Javier Mendez believes Ian Garry’s
mental strength and confidence will be his biggest weapon when he
challenges Islam
Makhachev for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title.
Garry is set to face Makhachev in the main event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, where
he’ll look to produce a massive upset. While Makhachev’s elite
grappling is widely regarded as the biggest X-factor in the
matchup, Mendez believes Garry’s mindset makes him a legitimate
threat.
Javier Mendez explains why Ian Garry’s mental strength matters
vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 330
Mendez, the
American Kickboxing Academy founder and coach to several former
champions including Khabib
Nurmagomedov, Luke
Rockhold, Cain
Velasquez and Daniel
Cormier, has praised Garry’s confidence and mental toughness
ahead of UFC 330.
“Ian’s Garry’s mental game is huge,” Mendez said in an interview
with NewBettingSites. “That’s what my book is about.
It is all about mental strength and how you can do anything with
mental strength if done right. Proper planning and execution with
the right formula. It can’t just be, ‘I can beat gorillas, but I am
a little ant.’ It’s impossible. You have to be realistic. Realistic
expectations create real results.”
Mendez then highlighted the difference between confidence and
overconfidence, citing Ilia
Topuria losing the title at
UFC Freedom 250 to Justin
Gaethje as an example.
“The fight will go the full five rounds. We will win all five
rounds. That will never change… Never,” Mendez added. “I’m not
doing my fighter justice by putting something that is not realistic
in my mind. It’s not to say that Islam can’t finish the fight
earlier, but I just don’t want to do that. Look at what happened to
Ilia
Topuria. He predicted all types of outcomes for his fight and
the next thing we know, he is sitting there with a broken orbital
bone and is bleeding everywhere.”