Javier Mendez couldn’t believe the pace Merab Dvalishvili set at UFC 311.
Mendes’ protégé, Umar Nurmagomedov, challenged Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 311. Dvalishvili’s coach John Wood expected the champion to put up a tough few rounds and take over as the match progressed. The fight played out exactly like that, with Nurmagomedov, despite his great skill, unable to keep up with the champion’s pace. Dvalishvili took away Nurmagomedov’s perfect record and defended his title with a unanimous decision win.
Nurmagomedov also broke his hand in the opener, but Mendes hasn’t taken anything away from Dvalishvili. The American Kickboxing Academy head coach was in awe of Dvalishvili’s gas tank as the match progressed. However, Mendez also noted that “The Machine’s” showmanship in the final round may have slightly affected the judges’ scorecards.
“he [Nurmagomedov] I couldn’t perform because I broke my hand. Even though he had a broken hand and he was fighting against a great champion, he had the most unbelievable cardio I’ve ever seen in my life,” Mendes told Submission Radio. “I’ve never seen anyone with such good cardio, make shots like he does, and just keep getting stronger as the rounds go on. I’m like, ‘What am I looking at?’ And a showman. I thought we were in the lead in terms of points in the fifth round. But he showed himself as a champion. While Umar was struggling to stand up, he acted like a champion. ”
Mendes also revealed that Nurmagomedov did not inform his corner about the broken hand. Mendez said if he had known about the injury, he would have changed his game plan to a more kick-heavy approach.
