Islam Makhachev head coach Javier Mendez believes Justin Gaethje was Islam’s biggest threat and says he is now out of the question.
“That’s what I thought [Gaethje] He was our biggest threat and he probably won’t be in our sights again.
no… pic.twitter.com/OG3mgE6Mvg
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
April 29, 2024
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez believes the biggest threat to Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title reign is gone.
Mendes considered Justin Gaethje to be the biggest threat to Makhachev. Considering Gaethje’s wild striking, proven knockout power, and NCAA Division I wrestling background, Mendez considered “The Highlight” to be the toughest style matchup for Makhachev at lightweight.
Makhachev had until recently been looking to defend his lightweight belt against Gaethje, who effectively earned a shot at the title with his knockout win over Dustin Poirier. But Makhachev won’t be ready to fight until the summer after Ramadan, leaving Gaethje in an awkward position. Meanwhile, Gaethje accepted a fight for the BMF title against Max Holloway at UFC 300. Holloway dealt an absolute blow to Gaethje before knocking him out in the fifth round, removing “The Highlight” from the title picture for the time being.
Mendes currently believes it is unlikely that Makhachev and Gaethje will meet in the UFC.
“For me, out of all of them, the guy that I thought was right for us was stylistically very dangerous, and I thought it was Justin Gaethje,” Mendes said on his podcast. “Stylistically, his striking is really nice and strong because of his wrestling pedigree. And it’s all apples and oranges, because yeah, everyone has a different skill set. So I thought he was the biggest threat to us, but he probably won’t be in the future for us. No need to talk. [does he] He never comes there and becomes a threat. ”
