Javier Mendez, who helps to coach Khabib
Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy, believes it would
be an ugly night for Conor
McGregor if he was granted a rematch with the Dagestani
champion.
Given the way things played out at UFC 257, where McGregor suffered
a second-round KO defeat to Dustin
Poirier in the evening’s main event, it’s not exactly the
hottest of takes. However, Mendez has been on record as saying
McGregor was . Now, he believes the Irish star has regressed considerably
and a second bout with “The Eagle” would not be competitive.
Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor via fourth-round submission in their
first meeting at UFC 229 in October 2018.
“[McGregor] would’ve got smashed,” Mendez said in an interview with
Submission
Radio. “Khabib’s gotten better. He would’ve gotten smashed. He
would have gotten smashed, straight up. Khabib’s better. He’s
better than he was when they fought two years ago. Conor didn’t
appear to be better. He’s regressed a little bit. Khabib’s gotten
way better. He would have gotten smashed.”
Poirier’s calf kicks hindered McGregor tremendously, a point which
the SBG Ireland representative acknowledged at the UFC 257
post-fight press conference. That allowed Poirier to track his
opponent down and ultimately land the decisive punches near the
fence in Round 2. McGregor was never able to adjust to check the
kicks effectively.
“When I saw Dustin start going for the leg kicks, I go, ‘Oh my god,
Conor’s stance is not made for checking properly leg kicks like
that,” Mendez said. “Especially calf kicks. So, I thought that was
going to be a major problem. And then when he hit Dustin with the
good shot and Dustin took it, that’s when I kind of knew, ‘Oh boy,
things are gonna change.’ And sure enough, they did. And it was a
great game plan from Dustin to work the leg kicks, calf kicks. And
it was a bad judgment on Conor’s part to not be prepared for
that.
“I don’t understand how you cannot be prepared for something like
that, when that’s what everyone’s going to. Khabib, I told him, I
reminded him every day that Justin’s coming after your legs,
Justin’s coming after your legs. Every day I was telling him that.
And you would think that you would be reminded also because that’s
a big weapon. Until fighters learn how to deal with it, it’s gonna
be a big weapon, guys.”
The first meeting between Nurmagomedov and McGregor was the UFC’s
highest-selling pay-per-view of all-time, and it’s no secret the
promotion had designs on booking a rematch if McGregor had been
victorious this past Saturday. With Nurmagomedov seemingly
comfortable in retirement, it seems that ship has sailed for
good.
“You’re never gonna get that rematch,” Mendez said. “Just like
you’re never gonna get the Tony and Khabib fight. That’s never
gonna happen either. It’s not gonna happen. I mean, Khabib doesn’t
need it. He seems fulfilled. And like I said, I think the only
juicy part for him is what his father wanted, GSP. I’ve said it
many times. And who knows, maybe that’s out of the question now.
Maybe GSP doesn’t want it, maybe Khabib don’t want it now. I don’t
know, because I never talked to Khabib about what he wants, I’ve
always listened to him.”