Khabib Nurmagomedov's Coach Names UFC Star’s Toughest Opponent Out Of Top Lightweights

Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach believes that fierce rival Conor McGregor is stylistically the toughest opponent for the UFC star.

The 31-year-old UFC lightweight champ clashed with McGregor in an MMA super-fight at UFC 229 in October 2018.

And Khabib walked away with the ultimate bragging rights on the night after securing a fourth-round victory through submission.

Both the 'Eagle' and McGregor have continued their rivalry outside of the octagon and frequently traded blows on social media.

Javier Mendez, who is Khabib's coach, has no doubt in his mind over McGregor's position as the Russian star's toughest opposition from the top lightweights.

When asked who is Khabib's toughest match-up out of McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, Mendez told ESPN: "Conor, hands down."

Khabib might have beaten McGregor in their fight, but he was far from happy that the Irish superstar was awarded the third round on the judges' scorecards.

The lightweight champ hasn't fought since he defended and unified his UFC title against Poirier at UFC 242 last September.

However, Khabib will make his sensational return to the octagon on 24th October for a mega-fight with interim champ Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Mendez has confirmed that the UFC star won't be doing his training for the Gaethje fight at the American Kickboxing Academy.

He explained: "We've got two choices [for the fight], right? Las Vegas or Fight Island. I'm thinking Fight Island, but they haven't said it yet.

"What I do know is that [COVID-19] is too high in California, and Khabib is not comfortable coming here to train.

"I did speak to him for the first time two weeks ago, and he's still going through missing his father. Rightfully so. The way they were connected, his father was pretty much his everything.

"Having his father's blessing gave him that power to go out and do what he needed to do.

"Everything his father wanted him to do, Khabib would go out and accomplish it. Now, he doesn't have that. So, he's gotta focus on the legacy his father wanted for him."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor Mcgregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, UFC News, MMA News, Tony Ferguson, UFC, eagle, MMA

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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