Coach Javier Mendez picks the one fight he wants next for Islam Makhachev to show he can do "much better"
Islam Makhachev has laid out plans to move up to welterweight and attain double-champ status and has welcomed the challenges of Leon Edwards and Colby Covington.
However, Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez recently shared his pick for the lightweight champion's ideal next opponent, and he chose neither Edwards nor 'Chaos'.
Mendez is the long-time head coach at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) where Islam Makhachev has trained for over a decade.
During a recent interview with Helen Yee, the AKA coach stated that although he is happy with whatever Makhachev decides to do, his ideal next opponent is Alexander Volkanovski:
"I do want Islam to go after what he wants, the champ-champ status. But I also know that there's also one fight that we'd all like to see again, after hopefully being successful with Oliveira's fight. But you've got Gaethje, and you've got Alex [Volkanovski]. And Colby just came into the picture.
"So in a perfect world, what I want is what Islam wants, 'cause he wants champ-champ status. So Colby would be the one I would pick, only because of that reason. But if you're asking me the one I really want back, I want to go with Alex, because I know Islam will do much better."
Watch the video below from 4:10:
Islam Makhachev's victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 was met with much controversy. Many felt that 'The Great' had won the bout, particularly given that he was dominating Makhachev during the final minutes of the fight.
Both Makhachev and Volkanovksi have shown interest in a potential rematch, but there appears to be many options available to the Dagestani should he defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 this month.
Islam Makhachev accuses Charles Oliveira of trying to avoid UFC 294 clash
Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are set to face off at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21.
The pair will meet in a rematch of their UFC 280 clash in 2022, with the only difference being that Makhachev will enter their second clash as the champion.
Prior to the UFC 294 main event being announced, Oliveira had stated that he would only be available from November onwards. But following the announcement of the lightweight title clash, speculation arose that 'do Bronx' may have been forced to accept the fight.
Islam Makhachev recently appeared to confirm that speculation, during an interview with ESPN MMA. He said:
"He tried to [run away] from this fight, but the UFC told him, 'Hey man, you have to come to Abu Dhabi and fight for the belt.' And that's it. He tried to leave, he tried to move the fight to Brazil."
Watch the video below from 4:15: