Islam Makhachev's Coach Reveals Who He Feels Will Get Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot

Javier Mendez shares his take on who Makhachev faces next.

Fernando Quiles Jr. | Oct 30, 2023

Islam Makhachev's Coach Reveals Who He Feels Will Get Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot /

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez has dished on who he thinks will be the next UFC lightweight title challenger for Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev's sensational head kick knockout victory over UFC featherweight titleholder Alex Volkanovski in their rematch at UFC 294 has left many wondering what's next for the lightweight ruler. Makhachev was expecting to have a rematch with Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi, but Volkanovski stepped in when "do Bronx" suffered a cut during sparring.

BMF champion Justin Gaethje has thrown his name in the hat as a potential title contender. Makhachev himself has said he would like to give "The Highlight" a crack at his UFC gold.

Javier Mendez recently appeared on SiriusXM's "Unlocking The Cage." During his interview with former UFC and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith, Mendez shared who he thinks may ultimately get that championship fight next.

"As a coach, because he's fought Charles already and Islam would probably want the better challenge, I think he would want Justin because of that reason," Mendez said. "Let's face it, Jimmy, you and I know the UFC looks at what's gonna make the most money. They're gonna go with what makes the most money and not what's rightfully this or rightfully that. They're gonna go, 'Ah, you know what? This is gonna make us double the money, we're gonna go this route.' So, I think who is gonna win in the end is who gets the most pay-per-view buys, and I think it might be Justin based on the fact that they haven't fought each other."

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Published Oct 30, 2023

FERNANDO QUILES JR.

Fernando has over a decade of combat sports news writing experience. He currently covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. Fernando joined MMA Knockout as the Lead Writer/Editor when it was founded in 2023.