Islam Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez does not believe that he was ever in Khabib Nurmagomedov's shadow, despite what some may say.
As we know, Islam Makhachev has carved out a pretty remarkable run for himself as UFC lightweight champion. Now, however, he's going in pursuit of a second world title, which would truly cement him as one of the all-time greats. For the longest time, he's been compared to his close friend and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is a legend in his own right.
Of course, the two are very different in the way they approach the sport of mixed martial arts, but it's certainly an interesting debate to have. In a recent interview with Genting Casino - who offer the best Live Casinos, the aforementioned Javier Mendez gave his thoughts on the idea that Islam was ever in Khabib's shadow.
Javier Mendez discusses Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov
“I think he's already done that [stepped out of Khabib’s shadow] but I had never looked at him as in Khabib's shadows. I just looked at him as the next great one under his father's tutelage.
“I never looked at him [as a protege] following Khabib. He's just following his father’s game plan of what he wanted from these boys. His father stated on many occasions he wanted Islam to be champion after Khabib was retired.”
You may or may not be a fan of Islam Makhachev, but one thing is for sure - he'll go down as one of the greatest lightweights to ever do it when it's all said and done.
