Javier Mendez agrees with Arman Tsarukyan’s decision to not fight Islam Makhachev on short notice.
Tsarukyan defeated former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He was offered a title shot against lightweight champion Makhachev on less than two-months notice at UFC 302 on June 1, but turned down the opportunity due to the lack of time to prepare.
Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost a back-and-forth battle to Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in his UFC debut. Makhachev’s coach Mendez thinks Tsarukyan was right to decline a quick turnaround.
“From people that I know with him, they said that, yeah, he’s just said he wouldn’t be ready for that type of fight just yet,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “You know, he might have more time to prepare. And you know what? That’s the right call from him. It’s like, he’s in the driver’s seat, also, so why would he risk his chance?
“Why not go properly prepared for the opportunity that he presented himself by having a victory over Oliveira? So no, I think it’s true, and I think he did the right thing by what he needs to do for what he wants. Had it been anybody else, I don’t know what they would have done. I think someone like Max Holloway, if he was put in that situation, he probably would have been one of the few guys that would have said, ‘I’m in.'”
Instead, Makhachev will defend his title against Dustin Poirier at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. If Makhachev gets passed “The Diamond,” Mendez expects Tsarukyan to be next, but wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t.
“I think Arman is going to be more than likely the guy, I’m thinking,” Mendez said. “Who knows. But if everything goes according to what they would probably want, we’re OK with Arman. We’re OK with Max. Whatever the UFC offers, Islam’s going to take it. I’m sure it’s not his preferable choice.
“If he asks Islam what he wants after this one, he’d want to go for the welterweight title because he wants to repeat what other people rarely do: become a two-(division) champion. So that’s what he would want – I’m pretty sure about that. But it’s a matter of whether the UFC wants to give him that opportunity right now. I think at some point, they will.”
For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
