Mendez sets limits on Garry’s trash talk

Islam Makhachev’s coach welcomes the hype but insists that family, religion, and nationality should remain off limits.

Islam Makhachev’s longtime head coach emphasizes that he has no problem with Ian Machado Garry’s trash talk ahead of the upcoming title fight on August 15, as long as he avoids certain topics.

While Islam Makhachev prepares for his first title defense in this division, his coach believes that the trash talk coming from Ian Machado Garry is a good thing to make the fight a little more interesting. However, he definitely wants certain lines not to be crossed, but so far, Ian Machado Garry doesn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

"Between Ian [Garry] and Ali [Abdelaziz], it's good to build the drama and make it interesting for the fans. Garry is doing all the right things and saying all the stuff to make the fight more interesting -- without going overboard, of course. Regardless of what is being said, they have to get in the cage and fight. I’m fine with trash talk. As long as it has nothing to do with the country, family or religion”

Mendez said.

In the same interview, he also addressed the fact that the fight is often compared on social media to the one between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he clearly rejects this. Mendez says that this fight doesn’t come close to the hype surrounding that one back then, and that’s a good thing. He says that Conor McGregor definitely crossed some lines before that fight, and that he doesn’t tolerate such disrespectful behavior toward family or culture. He doesn’t expect Ian Machado Garry to cross any lines in the future, and he thinks very highly of him. It remains to be seen whether this respect will continue to hold true leading up to the fight, and to what extent it will be reflected in the fight itself.

I think Islam Makhachev’s coach is handling the situation perfectly. In my opinion, a little trash talk is part of the game and is very entertaining. That said, you should still show respect for your opponent. The comparison to Conor McGregor is definitely an exaggeration, and I don’t think it will go that far.