American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) coach Javier Mendes thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov is never going to lose in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
The Russian will receive the biggest test of his fighting career next month. He’ll defend his UFC lightweight title against the returning Conor McGregor. The pair will headline UFC 229 on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 6th.
Mendes recently joined MMA Fighting‘s new Eurobash Podcast to discuss the match-up. He noted that “The Eagle’s” mental strength is so great, he doesn’t see Nurmagomedov ever losing inside the cage:
“I’m of the belief that Khabib’s mental strength is so strong that I personally feel that he’s never going to lose,” Mendez said.
“I really don’t — I don’t think he’s ever going to lose. He’s going to find whatever he needs to do to win, whether he does it my way or does it his way, he’s going to find a way to win and that’s just what he does.”
There is a lot of personal animosity between Nurmagomedov and McGregor. The Irishman’s famed bus attack in Brooklyn was in target of the Russian. Mendes said he doesn’t worry about keeping his fighter in check because his mental strength is so great:
“I’m not going to have to worry about keeping [Nurmagomedov] in check. He is so mentally strong that it’s not going to be an issue at all.
“Like I said, Conor is going to press his buttons, but it doesn’t matter. I believe Khabib is going to stay cool throughout the whole thing,” Mendez said.
“He’s going to dish it out as good as he gets it, and trust me, Conor’s going to give it to him because Conor is master at playing the game. He’s going to find an equal mental sparring partner as well as physical.
“This fight is going to be mental and physical, outside the fight and inside the fight, they’re both going to fight for the advantages.”
Discussion: What do you make of Mendes’ comments on Nurmagomedov never losing? Sound off in the comments section below!
