Islam Makhachev faced the toughest challenge of his career at UFC 330 , at least according to his coach, Javier Mendez. The Russian faced Ian Machado Garry in the main event and defended his welterweight title (up to 77 kg) in a fight where he officially lost only one round according to the judges. Despite the unanimous decision victory, the AKA team leader classified the Irishman as the most difficult opponent the champion has ever faced.
In an interview with 'Submission Radio', Javier Mendez explained that he considers Garry a superior challenge to Alexander Volkanovski , another name that pushed Makhachev to his limit. According to the coach, while the Australian offered greater resistance only in one of the rounds, the Irishman managed to make life difficult for the champion throughout the entire fight.
See too
“I’m going with Garry because with Volk it was just one round, but with Garry, he was tough from start to finish. So I’ll say, from my point of view, Ian Garry was our biggest challenge,” said Javier Mendez.
Carlos Prates could be Islam Makhachev's next challenger in the UFC.
Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates are set to face off for the welterweight title. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage.
Riding high after knockout victories over Geoff Neal , Leon Edwards , and Jack Della Maddalena , Carlos Prates emerges as one of the top contenders to challenge Islam Makhachev next in the UFC.
The Brazilian has already stated that the organization has signaled the possibility of putting him in a title fight, while the champion himself has shown enthusiasm for the idea of facing the smoker.
Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.
Comments