Coach Javier Mendez predicts “epic” rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev
Coach Javier Mendez has predicted that Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev will produce an epic rematch in the future.
Earlier this year, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev went to war. They battled it out over the UFC lightweight championship and, in the end, the decision went in favor of Makhachev. He was able to retain his belt, leaving Volkanovski to head back down to 145 pounds and defend his strap at featherweight.
Last weekend, he did just that with an emphatic victory over Yair Rodriguez. He finished his opponent in the third round, once again proving himself to be the best featherweight in the world.
After the bout, Volkanovski made it known that he’s still got another lightweight title shot on his mind. As it turns out, Makhachev’s head coach Javier Mendez expects the same thing.
“It wasn’t until he hit him with the right hand, that right hook, and then he pounced on him. … That was a beautiful display of a guy that’s super smart, great IQ. Let’s see what happens. Let’s see if they give him to Islam or they give someone else to Islam. But somewhere down the line, we’re going to have to fight him again and I look forward to it because it’ll be a great fight. Definitely after that performance.”
Mendez predicts epic Makhachev/Volkanovski rematch
“When that fight happens, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Both of us do,” Mendez said. “Remember, it’s no cake walk for them. You’ve got two fighters that can switch many different ways. It isn’t like Islam can’t stand with Volk either. He definitely can. And it isn’t like Volk can’t survive the ground either. He definitely can. He proved that. So we both can change. We’ll see what happens. It’s just one of those things, when that fight does happen, and I’m expecting it to happen at some point, it’s going to be epic. It’s going to be one of those second fights between champion vs. champion that delivers again. It will deliver again.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
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