Islam Makhachev will look to reach the top of a second weight class at UFC 322.
It has recently been argued that Makhachev has everything to lose in his upcoming welterweight title fight on November 15.
The former lightweight champion has spoken about moving up a division for some time, with his wish being granted after a new titleholder was crowned at 170 pounds.
Jack Della Maddalena’s team believe that his power will be too much for the former pound-for-pound number one now that he’s facing bigger opponents.
The challenger’s coach, on the other hand, thinks that one of the Russian’s greatest assets will allow him to compete against the top fighters in the welterweight division.
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Javier Mendez says that Islam Makhachev is the strongest lightweight he’s coached
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Javier Mendez spoke about Islam Makhachev’s move up to welterweight and how he sees it panning out.
Some have argued that Makhachev is too big of a favorite coming into this matchup due to the challenges that Jack Della Maddalena presents.
While Mendez said that he agrees with this sentiment, he’s still confident that his fighter will be able to continue his dominant run at a higher weight class.
Makhachev’s coach believes that a key part of their ability to compete at welterweight is due to one of the former lightweight champion’s physical attributes.
While he didn’t explicitly compare him to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Mendez did compare Makhachev to the other lightweight fighters that he has coached, which includes ‘The Eagle’.
“I think the biggest thing on our side is he’s very strong. Very strong. He’s super, super strong. Out of all my lightweights, he is the strongest one out of all of them. I don’t recall one lightweight stronger than him. Not even close, he’s the strongest. So, out of everybody I have, he’s the guy that has the best opportunity to handle the strength of the bigger guys.”
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Javier Mendez admits that he’s taken a different approach to preparing Islam Makhachev for UFC 322
Both Islam Makhachev’s and Jack Della Maddalena’s coaches have shown a lot of respect to one another ahead of UFC 322.
The two teams know what the fighter they are going up against is capable of, and as a result, Javier Mendez has been taking some extra steps.
Mendez admitted when speaking to Submission Radio that for the first time, he has been watching tape on Della Maddalena to help prepare Makhachev for November 15.
“I’ve never watched tape for an Islam fight. Never. This is the first time because I respect this guy that much and he’s a puzzle. He’s not that easy. I’m telling you, he’s not that easy. We’ll get him, but he’s not that easy and I have to be confident that we’ll get him.”