Khabib's coach says McGregor would be 'crushed' in rematch with pupil

J. Mendez (left) is one of the main people responsible for K. Nurmagomedov's success. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

One of the main responsible for the success of Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA, Javier Mendez criticized the performance of Conor McGregor, defeated by Dustin poirier No. UFC 257. In an interview with 'Submission Radio', the coach assessed the Irishman's regression last weekend and predicted that his pupil would win in a possible rematch.

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“He (Conor) would be crushed. Khabib has improved. He would have crushed it, no doubt. Khabib has become better than when they fought two years ago. Conor didn't look any better. He hasn’t evolved,” said the AKA coach (American kickboxing Academy).

After watching Poirier's knockout in UFC 257, Mendez took the opportunity to analyze the confrontation. According to the coach, it was a surprise to note that McGregor did not know how to defend himself from the leg attacks applied by the North American, which were fundamental to the victory.

“When I saw Dustin start with the leg kicks, I thought, 'My God, Conor's posture wasn't designed to absorb kicks like that.' Especially the calf kicks. I thought it would be a problem when he hit Dustin with his good punch and Dustin absorbed it. It was there that I realized that things would change. It was a great strategy for Dustin to work with kicks to the legs, calves and it was bad judgment for Conor to not be prepared for that,” said Javier.

In order to evaluate McGregor's performance last weekend, Mendez continued to criticize the Irishman's preparation for the clash against Poirier. For the coach, the North Americans' attacks should have been predicted and there was a plan in place so that the 'Notorious' knew how to get around the situation.

“I don’t understand how you can’t prepare for something like this. With Khabib, I reminded him every day: 'Justin (Gaethje) is going to attack your legs.' Every day I told him. (…) Until fighters know how to deal with this, (kicks) will be a big problem”, he concluded.

Although Conor was knocked out by a series of punches, it was a kick to the calf that began the ordeal the Irishman experienced in the UFC 257. Destabilized and visibly in pain, McGregor couldn't handle the pressure and ended up succumbing in the second round.