Tränaren Javier Mendez säger att ingen någonsin besegrat hans adept Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) i en sparringsession och att den ende som vunnit en rond mot honom är dennes träningskamrat och numera lärjunge Islam Makhachev (22-1).
Deras tränare: Islam Makhachev ä den ende som vunnit en rond i sparring mot Khabib Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov lade handskarna på hyllan obesegrad och var så pass dominant att han aldrig förlorat en rond innan han mötte Conor McGregor. Han hade oftast lekstuga med sina motståndare och efter att han pensionerat sig har han nu skiftat fokus till att träna Islam Makhachev som är tänkt att härnäst möta Charles Oliveira om lättviktsbältet den 22 oktober.
Makhachev är bettingfavorit och många, inklusive Nurmagomedov, har hypat upp fightern som den kommande mästaren. Enligt Javier Mendez som tränar båda herrarna så är Makhachev också den ende fighter som vunnit ronder mot Nurmagomedov i sparring.
Tränaren sade följande i Submission Radio:
.@akajav reveals “in all the history, since 2012” Khabib has never lost a “sparring session” 😳
“Islam. He’s the only one that has won rounds from Khabib. Never won a session, but he’s won rounds.”
🎥: https://t.co/edM0XZnbVu pic.twitter.com/ff9UNypi37
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) September 29, 2022
In all the history, since 2012, since Khabib’s been doing sparring with me in front of my eyes, there has been nobody that’s ever taken a round from him. No one’s ever won a sparring session. Not a sparring session with Khabib ever. Except one man. Islam. He’s the only one that has won rounds from Khabib. Never won a session, but he’s won rounds. And I’ve never seen that. So, obviously, when Khabib talks about the next heir, he’s not saying something that he’s trying to make up and make people believe. He knows, like I know, how good his Islam is.
That’s why he’s so confident in what he’s saying. Khabib’s not known to say something that he doesn’t mean. And he means it, I mean it. And now it’s time for Islam to go out there and shine and let everybody know what Khabib already knows and I know, that he’s the best right now. He is the best. And we have to prove it and we will prove it.
Makhachev är den meste kompletta lättviktaren någonsin
Mendez anser dock att Makhachev är en mer komplett fighter än Nurmagomedov:
You don’t know what you’re dealing with until you’re dealing with him. That’s what everybody that’s dealt with Islam, they thought they could do better, until they get in there and they didn’t. He is so well-rounded. I am going on record saying as the lightweight, he is hands down the No. 1 of all time, best in all areas.
No. 1 of all time, Islam Makhachev. Best defense, best striking, best everywhere. The best all-around athlete. Way, way back in the day I thought it was Frank Shamrock that was the best well-rounded athlete, and he was in all divisions. But in the lightweight division, for me, the person that’s the best-rounded in every single area is Islam Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev har en segersvit på 10 raka och besegrade senast Bobby Green via TKO i februari detta år.
