American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez says he still thinks Conor McGregor is the toughest fight for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Back in Oct. 2018, Nurmagomedov put his UFC lightweight gold on the line against McGregor. “The Eagle” submitted McGregor in the fourth round. This was Nurmagomedov’s first successful UFC lightweight title defense.
Coach Mendez Still Sees McGregor As Biggest Threat To Khabib
Despite that win, coach Mendez still thinks his fighter needs to be on his toes down the line if he matches up with McGregor again. Mendez explained why he still believes McGregor is the most dangerous threat during an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Luke Thomas Show (via BJPenn.com).
“No I’m sorry, I think it’s still Conor,” the long-time Nurmagomedov coach said. “Even though people may disagree me, but I just know how good Conor is. Conor’s the toughest fight to date.
“He’s [Ferguson] got way better cardio but Conor was dangerous, anytime you let Conor release any type of striking he could just put you out. That’s why he was so dangerous to me. If you let Conor get in his groove, he would have done some amazing damage if we allowed him to. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen, but I still fear him, I really do.”
Nurmagomedov awaits the winner of Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje. Those two will collide for the interim UFC lightweight championship this Saturday night (May 9). Nurmagomedov revealed that he can return to action as soon as July.
McGregor returned to the Octagon back in January. He took on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas. McGregor earned the TKO victory in 40 seconds. It was the “Notorious” one’s first win since Nov. 2016 when he became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
