In the UFC today, there is a lot of talk about fighters moving up weight classes to try and achieve success in two divisions.
Khabib Nurmagomedov never attempted to do this despite his dominance in the lightweight division.
Instead, aside from Tony Ferguson, Nurmagomedov faced and beat the best of the best at 155 pounds before retiring with an undefeated record.
‘The Eagle’ still left behind a remarkable legacy but it’s clear that his training partner and lightweight successor has other plans in mind.
Nurmagomedov has expressed concerns about Islam Makhachev’s upcoming move to welterweight where he will look to accomplish something that his coach didn’t attempt.
Javier Mendez says Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father wanted to see him face Georges St-Pierre
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Javier Mendez was asked about whether there was ever any talk of Khabib Nurmagomedov moving up a division.
The AKA head coach has already been in the corner of Daniel Cormier when he successfully won titles in two divisions, and now they’ll attempt to do the same with Islam Makhachev.
For Nurmagomedov, cutting down to lightweight wasn’t easy but there wasn’t really a time in his career where it looked like welterweight would be the next move.
Mendez recalls that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s father and coach who planned everything out, was more focused on dominating the 155-pound division.
However, Mendez also added that there was one fight that could have potentially changed that, with both fans and the Nurmagomedov camp wanting to see a super fight between ‘The Eagle’ and the greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre.
“From what I remember, the conversations that Khabib and his father had, and this was in Russian so it was being interpreted to me. His father always wanted him at 155, doing great there. If anything, they wanted a legacy fight with GSP. His father envisioned GSP and him.”
Javier Mendez believes Khabib Nurmagomedov could’ve been a three-weight champion
Khabib Nurmagomedov facing Georges St-Pierre remains one of those huge dream fights that fans never got to see.
While it isn’t clear what weight they would’ve met at, Javier Mendez believes that his fighter wouldn’t have had to stop at welterweight if he didn’t want to.
Mendez told MMA Junkie in the same interview that in his opinion, Nurmagomedov could’ve become the first UFC fighter to hold belts in three weight classes if that’s what his father had wanted for him.
“For me personally as his coach since 2012, my personal feeling is that this guy could have easily won the lightweight, which he did, the welterweight, and the middleweight. I believe he’s that good. He would’ve 100% cleaned the clock on all those three divisions in my heart, what I’ve seen in my eyes.”