One prominent MMA figure sees bigger names in the UFC than Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley.
The two former champions have long been seen as among the leading stars in an era when the UFC has come under fire for lacking the kind of big-name draws it once had.
O’Malley has been tipped in the past to take over the mantle left behind by the inactive Conor McGregor, but it’s been Pereira’s quick rise to two-division UFC glory that has seemingly made the biggest splash.
According to a renowned coach, though, neither man occupies the number one or two spot when it comes to the top stars on MMA’s biggest stage.
Javier Mendez names Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev as the UFC’s two biggest stars
Coach Javier Mendez knows a thing or two about MMA stars, having trained a multitude of them at the American Kickboxing Academy.
And during a recent episode of The Javier and Mo Show, Mendez suggested he still trains one of the top two stars in the UFC.
Mendez pointed to dominant lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and controversial heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones as the UFC’s biggest stars over the likes of Pereira and O’Malley.
“I’m not saying (O’Malley’s) a superstar…I’m just saying he’s a star,” Mendez said. “Not as big as levels of other guys.
“Nobody thinks that (O’Malley is bigger than Makhachev). The two biggest stars in my opinion — and I don’t think I’m wrong — is Jon Jones and Islam. They are the biggest stars at the present time.
“I don’t think anybody’s gonna be able to (dispute) that. Those two are superstars,” Mendez added. “The other one I think is a superstar is Alex Pereira. I think Khamzat Chimaev is on the brink of superstardom.”
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Sean O’Malley’s second straight loss won’t affect his stardom, claims coach
In O’Malley’s case, some have suggested that his stardom took a hit at UFC 316 in early June.
‘Sugar’ suffered a second consecutive defeat against Merab Dvalishvili, significantly stalling his plans to return to the bantamweight throne for a second title reign.
But after that submission setback, O’Malley’s coach insisted that his fighter has moved beyond the point where losses impact his star level.
“Look at Nate Diaz, how big of a star he is. How many losses does he have?” Tim Welch said on his YouTube channel. “Jorge Masvidal, how many losses does he have? They’re still just f—— huge draws. Huge stars.”
Pereira will hope that he’s in a similar position after his title loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 this past March.
Like O’Malley, ‘Poatan’ is expected to receive an immediate shot at revenge in his return to action later this year.