Coach Scoffs at Theory Tony Ferguson Has Better Cardio Than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Many people believe that Tony Ferguson will be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s greatest challenge to date, and one the reason a lot of folks think that is because of “El Cucuy’s” ridiculous cardio. Well, recently one of Khabib’s coaches let it be known that he doesn’t see cardio being a factor either way…

Javier Mendez dismisses narrative Ferguson will have cardio advantage

The consensus seems to be that Ferguson is going to push Nurmagomedov when they fight on April 18th, at UFC 249, for a couple of key reasons. First off, Ferguson has an at times, unpredictable and yet dangerous striking game. Further, the former interim champ has solid wrestling, a nasty guard and slicing elbows. Finally, as mentioned above, Ferguson’s cardio is off the charts. So, many people wonder whether Nurmagomedov’s wrestling and top game will be as effective as it has been with other opponents.

Well, recently Khabib’s striking coach, Javier Mendez, answered questions via the American Kickboxing Academy YouTube channel. While talking about how long he thinks the fight could go, and Ferguson’s renowned cardio, Mendez said this (quotes via The BodyLock MMA):

“You have to remember Khabib is a cardio machine too, so what’s the big deal?” Mendez said. “So you got a guy [Ferguson] that’s going to be there in the fifth round — so what? Khabib is going to be in the fifth round too.”

“I don’t anticipate a stoppage. I anticipate a war, five rounds,” he added. “I expect a five-round decision and a smashing. That’s what I’m predicting and that’s what, in my mind, we’re prepared to do. But in order to do that, we have to prepare for the toughest person we’ve yet to face and that’s Tony.

“You have to respect him that way in order to smash him that way. I’ve always done that. The respect for him is there because if we don’t respect him, we’re going to get smashed by him. You got to respect him and everything he does. And his five-round cardio thing, yeah, he’s going to be there for five rounds but when has Khabib been known to get tired?”

Have we seen Khabib get tired?

Now, it’s not like we’ve heard widespread questions about Khabib’s cardio in the past. After all, we’ve seen the champ fight three rounds or more on multiple occasions and this is a guy who has never lost.

But…against Al Iaquinta in April, 2018, some folks opined that Khabib appeared to fatigue and took it easier in round three. Further, Nurmagomedov also appeared to do the same against Conor McGregor, before he went on to submit him round four.

So, it’s going to be really interesting to see what transpires at UFC 249, if we see the bout go into the championship rounds.

UFC 249 will be hosted by the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.