Khabib Nurmagomedov is not sort of potential challengers for his lightweight title, but according to his coach Javier Mendez, his bitter rival Conor McGregor remains the biggest threat.
In a new interview with SportsDaily.ru, Mendez breaks down who he thinks are ‘The Eagle’s’ four most challenging opponents for the future.
“Talking about four potential rivals for Khabib I can give my assessment from the [least] dangerous to the most dangerous,” Mendez said.
“Max Holloway [would] be the easiest for Khabib. Max has good boxing but it lacks the power to the lightweight division. Next on the list is Dustin Poirier. He’s got stamina and versatility. Tony Ferguson is my second choice. His elbows are very dangerous. And finally [the] number one contender for me is still Conor. His boxing is special, that’s his chance.”
McGregor didn’t have much success at the first attempt however, being overwhelmed by Nurmagomedov’s wrestling for the best part of four rounds before being submitted by a neck crank submission in October of last year.
Nurmagomedov hasn’t sounded in a hurry to run that match-up back since then and it’ll be current interim titleholder Dustin Poirier who will get the next chance to challenge him for the belt, with the fight expected to take place at UFC 242 in September.
