"Not even close" - Former UFC fighter disagrees with Javier Mendez calling Islam Makhachev "the No.1 lightweight" of all time

Islam Makhachev is preparing for the biggest fight of his career, which takes place on October 22, in Abu Dhabi. He will face Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 280.

'Do Bronx' has a more impressive resume than the Dagestani. Oliveira has fought Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in his last three fights, and prior to that he faced off against Tony Ferguson. However, there are rumors that many who have been offered the chance to fight Makhachev have turned it down, which is why his resume is less impressive.

Regardless, the fact remains that he has not faced anyone of the calibre of 'do Bronx', and many fans feel the Brazilian will be too much for Makhachev to handle. According to his coach Javier Mendez, Makhachev is already the best lightweight of all time. This is a strong statement from the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, and is one that Brendan Schaub strongly disagrees with.

The former professional fighter discussed the statement on the latest episode of The Schaub Show:

"I wish he'd said, 'Potentially the best of all time.' 'Cause there is no way you could say he's the best of all time. Right now, of all time? Not even close."

Watch the video below from 1:07:55:

The statement about Islam Makhachev being the best lightweight of all time is even more controversial when you consider that Javier Mendez was the long-time head coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov too. 'The Eagle' is often in discussions for the GOAT of the entire sport, let alone his own division.

Islam Makhachev responds to Michael Chandler's criticism of his fighting resume

Islam Makhachev is often criticized for the lack of top-tier talent that he has faced in his career. The biggest name on his resume is arguably Dan Hooker, who stepped in as a short-notice replacement for Rafael dos Anjos.

Such critiques of Makhachev's resume are often made by MMA fans, but every so often a professional fighter will chime in with their opinion on the matter. The latest to do so is Michael Chandler. While being interviewed by Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com, 'Iron' said:

"He hasn't really fought anybody. That's really the truth."

Islam Makhachev responded via Twitter and had this to say:

"Haha., your only two win in UFC is Hooker who came out of loss, and Tony who has 5 losses in the row now., please shut up and stay in line."

See the tweet below:

Haha., your only two win in UFC is Hooker who came out of loss, and Tony who has 5 losses in the row now., please shut up and stay in line🤐 twitter.com/mmafighting/st…

With a victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev will certainly quiet many of his doubters. 'Do Bronx' is considered the toughest test at lightweight right now. If Makhachev defeats him, there won't be much that doubters can say.