Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach drops huge praise as Islam Makhachev nears all-time greatness

Khabib Nurmagomedov's longtime coach, Javier Mendez, believes that Islam Makhachev is on his way to being the most well-rounded fighter of all-time. The lightweight champion has displayed elite striking and grappling during his title reign, and holds the UFC record for most lightweight title defenses (4).

Makhachev's grappling has been revered since his time as a contender. But as the Dagestani fighter made his way through the division's ranks, it became clear that his striking was a dangerous asset too. His headkick knockout win over elite striker Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 is proof of the lightweight's devastating striking skills.

During a recent episode of the Javier & Mo Show, Mendez praised Makhachev and said:

"He's the most well-rounded fighter in the lightweight division. The reason why I don't go all-time is because of Demetrious [Johnson]. I think Demetrious is unbelievable. Jon Jones is another unbelievable well-rounded guy. But in the lightweight division I can easily say Islam is hands down... To say [he's the most well-rounded] over everybody, there's two guys that are in contention for that title, and that's Jon Jones and that's Demetrious. To have Islam in that category, it's unbelievable. The rate he's going, if he continues going, he could very well end up becoming the GOAT."

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach discuss Islam Makhachev below (26:30):

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Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach shares pick for Islam Makhachev's toughest bout

Islam Makhachev's title reign can be summed up in one word, dominance. He also holds a 15-fight winning streak in the promotion. When asked about Makhachev's most difficult fight, many fans and pundits would likely pick his first fight with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.

'The Great' moved from featherweight to lightweight to challenge for Makhachev's belt. It was a thrilling contest as Volkanovski held his own against a larger opponent. However, the Australian suffered a unanimous decision defeat.

But according to Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach, Javier Mendez, the lightweight champion's hardest battle thus far was against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

During the aforementioned episode of the Javier & Mo Show, Mendez said:

"With Volkanovski, the fifth round was the hardest fifth round [Makhachev] has ever had. On that one, in that last bit of that fifth round, he never took damage like he did in that round. Never... Only one round here was good for [Makhachev] with Dustin, the rest were tough." [25:22-25:56]