA (via MMA Jukie), the AKA head coach emphasized that Makhachev has remained highly active, in stark contrast to Jones, who has fought only twice in the past four years:

"This is what I always say: How many fights has Jon Jones had in the last four years? Tell me. How many? If you said six or seven, OK. But how many does he have? Two in four years."

He added:

"You need to fight more than that [for P4P best]. If Islam were to do the same, I’d put Jones at No. 1 – but he hasn’t fought as much. If he had been active, then it’s a different conversation – but he’s barely fought. That's why I put Islam Makhachev at No. 1."

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (in Spanish) (8:00):