McGregor would get 'SMASHED' by Khabib in a rematch, his coach claims

Conor McGregor would have been ‘SMASHED’ by Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch, claims the Russian’s coach Javier Mendez… and he says the Irishman, who lost to Dustin Poirer on Fight Island, has ‘regressed’

  • Conor McGregor was dealt a big setback after being stopped by Dustin Poirier 
  • The Irishman was hoping for an epic rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov
  • But the Russian’s trainer believes his fighter is better than he was two years ago 
  • Javier Mendez says McGregor would get ‘smashed’ and feels he has ‘regressed’ 

Conor McGregor would have been ‘smashed’ in a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Russian’s coach has claimed – after his hopes of an epic showdown went up in flames in his loss to Dustin Poirier. 

‘Notorious’ was a heavy favourite to ease past the American at Fight Island last weekend but was given a shock as he was stopped in the second round at UFC 257, leaving the Irishman at a crossroads after making his return from retirement.

Khabib, who hung up his gloves in October following his victory over Justin Gaethje, has been mulling over a comeback and the Irishman had been mooted as an opponent who could lure him into the game once more.  

Conor McGregor would be ‘smashed’ if he faced Khabib Nurmagomedov again, the Russian’s coach has claimed 

The Russian has improved since he beat McGregor via submission in 2018, says Javier Mendez

But the lightweight champion was far from impressed after watching McGregor slump to defeat, writing on Twitter: ‘This is what happened [sic], when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality.’

And coach Javier Mendez agrees with his fighter – saying McGregor has ‘regressed’ while Khabib has improved since beating his rival via submission in their 2018 bout.

‘[McGregor] would’ve got smashed,’ Mendez told Submission Radio. ‘Khabib’s gotten better. He would’ve gotten smashed. He would have gotten smashed, straight up. 

Khabib (L) ‘doesn’t need’ a rematch against McGregor, according to Mendez (right)

McGregor was shocked against American Poirier (R) despite being a favourite at Fight Island 

‘Khabib’s better. He’s better than he was when they fought two years ago. Conor didn’t appear to be better. He’s regressed a little bit. Khabib’s gotten way better. He would have gotten smashed.’

McGregor had no answer for Poirier’s devastating leg kicks, which left him with an injury ‘the size of an American football’, and Mendez believes he showed ‘bad judgment’ in failing to prepare for his strategy.

‘When I saw Dustin start going for the leg kicks, I go, “Oh my god, Conor’s stance is not made for checking properly leg kicks like that,”‘ he added. ‘Especially calf kicks. So, I thought that was going to be a major problem. 

‘It was a great game plan from Dustin to work the leg kicks, calf kicks. And it was a bad judgment on Conor’s part to not be prepared for that. 

The Irishman had no answer to Poirier’s leg kicks as he suffered a second round stoppage 

McGregor admitted after the fight that he wasn’t sure where he career would go from this point after previously claiming a crossover fight with boxer Manny Pacquiao was ‘almost a certainty’. The Filipino fighter’s promoter this week admitted the demand for that bout was ‘not there presently’.

And Mendez says he can forget about a second bout against Khabib, who vowed never to fight agains in respect of his late father, and claims the 32-year-old ‘doesn’t need’ to face him and would rather fight Georges St-Pierre.

‘You’re never gonna get that rematch,’ he continued. ‘Just like you’re never gonna get the Tony and Khabib fight. That’s never gonna happen either. It’s not gonna happen. I mean, Khabib doesn’t need it. He seems fulfilled. And like I said, I think the only juicy part for him is what his father wanted, [Georges St-Pierre]. 

‘I’ve said it many times. And who knows, maybe that’s out of the question now. Maybe GSP doesn’t want it, maybe Khabib don’t want it now. I don’t know, because I never talked to Khabib about what he wants, I’ve always listened to him.’ 




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