(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

slam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez previews the welterweight showdown vs. Jack Della Maddalena, reveals Daniel Cormier should have quit like Tom Aspinall and says he’d be open to training Jake Paul for his MMA debut.

Speaking to CanadaCasino, Mendez said:

Daniel Cormier should have quit after Stipe eyepoke like Tom Aspinall did

Both Cyril Gane and Aspinall should be given the chance to redeem themselves

Khabib and I would love to train Jake Paul and make him a success in MMA  

Tom Aspinall isn’t the UFC’s main guy – he should consider boxing 

Tom Aspinall should build his boxing career to 12-0 then face Anthony Joshua

Islam Makhachev is unbeatable at Welterweight

JDM is a formidable opponent but Makhachev is bigger, stronger and more confident 

JDM is a way better striker than Ilia Topuria – potential p4p fight at White House is not a distraction for Makachev

Team Khabib’s Javier Mendez: Daniel Cormier should have quit like ‘warrior’ Tom Aspinall,  Jack Della Maddalena ‘better striker’ than Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev is looking ‘unbeatable’ 

Daniel Cormier should have quit after Stipe eyepoke like Tom Aspinall did

What Ciryl Gane did was accidental. People are missing the whole thing. Why should he try to fight half-blind to please the fans? What’s that going to do for his family? What’s it going to do for his legacy? No, he absolutely, 100% took the right call by saying the truth: “I can’t see.” And when he can’t see, you cannot, as a referee or a doctor, continue to let the fight go. The guy was telling him he couldn’t see. From what I hear, and I’m not saying I know, from what I hear, he’s still having trouble seeing now.

When Daniel Cormier got poked in his third fight with Stipe Miocic, Daniel couldn’t see. When the doctor came up to Daniel and asked, “Can you see?” He said “yes”. He couldn’t, then he couldn’t even see for a few days afterwards because the poke was so bad. So I know firsthand. That’s DC, that’s the dog in him. When he’s in a fight, he’s that dog, he’s that guy. He’s not quitting for anything. But it’s not the smartest thing. But look what happened to Daniel. Yes, he fought on, but he was half the fighter, as far as seeing. So it wasn’t a good thing for him to have done that. I would have preferred for Daniel to do the same thing Tom did to make an equal playing field. Who wants to fight injured like that? How is that fair? How is that fair to these people who get accidentally eye-poked or intentionally eye-poked, and then they’re not the same, and now they’re cowards because they backed out? I say bullshit. Tom Aspinall is a real warrior. I don’t see anything being diminished. It was an eye poke.  It’s just one round. It wasn’t over. No way am I going to say that he was going to get beat. He was working. Tom could have ended the fight at any second. The next round could have gone Tom’s way completely. 

Both Cyril Gane and Aspinall should be given the chance to redeem themselves

It’s extreme to say Gane should be disqualified or banned, he should be able to fight next week if he’s physically able to.  It’s bad enough he got an opportunity that could have gone his way, taken away from him. That’s punishment enough. Let the guy have his another chance, let him fulfill his dream of trying to capture that title. And let Tom get redemption for people thinking he’s a quitter because he’s not.

Khabib and I would love to train Jake Paul and make him a success in MMA  

If the team voted him in, he would be allowed to train with them. However, that hasn’t happened yet, so I can’t definitively say yes or no. He is a serious boxer and athlete who should be taken seriously. If he decides to pursue it seriously, I believe he can succeed. From the beginning, I’ve told everyone that he’s not like his brother Logan Paul, who focuses on WWE style. Jake Paul takes boxing very seriously and makes the most out of it.

Jake Paul is good for MMA, as he creates more eyeballs. He would take it seriously; he wouldn’t do any of the “bullshit things” some other fighters do. He would be serious and committed. However, I seriously doubt he’s going to want to do MMA because, realistically, the money is bigger for him in boxing. So I would think he wouldn’t. In order for him to get attention, he would have to find a marquee individual to fight in MMA, maybe Dillon Danis would be a good market for him. On the ground obviously Dillon will tear him apart. But on the stand-up Jake rips him apart.

Tom Aspinall isn’t the UFC’s main guy – he should consider boxing 

I don’t think Tom isn’t their man. I just believe that boxing allows its stars to earn significantly more than UFC stars. So, if they’re discussing boxing next, it’s simply about the money. There’s just more money in boxing, and if you’re a big name, you can make a lot of money in boxing. Tom has a big name, and he would make a lot of money in boxing. I think that’s what his father is implying; he knows how good his son is at boxing. I would ask, “What do you want, Tom?” If he says, “I want to box,” then I would advise him to pursue that. If he says, “I just want to be in the UFC,” then I would tell him to do that. It’s about what the fighter wants. If you’re asking me which would make more money, obviously, I’m going to say boxing.

Tom Aspinall should build his boxing career to 12-0 then face Anthony Joshua

No. I like watching boxers go up the ranks and build their careers. If he built a career to 12-0, then that fight [with Anthony Joshua] would be interesting, but without knowing what he could do in boxing, as a fan, I wouldn’t be as interested.

Islam Makhachev is unbeatable at Welterweight

Based on what I’m seeing in the gym, I believe Islam is unbeatable right now. I don’t see a hole in his game, yesterday [during sparring] I was so amazed with him that, yeah he’s unbeatable, he’s covered every angle. 

He’s definitely stronger and more compact. He hits harder. Yesterday he went through three sparring partners. I was shocked. One couldn’t go more than two rounds, he said, “I’m done, I’m done!” so we had to put in somebody else at the very end. Islam’s a beast right now and needs to be a beast to beat this very, very tough opponent. 

Islam needs very little direction. He’s the total package in terms of mental aspect, game planning, and taking care of his body, he’s perfect. He listens to all his coaches and is the prototype for the best fighter. He’s almost like Cain Velasquez, with one exception: Islam knows when his body is breaking down, and he’ll tell you. Cain would not say anything until he breaks.

JDM is a formidable opponent but Makhachev is bigger, stronger and more confident 

This guy is very formidable in all areas and he’s also not lost in quite a while, it’s a hell of a streak and he’s only getting stronger. And then he’s got the mental edge knowing he feels like the bigger guy. But here’s a question I want answered myself, let’s wait until he weighs-in, lets see who is the bigger guy then. Maybe we’re not too far off of him.  But what I do know is that Islam is not the Islam of old,  he’s bigger now, stronger, more confident and he hits a lot harder now. 

JDM is a way better striker than Ilia Topuria – potential p4p fight at White House is not a distraction for Makachev

I’ve never called Topuria the best striker, just the best boxer, and I stand by that. The guy has incredible boxing for MMA. I’m not saying he could go out there and win a world title in boxing now; that’s a whole different animal. But his boxing is really good.

If you look at someone like Jack Maddalena, who we’re fighting, he’s not a boxer like Topuria, but he’s a better striker because he can do everything, meaning he can kick; he can knee, he can do everything really well. He’s not as polished as a boxer. The technique, the technical aspect, he’s got really tight boxing skills.

The White House talk is not a distraction at all. Islam is focused on the task at hand. If he wants to be on the White House card, which I’d love for him to be, he’s going to have to get past Jack. If he doesn’t get past Jack, I seriously doubt there’s going to be a White House card [for us]. He’s going to need to beat Jack.

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and is also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer. He’s also the main photographer for the 4CornersMafia Car Club.

Discover more from FightBook MMA

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Post navigation