Who doesn’t love a bit of gossip and rumors? Last month, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold stirred up controversy by calling out his former American Kickboxing Academy teammate, Daniel Cormier, labeling him the “biggest liar.” Rockhold accused Cormier of fabricating stories just to “make good TV.” The drama centered around Cormier’s claim that 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev had submitted Rockhold during a training session.

Rockhold firmly denied the claim and said, “I’m just saying I rolled with Islam a lot. He’s very good. No, [Islam never submitted me].” This statement sent shockwaves through the MMA community, raising questions about whether the two truly had an intense sparring session. So, what happened between them? It seems Team Khabib head honcho Javier Mendez has the answer!

Recently, Mendez addressed the situation during his podcast, shedding light on the sparring sessions. He explained, “I mean, Islam could spar with middleweights, but even then, I wouldn’t allow him to. I never let him spar with Luke Rockhold, even though Islam would do well. The reason is that Luke was bigger and carried more weight. I wouldn’t allow Islam to spar with him. The most I’d let Islam go with is maybe 170, but never 185. Luke was walking around at 185, but he’d be at 207.”

Despite Mendez’s decision to keep Makhachev from sparring with the “bigger” Rockhold, it seems that didn’t prevent them from training together. The Dagestani might have gone behind his coach’s back, as Rockhold revealed on AG Fight 2 years ago, “I used to use Islam as one of my sparring partners when I fought [Lyoto] Machida back in the day.” Now, in light of Rockhold’s statement, the AKA head coach is finally addressing the situation. So, does this imply that Daniel Cormier was wrong, or even the “biggest liar”? Let’s find out.

Is Daniel Cormier a liar? Let’s hear from Islam Makhachev

The former two-division champ Daniel Cormier is renowned for sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes stories. DC recently claimed that former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards gave Islam Makhachev a tough time during sparring sessions. For those unfamiliar with the backstory, Leon Edwards trained at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in 2015 to sharpen his wrestling skills ahead of his first outing against Kamaru Usman, which was part of the undercard for Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2. During this period, Edwards reportedly sparred with Makhachev.

However, Islam Makhachev has categorically dismissed Cormier’s narrative. Setting the record straight, the 155lbs kingpin said, “I can beat Edwards. I’ve known his name since my first day in the U.S. I know him. No, [he didn’t give me any problems]. It was my first sparring session in the U.S. Now people understand [Cormier] lies. My first sparring session in the U.S. was with Leon.”

What’s your opinion on Javier Mendez’s claims? With so many versions of the story emerging—from Islam Makhachev, Luke Rockhold, Daniel Cormier, and now Mendez—it’s no surprise that fans are left puzzled about what really happened. Perhaps it’s time for all of them to sit down together and issue a clear statement to put the speculation to rest. What are your thoughts? Share your opinion below!