Veteran MMA coach Javier Mendez has guided a whole host of incredible fighters to world championship success, both in the UFC and in various promotions around the globe.
Yet out of all the outstanding athletes who Mendez has helped train, including multiple Nurmagomedovs, where does undefeated UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev rank?
Coach Mendez believes Chimaev is on ‘the same level’ as Khabib and Islam
Breaking down the entire UFC 308 main card results in conversation with Red Corner MMA, veteran coach Javier Mendez hailed the performances of Shara Magomedov, Ilia Topuria and most of all, Khamzat Chimaev.
“Wow, what a fighter, what an unbelievable fighter,” the veteran coach stated on the undefeated middleweight phenom, revealing that he was still ‘shocked’ by how his title eliminator against Robert Whittaker ended.
“When he takes you down [he’s got] great control, great everything and then when Robert gave him his back, his jaw went snap, and teeth went out… I was kind of shocked.
“I was surprised that Robert tapped so quick, but I didn’t realize what had happened, that he broke his jaw, so that being the case, now it’s understandable… He’s such a warrior who would never tap unless he was in incredible pain.”
Given how Chimaev was able to get the takedown with relative ease, it’s no surprise that fans have been claiming that his wrestling is on par with two of Mendez’s star pupils; lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov and current king Islam Makhachev… And Mendez agrees.
“I think they’re the same level, but they’re different [styles]… They’re not the same fighter, they’re just different just like Khabib and Islam – they’re the same level but they’re different, and Khamzat’s different.”
As per the UFC stats page, Chimaev has averaged 4.31 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 46% takedown accuracy; for comparison, Khabib retired with 5.32 and a 48% average, with Makhachev retaining a 3.19 and a success rate of 53%.
“He’s not Islam and he’s not Khabib, he’s Khamzat – so I would rate his skills on the ground as A+, A+ for Islam and A+ for Khabib, but they’re all so different.”
Coach Mendez believes there’s one fighter who surpasses those elite names
Whilst Chimaev is amongst the elite wrestlers of his era, coach Mendez actually believes that there’s one fighter who will eventually surpass ‘Borz’, as well as both Khabib and Makhachev in terms of career heights – Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
“I see Usman as being the pound for pound the greatest fighter myself, he’s got all the attributes, he’s the most talented I’ve ever trained,” he explained with a gleeful look on his face.
“I’ve never seen anybody do the transitions, the movement that he does, he’s unbelievable. And he’s only 26, he’s only getting better.”
Usman Nurmagomedov himself has teased that he’ll make the move to the UFC within the next few years; and once he does, Mendez believes that it’ll be game over for anyone hoping to see the Dagestani dynasty come to an end.
“Whether he goes to the UFC or not, I don’t know if it’s gonna matter as long as he keeps showing people how great he is… To me, if he never goes [to the UFC], great, he’s still going to be regarded as one of the great ones.
“He will, you watch – he will be regarded as one of the great ones because what he does in that cage is like nobody [else].”