Top MMA coach, Javier Mendez, out of the American Kickboxing Academy in California, believes that the dominant former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s skill will be too much for the newly crowned king of the welterweight division, Jack Della Maddalena.
In an interview with Genting Casino, the top-level coach said the following:
“Jack’s going to feel the trickiness of Islam and the slick maneuvers that he does, that people aren’t expecting. He’ll do things that you don’t expect. He’ll throw you into the cage.”
“He’ll punch and he’ll kick you when you’re not really thinking it’s going to happen. He will catch you when you’re sleeping. There’s a funny video out there of him and DC. They’re grappling.”
“DC’s talking and is not paying attention. And all of a sudden DC is on the ground. That’s what Islam does. He’s sneaky. He’ll come in and throw a good move on you, and before you know it you’re on your butt.”
Javier Mendez is biased towards his fighter, as any coach should be; however, the statements about Makhachev’s actual well-rounded MMA ability are very much factual. Not only is he a dominant grappler, but his striking is no joke either, as he was able to strike with the likes of Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski. There are no actual weaknesses in the Chechen-Russian’s abilities.
Javier Mendez and Islam Makhachev are getting ready for Jack Della Maddalena.
With Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria both vacating their respective titles in an attempt to capture two-division champion status, they will face the cream of the crop of their new divisions right off the bat. With Javier Mendez ready to train his pupil on how to deal with the likes of the Australian striker, who recently showcased incredible takedown defense and scrambling ability thanks to Craig Jones. It will be a battle of the fighters and a battle of the coaches for the showdown between the two dominant fighters.
