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Islam Makhachev's coach recently addressed the backlash he received after predicting when his pupil will retire and set the record straight. He clarified what his thought process was like when evaluating Makhachev's trajectory and noted that it wasn't definitive.
Javier Mendez is one of the most respected coaches in the sport and one that has earned a strong reputation among his pupils, which includes the likes of Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez and Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Mendez recently came under fire after predicting that his pupil Makhachev will likely compete for another three fights before hanging up the gloves.
Among those who weighed in was Makhachev's manager Ali Abdelaziz, who claimed the Dagestani intends to compete at a very high level for at least another three years.
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In the latest episode of The Javier & Mo Show, Mendez shared his thoughts on the backlash following his comments and clarified that Makhachev could compete much longer. He said:
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"It depends what Islam wants, it's not what coach wants. He's the driver, not me... I'm not saying he's retired, I'm saying I'm thinking maybe and this is not Islam, this is me, so I don't know. I didn't discuss with him or anything. I've just assumed there may be three fights, but it could be six or seven. It could be four, it could be any amount, I don't know."
Check out Javier Mendez's comments regarding Islam Makhachev below (1:18):
Javier Mendez says there are more appealing challenges at welterweight for Islam Makhachev
Javier Mendez also believes that the welterweight division presents more challenges for Islam Makhachev compared to lightweight.
In the aforementioned episode, Mendez mentioned that although Makhachev could decide to return to 155 pounds, the challenges at 170 pounds might entice him to remain at welterweight should he dethrone Jack Della Maddalena:
"It's possible [Makhachev returns to lightweight], but let's face it, all the challenges that are at the 170 [pound division], there are a lot more ... And let's see what we have after the fight because look, we have Shavkat, we have a whole bunch of people. We have Kamaru Usman, who wants the winner of that [title] fight." [4:42]
Check out Islam Makhachev's post-fight interview following his latest win below:
