Javier Mendez is already looking beyond Islam Makhachev’s next title defense and sees a potential blockbuster with Conor McGregor on the horizon.
A planned superfight between Makhachev and Ilia Topuria did not materialize at UFC Freedom 250, with Makhachev claiming Topuria priced himself out of the matchup. Instead, Makhachev is now scheduled to defend his title against Ian Machado Garry in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Mendez, Makhachev’s head coach, said he’s not dwelling on the missed Topuria fight. “I'm not disappointed at all,” Mendez said. “It's in God's plans. We just go along with whatever God plans for us to do, and it just means we move on forward. Let's face it, Islam Makhachev has plenty of challengers in the welterweight division. We didn't need Topuria for Islam to vault himself to another level.”
Attention now also turns to UFC 329, where McGregor returns from a five-year layoff to rematch Max Holloway on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Mendez is open to what could come next if McGregor wins. “Maybe if that Irish guy (Conor McGregor) may decide, if he's victorious on July 11, why not? He's up for the challenge, so we'd be up for the challenge,” Mendez said.
McGregor has also shown interest, saying, “Islam, there's history there. It's at 170,” and adding, “I'm open for it, for sure.”
