Javier Mendez interview: Conor McGregor v Islam Makhachev would be ‘electrifying’ but McGregor should avoid a street fight with Makhachev – ‘he’s from the mountains’, ‘Filthy rich’ McGregor has no motivation to fight again, I warned Khabib about McGregor’s ‘art of war tactics’
Speaking to FastestPayoutOnlineCasino.com, Javier Mendez, the coach who guided Khabib to an historic victory over Conor McGregor, believe’s McGregor v Islam Makhachev could be just as electrifying.
Do you like Conor McGregor v Islam Makhachev?
Javier Mendez: “I love Islam vs Conor McGregor, who wouldn’t want to be involved in a fight that would have an electrifying atmosphere?
That is a great fight for us and for the fans. One of the greatest feelings I had in my whole entire life was when Khabib and Conor fought because of the real hatred between both sides.
Conor would not be an easy nice work for Islam because you have to respect the man, he’s got a lot of experience and the only way you make it an easy night is because you train hard – but it will never be an easy night with a guy like Conor, you better train your butt off because he’s a real fighter and if he’s going come in prepared, it’s never going to be easy.”
How motivated is McGregor to fight again?
JM: “He’s filthy rich, I mean what’s the reason for him to get up and train any longer?
There’s no motivation, there’s no hunger like there used to be. I’m not saying he can’t do it, I’m just saying the motivation is different. He doesn’t need this game, he doesn’t need anything. He can be a great businessman, he can do great business everywhere around the world because of his big name, he’s in a very powerful position.”
Should Michael Chandler move on?
JM: “If I was in charge of Michael Chandler’s corner, and I felt that Conor McGregor was still legitimately interested in fighting, I would advise Michael to hang in there – that’s a major, major fight, hang in there 100%.
I would hang in there for the big payday. Michael Chandler has absolutely nothing to prove to anybody, make your money buddy. You’re not going to make this kind of money fighting anyone else – you could fight three or four guys and you won’t make this kind of money – so why put your body through all of it if you honestly feel that Conor will get into the octagon with you?”
Will McGregor be the same after his surgery?
JM: “Something is always missing from fighters who have injuries like Conor McGregor has had, for instance Daniel Cormier, after he had back surgery he was never the same again.
No matter how hard he tried, he was never the same after that back surgery, it really affected his performance, also he was aging. His heart was still strong but his body was not doing what it used to do.”
Would Makhachev and McGregor be as fractious as Khabib and McGregor?
JM: “If Conor and Islam did fight, I don’t think it would have the same hatred as Khabib.
Last time Conor tried the art of war type tactics to do whatever he could to upset Khabib, so when he was doing that I was trying to calm Khabib down all the way through, and that that’s what I was doing almost a daily basis remember, I said to him, ‘he’s going to come after your wife, your country, your religion, your manager and your father – and he did’.’”
Makhachev says he wants a street fight with McGregor, thoughts?
JM: “These kids are from the mountains.
You can’t scare them by saying we’re going to take a fight out into the street. They do that all the time. That’s very typical for them, they will not be afraid to fight on the street against you or your team. They’ll come with their team or they’ll come alone. That’s what they’re all about.”
Did money change McGregor?
JM: “Khabib is different from Conor McGregor, money didn’t change Khabib, he became more generous, he didn’t become a bully just because he had money, he became a person with a bigger heart and he cared about people.
There was a fan who used to hang around our gym and Khabib took a liking to him, so he flew the fan out to every fight in the United States and even Abu Dhabi and he bought him a hotel, tickets to the fight. Money didn’t change him, it made him more beautiful to people and more generous because he’s not about the money he’s about loving appreciation and humanity and I love him to death.”
Have you ever had a fighter like Khamzat Chimaev whose health continues to fail them?
JM: “It’s hard to know what’s going on with Khamzat, but using Cain Velasquez as an example, here’s an individual who should have been the greatest heavyweight of all time, but due to both unforeseen and foreseen injuries that happened to him, it prevented him from achieving greatness.
I should have asked Cain from the start, ‘did you ever get injured when you were wrestling’ and he said ‘never’. So I was like ‘why the heck is he getting injured now?’ And I realised he’d been killing himself in training. If Khamzat cannot get hold of his health issues it would mean it would tarnish his great potential, but let’s see, I hope not, he’s so much fun to watch. Let’s hope he gets the help he needs but if I’m not mistaken, he got the COVID and that’s what messed him up. There’s a lot of people, not just him, who got the COVID and it messed them up pretty good, and they’re not the same.”
How good is Mike Perry?
JM: “In the UFC Mike Perry is a no nonsense type of brawler. He’s a warrior and a road warrior.
He’s a do or die, blood and guts and glory type of a fighter. Now in BareKnuckle, I see a guy using boxing technique, and when I watched him in Bareknuckle, I thought ‘wow he’s really sharpened up his boxing’. Now he’s just focusing on boxing, he’s a different guy, he’s not the guy I remember in the UFC.
If I’m not mistaken, they have sparred together before so they know each other. But that was then and this now, and this is a different Mike Perry, it’s going to be interesting to see, but one thing is for sure, you’re going to have to kill Mike to beat him. It doesn’t matter how hard you hit Mike, he’ll keep coming, so you have to find a way to stop him. You can’t take his heart away, he will keep coming. Jake better be able to receive what he dishes out. But I’m favouring Jake because he’s been boxing for a long time, but if it was bare knuckle, it would be Mike.”
Belal Muhammad or Leon Edwards?
JM: “I’m backing Belal Muhammad against Leon. I never go against anybody that I know, I’m pro Belal. His best chance I think is on the inside brawling and grappling.
But Leon is the complete package now, so it’s a very hard fight – what he’s got do is get on the inside, probably take a lot of punishment and is going to have to dish it out, and he’s gonna have to go to the grind, he can’t give Leon distance in this fight. It’s got to be in close quarters, it’s got to be in a phone booth. In my opinion he’s got to make this a phone booth fight, if he gives distance to Leon, Leon is going to be technically too good and too fast.”
Alex Pereira or Jiri Procházka?
JM: “Alex keeps improving all the damn time, Jirii he’s more of an orthodox striker, so his chances honestly speaking are not that good in my opinion and that’s only because Alex is improving his levels.
There’s only one guy in the Division who in my opinion can stand up with Alex and that is Israel Adesanya. I don’t see any of the other guys being able to stand with Alex without being clipped other than Israel, I’m sorry, I just don’t see any of these guys being able to handle Alex’s stand up, so if you’re not good at taking him down and you can’t get him to the ground you’re not favoured to win in my opinion.”