As a coach for American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez has had plenty of experience breaking down what it takes to beat both Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. He believes that the American will get it done again in their forthcoming trilogy fight.
Mendez has prepared former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight both Poirier and McGregor, and was successful in both endeavor. So judging by the way the second fight between these two went, with Dustin battering Conor’s leg before getting the second round TKO with punches, he feels like he knows the way the third fight will go.
Speaking in a recent interview, the legendary coach said that he was leaning towards Dustin to win this third fight. That being said, he did admit to being a bit biased in his prediction, simply because of his past interactions with Conor, over the years.
“I definitely think he can do it, because I think the calf kicks were the deciding factor, and the second deciding factor was when Conor put a good one on Dustin, and Dustin took it. That’s when he said, oh, I can take your shots. I’m a give you some of mine,” Mendez said.
“I’m gonna go with Dustin because I like Dustin and I’m not a fan of Conor. I can never be a fan of Conor. I’m never a fan of his, never. I never want him to win so it is what it is. He doesn’t want my guys to win I don’t want him to win. Tough, it is what it is. I’m going with Dustin. A lot because I think he can do it. But also because I don’t like the other guy.”
Javier Mendez Breaks Down The Gameplan
As much as Javier Mendez is a little bit biased in his opinion, it does not come without reason. He went on to explain the game plan that Dustin Poirier needs to follow, if he plans on beating Conor McGregor a third time.
A big factor in the second fight was the leg kicks, and Javier believes they will be a factor in the rubber match. Moreover, he equated it to the same type of issue that Khabib faced when he took on Justin Gaethje, saying that if Connor does not make adjustments, Dustin will get the win.
“If we see the same, if Conor’s leg gets, you know, again. In that scenario again. Ok well some of you guys aren’t doing your job right because that shouldn’t happen again. You should have been aware of that and if your not aware of it then shame on you. It shouldn’t happen again. It should not happen again,” Mendez explained.
“When Khabib fought Justin Gaethje, when that bout was brought up, I really looked at the whole thing. I told Khabib, ‘Okay, Justin’s coming for your leg… I understand you’re going to have a lot going on but I need you to focus on that because that’s the only way I see him being able to potentially get you. I’m not saying he’ll get you but that’s gonna be his number one go to weapon.'”
Time will tell if Javier Mendez is correct on his prediction on Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3. There’s only about a month left for Conor to make the necessary adjustments.
