"He's not Islam, he's not Khabib" - Coach Javier Mendez weighs in on Khamzat Chimaev's ground game
MMA coach Javier Mendez recently gave his take on Khamzat Chimaev's ground game. Mendez was all praise for Chimaev's grappling abilities, even claiming that the undefeated fighter is on the same level as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
Chimaev has astonished everyone in the MMA community over the last few years with his wrestling prowess and relentless pressure on his opponents, forcing them to the ground and dominating them. Among others who are amazed by 'Borz's' skills is Mendez.
In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, the founder of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) praised Chimaev's ground game, saying it is equal to that of Nurmagomedov and Makhachev:
''I think they’re at the same level. but they’re different. They’re not the same fighters; they’re just different, like Khabib and Islam. They’re on the same level, but they each bring something unique. Khamzat is different—he’s not Islam, he’s not Khabib, he’s Khamzat. So, I would rate his ground skills as A+. A+ for Islam, A+ for Khabib, but they’re all distinct. In my book, they’re all A+.”
Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (11:57):
Chimaev faced Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 308 last month, attempting to establish himself as the next challenger for the middleweight title.
The 30-year-old demonstrated his wrestling abilities by defeating the former champion via a face crank in the opening round. It was later revealed that the maneuver had dislocated Whittaker's teeth.
Impressed by Chimaev's performance, Mendez spoke to Submission Radio and said:
''He [Chimaev] is the guy that I see beating a lot of people, even in Light Heavyweight. I do believe in him that much... Khamzat is gonna dispose of them right away... That guy is unbelievable... and the one thing about this one I noticed, he was a lot more relaxed than he has ever been. So that impressed me about him.”
Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (13:29):
Joe Rogan believes Khamzat Chimaev has surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov
Joe Rogan was also impressed with Khamzat Chimaev's dominant win against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.
During an episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator highlighted that Chimaev has now outperformed UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov in several areas, saying:
"Maybe even more intense, maybe even more dominant [comparing Chimaev's ability to Nurmagomedov]. To do that to Whittaker, a guy who's a world champion, like even the Conor [McGregor] fight, it took a while before [Khabib] overwhelmed him... This was just an overwhelming victory. Khamzat just charged in, dove in, got him down and mauled him. Mauled him until he broke his face."
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (3:13:46):