‘He’s Different Than Khabib’- Islam Makhachev’s Coach Reveals His Gameplan for the Fight Against Rafael dos Anjos

Famed MMA coach Javier Mendez responded to a fan question regarding one of the ace fighters in his stable in Islam Makhachev. The Russian mauler has taken the MMA world by storm by the way he’s secured finishes in the cage. He’s fresh off a main event submission win over Thiago Moises and is looking unstoppable under the bright lights.

Islam Makhachev already has his next assignment in the form of former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Both men were scheduled to fight each other on several occasions, but the fight kept falling through. However, given their current standings in the rankings, it makes sense to once again have them square off against each other.

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Islam Makhachev: Here to take over

Mendez was asked to expand on the potential game plan that Islam Makhachev was set to follow once he stepped foot in the cage. The AKA Head Coach had nothing but complimentary things to say about Islam Makhachev’s game as a whole. In fact, he said that Islam Makhachev’s striking was even better than that of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“100% you’re going to see his [Islam Makhachev’s] stand-up game because he’s different than Khabib and Islam is the most accomplished striker out of all of them. So you’ll see a lot from him. But you’re going to see ‘Father’s Plan’ also, combined.”

“It’s not just ‘Father’s Plan’- Take him down, there’s a strategy to that that Khabib and I have been working for many years with the help of his father. We’ve developed what we call the best strategy for taking out stand-up guys.”

Islam Makhachev will have to come with an air-tight game plan when he steps into the cage with ‘RDA’. Dos Anjos has championship-level experience in spades and can give any active lightweight problems on the feet and on the ground.

However, Makhachev has shown that he’s relentless when the cage door closes behind him and he’s got UFC gold in his sights. The winner of the bout will certainly take a massive step towards title contention in the jampacked lightweight division.

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