Islam Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, and his recent statement about “threats” for the lightweight champion has raised eyebrows in the MMA fandom. Makhachev currently holds the 155 lbs title and is scheduled to take on Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 on June 1. He last defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in 2023 where he stunned the world by finishing the Australian with a spectacular head-kick knockout in the first round.

Although the number 1 contender for the belt was determined at UFC 300 when Arman Tsarukyan prevailed over former champion Charles Oliveira, the short turnaround time between bouts led to Tsarukyan declining a shot at the champion. And Poirier, with his impressive knockout victory over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299, threw his name into the mix and is now set for another attempt at securing the undisputed LW title.

But what about Justin Gaethje? Before his loss against Max Holloway at UFC 300, he was on a 2 fight win streak that also included a head-kick knockout of Poirier at UFC 291. However, speaking on his YouTube channel, Javier Mendez stated, “I thought that he (Justin Gaethje) was the biggest threat to us, and now he’s probably never going to be in the picture for us going forward so no need to talk about him for us as a threat.”

His comments indicate that Team Khabib now considers ‘The Highlight’ a non-factor for Makhachev’s aspirations for his title reign. But this assertion hasn’t sat well with the fans as they took to the comments section to highlight their displeasure with Mendez’s statement. Here’s a look at what the fans had to say.

Team Khabib and Islam Makhachev get blasted by fans for “writing off” Justin Gaethje

Fans pointed out that Gaethje’s renowned knockout power could have posed problems for Makhachev who has been knocked out once before, albeit early in his UFC run against Adriano Martins at UFC 192.

“Gaethje’s power would have been a problem for Islam”

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Others shared their thoughts on how fighters are only perceived to be as good as their last fight in the competitive world of mixed martial arts

“It’s kinda scary and disheartening how people get written off even after an honorable lose”

The fans also pointed out Gaethje’s UFC 300 performance as a display of his skill and grit as despite suffering from adversity, he still managed to take the fight to the final round

“We can sleep on Justin all we want. If he didn’t break his nose in the first round, it would have been different. He still damn near took it the distance.”

Fans also slammed Islam Makhachev’s team for their statement as they claimed that “MMA maths” isn’t a valid strategy to pick fights and pointed out a time in the Dagestani’s career when he was struggling to receive a shot at the belt too

“Mma maths don’t work . Don’t just blink , anybody can smash anybody . Go ask Michael Johnson . Don’t underrate anyone because there was a time you where crying for a tittle shot so be humble Mr Islam and Co”

Some even pointed out that Makhachev’s 2 title defenses have only been against Alexander Volkanovski,  a featherweight. As such, they find Mendez’s statements to be bizarre considering the fact that the champion has yet to defend the belt against fighters from his own weight class

“Literally hasn’t defended his title against a lightweight and we’re saying there’s no threat in the whole top 15 for him?!”

Fans also claimed Makhachev is “running” from Gaethje and claimed that Mendez’s statements about Gaethje no longer being a threat are “excuses” to avoid facing ‘The Highlight’

“Why would you run from Justin!! @justin_gaethje has earned a title fight. He beat Dustin who Islam is fighting next. Now ur looking for an excuse to run from Justin!! Stop running Islam”

In conclusion, the ongoing debate sparked by Javier Mendez’s comments has added another layer of intrigue regarding how Islam Makhachev and his team will navigate the lightweight division’s competitive landscape.

As fans eagerly await the outcome of Makhachev’s upcoming title defense, the question of which fighters pose a genuine threat to his reign continues to loom large in the minds of MMA enthusiasts. What do you think about Javier Mendez’s statement and is there a name that could potentially end the Dagestani’s reign atop the 155 lbs division? Share it with us in the comments below!