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Russian Nurmagomedov has become one of the most feared fighters on the planet with his unparalleled grappling and crushing top game, which he’s showcased in all 26 of his professional
fights. No man has come close to dealing with the UFC lightweight champion’s relentless pressure and devastating ground-and-pound, which were on full show in his UFC 205 and UFC 219
victories over Michael Johnson and Edson Barboza. Nurmagomedov’s perceived weakness is his striking and inability to keep his hands up when coming forward, the latter of which led to him
being wobbled by Johnson before finishing him in the third round. Mendez is well aware that Nurmagomedov’s stand-up isn’t on par with his grappling but believes Russia’s first UFC
titleholder hasn’t reached his peak in that department. “The thing that people don’t understand is that Khabib is getting better all the time with the stand-up,” the American Kickboxing
Academy head coach told Express Sport. “He basically, still, has so much growth in his stand-up. It’s ridiculous how much more room he has for growth. It’s almost like he’s beginning still.
“And he here is going into his 27th professional fight and it’s almost like, for me, he’s a rookie in the stand-up. He’s still a rookie in this. “But yet, he’s able to hit these world-class
athletes with what I consider to be (striking) still in its infancy.” Nurmagomedov’s striking has been a big talking point ahead of his UFC 229 showdown with Conor McGregor, who is regarded
by many to be the pound-for-pound hardest puncher in mixed martial arts. Mendez foresees Dagestan native Nurmagomedov becoming an accomplished striker in the future but doesn’t believe he’ll
deviate from his roots anytime soon. “He’s nowhere near as great as he’s going to be as a striker. He’s nowhere near," he added. “But remember the one thing, he’ll never be anything
but he is with his father, a great grappler. And that’s something that will never be taken from him. “He’s always going to be that first. He’s always going to be the great grappler first.
“The striker, that’s something that goes in hand with being a great grappler.” Nurmagomedov’s showdown with McGregor will serve as the main event for UFC 229, which takes place at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 6. CONOR MCGREGOR VS KHABIB: UFC 229 LIVE STREAM, FIGHT CARD, AND START TIME DETAILS UFC 229 FIGHT CARD Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor
(lightweight title fight) Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis (lightweight bout) Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes (light-heavyweight bout) Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov (heavyweight
bout) Michelle Waterson vs Felice Herring (women’s strawweight bout) Fox Sports Prelims Sean O’Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez (men’s bantamweight bout) Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Formica
(men’s flyweight bout) Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick (lightweight bout) Fight Pass Prelims Ryan LaFlare vs Tony Martin (welterweight bout) Lina Lansberg vs Yana Kunitskaya (women’s
bantamweight bout) Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz (lightweight bout) Aspen Ladd vs Tonya Evinger (women's bantamweight bout) CONOR MCGREGOR VS KHABIB: UFC 229 LIVE STREAM, FIGHT CARD, AND
START TIME DETAILS