Javier Mendez isn’t excited about Ilia
Topuria’s lightweight plans.
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Topuria recently said that he might be done competing at
featherweight after only one title defense. The undefeated champ
wants to instead move up to lightweight and fight Charles
Oliveira with reigning 155-pound title holder Islam
Makhachev already booked for his next defense.
Makhachev puts his belt on the line against Arman
Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC 311
on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. While
Topuria has taken multiple shots at Makhachev in the recent past,
Mendez, the Dagestani’s long-term coach, isn’t paying heed just
yet. Mendez is more focused on Makhachev’s upcoming defense against
“Ahalkalakets,” whom he already beat via a hard-fought unanimous
decision in 2019.
Mendez also reiterated Makhachev’s double-champ aspirations with a
possible move up to welterweight. At the end of the day, Mendez
promises Makhachev will accept any opponent the UFC offers him.
“I’m not interested in that fight whatsoever at the present time,”
Mendez told Submission Radio. “I’m more interested in him
defending against Arman, and then let’s see what happens after
that. Who knows, maybe the welterweight title is available at that
particular time. I don’t know. But at the end of the day I’m just
talking. The UFC is gonna make that decision what they want, and
what they want is what’s gonna happen. So Islam is gonna say,
‘Yes,’ when the UFC says, ‘This is your next contender for your
title.’”
However, there remains one primary impediment to Makhachev’s
welterweight plans: reigning champ Belal
Muhammad. “Remember the Name” is a proudly devout Muslim who
shares a close bond with the entire Dagestani brigade and trains
with them at regular intervals. According to Mendez, Makhachev will
never move up to 170 pounds as long as Muhammad remains
champion.
“100% it’s Belal. They’ll never fight,” Mendez said. “Just the
brotherhood. They just won’t break that. And I don’t blame them.
They’re not fighting for just anything. They do have their loyalty
to each other. And Belal’s a brother and they won’t fight him.”