'Nobody in the lightweight division can give him the fight' - Javier Mendez on who would have been Khabib Nurmagomedov's toughest opponent if he hadn't retired

Javier Mendez has suggested that nobody in the lightweight division would’ve been Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toughest opponent if he hadn’t retired from MMA.

In an edition of the Javier Mendez AKA Podcast, Mendez – Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime head coach – opened up on multiple topics. Among these topics was a potential fight between reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

One of the questions posed to Javier Mendez was whether Charles Oliveira would’ve been Khabib Nurmagomedov’s hardest matchup if he hadn’t retired from MMA. Mendez responded by stating:

“No, no, no.” Upon being asked who he thinks Nurmagomedov’s toughest opponent would’ve been, Mendez said, “Yeah, he just destroys everybody. I don’t know. So, it’s a tough one for me to say, ‘Oh, this guy would’ve given him a tough fight.’ Because I’m sorry, maybe I’m just being too biased, and I love him too much, and I’ve been with him, and I’ve seen how mentally-strengthened [he is]. I just think there’s nobody in the lightweight division that I’ve ever seen that could give him a fight. I’m sorry. It’s my opinion.”

Watch Javier Mendez address who Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toughest opponent would’ve been, as well as other topics, in the video below:

---

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s childhood friend Islam Makhachev is on the cusp of fighting for the UFC lightweight title

As of this writing, the MMA community is just hours away from the UFC lightweight title matchup between reigning champion Charles Oliveira and challenger Dustin Poirier. The vast majority of fans and experts are of the view that the winner of the Oliveira-Poirier matchup will defend the title against Justin Gaethje next.

Interestingly, another key player in the UFC lightweight title picture happens to be Islam Makhachev, MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov’s childhood friend and longtime training partner. Nurmagomedov retired from MMA after his second-round submission win against Justin Gaethje in their UFC lightweight title unification matchup at UFC 254 in October 2020.

Following this, many have predicted that Islam Makhachev will follow in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s footsteps and reign as the next dominant UFC lightweight champion. Makhachev has lost just once in his professional MMA career and is on an impressive nine-fight win streak.

The Dagestani fighter is scheduled to face Beneil Dariush in a five-round lightweight bout that’ll headline the UFC Fight Night 203 event on February 26th, 2022. The winner of this fight is expected to earn a UFC lightweight title shot.

With the Oliveira-Poirier winner defending the lightweight belt against Gaethje in 2022, Islam Makhachev could be next in line for a shot at the coveted belt, provided he beats Dariush.