The UFC middleweight division has been stupefied with what the champ had to say about Islam Makhachev’s slated move to his division. It’s definitely not the first time the UFC lightweight champion and his teammates expressed the desire for him to move up in the weight class. On multiple occasions, Makhachev has revealed his wish to fight in the welterweight division. But when Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, announced the plans of the Dagestani team to let Makhachev climb up the weight ladder, Dricus Du Plessis simply scoffed at the idea.

Du Plessis seemed to believe that Makhhachev fighting him for the MW gold was nothing but a dream. But what does Makhachev’s teammate think about a matchup between him and ‘Stillknocks’? Let’s find out!

Islam Makhachev’s teammate weighs in on a possible matchup against Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya

On the 9th date of August, Mendez appeared in an episode of the ‘Submission Radio’ podcast. Therein, he was asked to talk about a matchup between Makhachev and Du Plessis, in case the lightweight champ successfully put on the required weight and entered the middleweight realm. The coach replied, “It’s gonna go really well because I mean, he’s, you know, the champ. He’s got good standup, he’s got good ground, and it’s gonna be one of those situations where it’s gonna be fought in all areas. For sure, you know. It’s going to be fought in all areas.”

Du Plessis is going to land against the former MW champ, Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. With the heat emanating from their rivalry, the RAC Arena will indeed witness a phenomenal fight in the main event. But how tough will it be for Makhachev to become a MW champion if Adesanya wins the belt back? Mendez didn’t leave that possibility behind!

The fighting prowess that ‘Stylebender’ has shown in the Octagon is something that has lifted him to great heights. Becoming a 2-time MW champion at the UFC simply boosted his resume. The Dagestani champ stands tall at the number 1 spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. Mendez was pretty sure that the fight with Adesanya would be a pretty tough one.

Makhachev’s coach said, “You know, if he [Du Plessis] does lose his title to ‘Izzy’, which he very well could, you know if we had to fight ‘Izzy’, it’s gonna be a different type of fight. It’s going to be more putting ‘Izzy’ on the ground that it is standup, because I mean, you know, it’s not easy to, to go out there and try to fight someone that’s got that kind of kickboxing pedigree, you know. It’s a tough, tough thing to do with such a great fighter as ‘Izzy’.”

But what really transpired between ‘DDP’ and Makhachev? Let’s find out!

The heat between ‘Stillknocks’ and Makhachev

Not too long ago, the Mexican-American coach talked with the Red Corner MMA. That’s where he revealed what Makhachev had planned. The lightweight champ was indeed trying to get some weight and move to the middleweight category. Needless to say, the AKA gym’s head coach was a bit too confident in the Dagestani fighter’s skills. After all, he is the one who rules the pound-for-pound rankings.

However, ‘Stillknocks’ had a different opinion about Makhachev’s plan. Weighing in on Mendez’s words, ‘DDP’ said, “Yeah, I mean, what can I say? I mean, that just sounds – but I mean, yeah, everybody can dream, right? I always say never cap your dreams and, you know, dream big, but he’s dreaming real big. I’m very big.” Needless to say, Mendez didn’t keep quiet and revealed the game plan the team had against Du Plessis.

Do you think Adesanya will defeat Du Plessis in their upcoming fight? Or will Makhachev have to fight ‘Stillknocks’ to become the double champion? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.