Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach addresses Tiramisu-gate ahead of UFC 219
JAVIER MENDEZ has dismissed suggestions of Tiramisu playing a part in Khabib Nurmagomedov's ill-fated weight cut for his proposed bout with Tony Ferguson earlier this year.
GETTY
Nurmagomedov was due to face the Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner in March in the co-main event of UFC 209.
However, the eagerly-anticipated bout, which would've crowned an interim lightweight champion, was scrapped a little over 24 hours before fight night as Nurmagomedov was hospitalised due to complications with his weight cut.
The Dagestan native went to the hospital with severe pain in his liver, a direct result of his intense weight.
Not long after Nurmagomedov was deemed medically unfit to compete, many fans slammed the 29-year-old’s choice of food during the build-up to the fight.
They did so as the UFC 209 countdown show showed Nurmagomedov at a restaurant with his friends, who were eating Tiramisu.
Several Tiramisu-based jokes have been aimed Nurmagomedov’s way in recent months, mostly by Ferguson.
The notion of Nurmagomedov eating a calorie-laden dessert in the run-up to his first crack at UFC gold irks Mendez, who is adamant his student's withdrawal from the bout had nothing to do with his diet.
“To much has been made of stuff about Tiramisu and people are writing about it,” Mendez told Express Sport.”
“It had nothing to do with that. His weight was very good and it was on schedule. No, Khabib was not eating it.”
Khabib was not eating it
Mendez is adamant Nurmagomedov refrained from indulging in the Italian delight, insisting that ‘The Eagle’s’ critics automatically assumed he ate the dessert because his friends were doing so.
“Listen, this is the thing. When Khabib goes anywhere, he’s with his whole group, there’s six or seven of these guys, they’re all fighters," the American Kickboxing Academy coach added.
“Now you tell me, you’ve got six or seven guys that are all fighters but only one of you has a fight, and six do not. Do you think they’re all going to be on a diet? Or do you think one of the guys is going to have something like what they had?
GETTY
“Just because someone was eating tiramisu and there happened to be a picture where it was shown, it doesn’t mean that Khabib was eating it. It means he was there and it was there.
“Just because an illusion shows something, it doesn’t mean it’s true. That’s bulls**t. He wasn’t eating it.
GETTY
“He’s very disciplined. He’s a very disciplined person, he doesn’t do things he’s not supposed to.”
Nurmagomedov, 24-0, makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 219, a card which will see him take on Edson Barboza.
