When Khabib Nurmagomedov’s not around, as it turns out, things don’t move as seriously. Javier Mendez recently sat down with Sarah Michaux, founder of La Michaux Athletic, on YouTube to discuss untold stories from Nurmagomedov’s time in the UFC. And during their conversation, Mendez recalled one specific incident when he kicked out ‘The Eagle’s entire team from the gym because they were “goofing around.”
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“I did actually get pissed off at team Khabib when Khabib took off to do some work, and I was left, just me, and these guys are goofing around and this and that…,” Mendez said. “Oh, I got pissed off.
“I basically told them, I said to them, I didn’t say these words, but it was like this. It was like, ‘Hey, you guys are a team. If you guys can’t be here as a team, be here for each other—don’t come to training. I don’t want you here. Get the hell out, don’t even bother coming. Because I don’t need you here. I don’t need your effort. I don’t need [anything] from you if you’re going to be a teammate; you’ll be here for your teammate.
“You’ll be here for a team, we line up together, we finish together, we grow together. And if you can’t do that, I don’t need you here.’ But I didn’t say that nice… I’ve done it a few times at AKA, too, where I chewed them out.”
Javier Mendez told Team Khabib to get out of the gym after they kept messing around 😭 “I actually got pissed off at Team Khabib when Khabib took off to do some work and it was just me left with these guys, and they were goofing around.” (via la michaux)
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s primary mentor and lifelong coach was his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. However, he spent his entire UFC fighting career training under Mendez at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy). Mendez shaped Khabib’s striking and cornerman tactics, and the two formed a highly successful fighter-coach duo.
Their partnership had led Khabib to an undefeated 29-0 record. After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020, he transitioned into a coaching role himself. Today, the pair work together at the AKA gym, where they often serve as the head trainers for other AKA fighters like Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov.
‘The Eagle’ might not be a fighter anymore, but Mendez continues to believe he is the ‘GOAT’ of the sport.
Javier Mendez snubbed Jon Jones to crown Khabib Nurmagomedov the GOAT
Mendez has previously snubbed Jon Jones in the MMA GOAT debate. Instead, he named Khabib Nurmagomedov the greatest fighter of all time. The former heavyweight champion is widely regarded as one of the sport’s best athletes. But Mendez has other ideas.
He believes Jones’ failed drug tests prevent him from holding the top spot. Speaking on The Ahmad Mahmood Show, the longtime American Kickboxing Academy coach explained why he rates Khabib higher than the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion.
“The GOAT for me is Khabib, and I would put Jon Jones in that category, but I can’t,” Mendez said. “If you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t have been doing, how can you be considered at the top of the league? This is a true sport, and in a true sport, you cannot put that person ahead.
“How many people have won Olympic gold medals and then they find out they cheated and got the medals taken away from them?”
Despite Mendez’s confidence in Khabib, there are others who argue that ‘The Eagle’ left the sport too early. And had he stayed in the sport, his unbeaten record would have been taken away at some point.
At the end of the day, Khabib Nurmagomedov appears to have had a strong support system behind him, one that knows when to tighten things up.
