"Every fighter has a different Father's Plan" - Islam Makhachev's coach says gameplan against Charles Oliveira won't be to simply get him to the ground
Islam Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez recently weighed in on his pupil's gameplan going into his upcoming championship bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280.
Contrary to the popular notion that Makhachev will utilize a wrestling-heavy approach, Mendez claimed that the plan formulated by the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, known as 'Father's plan', caters to different fighters and their respective fighting styles.
During his scorching ascent up the lightweight division and subsequent championship reign, Khabib Nurmagomedov relied on 'Father's plan' to dominate his opponents. Mendez was often seen reminding 'The Eagle' to stick to the plan, which essentially demanded relentless forward pressure and takedowns, followed by ground-and-pound and submissions.
Victory for Khabib and the Champion is overcome with emotion.
A beautiful moment of respect as Justin Gaethje joins him in the centre of the mat.
One step closer to Father's Plan 🙏
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Speaking to Jens Pulver and Matt Serra on an episode of UFC Unfiltered, Mendez pointed out that 'Father's Plan' is not a singular formula. Rather, it is an all-encompassing guide to approaching a fight, depending on the skills of a particular fighter. The American Kickboxing Academy founder explained:
"Every fighter has a different Father's Plan. Father's plan, everybody thinks is take him to the ground because that's what Khabib is an expert at. But that's not what father's mentality was."
Mendez added:
"Khabib's father was a genius. He had a certain way about him where he picked out certain things about somebody and he was able to utilize that strength and have them fight properly to the best of their abilities. That's more or less father's plan. It isn't [just] take him to the ground."
Catch Javier Mendez's comments (6:15) below:
Javier Mendez affirmed that Islam Makhachev's gameplan against Charles Oliveira will not be centered around simply taking down the Brazilian.
Makhachev's striking has come a long way during his rise up the lightweight ladder, but his grappling prowess has ultimately paved the way to a title shot. He will contest the vacant belt in Abu Dhabi on October 22.
Javier Mendez claims Islam Makhachev is the most-well rounded lightweight of all time
Islam Makhachev is riding a 10-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division. He is coming off four successive submission victories, which earned him his shot at the lightweight strap. While many view Makhachev as Khabib Nurmagomedov's heir to the 155-pound throne, their styles are quite different.
Unlike his longtime friend and teammate-turned-coach, Makhachev's style of fighting is more multi-dimensional. Nurmagomedov suffocates his opponents with a high-paced wrestling offense and thunderous ground-and-pound, while Makhachev's approach is more systematic, calculated and submission-oriented.
Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez recently hailed the Dagestani as the most complete fighter in the history of the lightweight division. Mendez told Submission Radio:
"I am going on record saying as the lightweight, he is hands down the No. 1 of all time, best in all areas. Best defense, best striking, best everywhere. The best all-around athlete. Way, way back in the day I thought it was Frank Shamrock that was the best well-rounded athlete, and he was in all divisions. But in the lightweight division, for me, the person that’s the best-rounded in every single area is Islam Makhachev.”
Watch the full interview below: