Mixed martial arts is perhaps the most difficult sport in the world to remain undefeated in. One wrong move, a momentary lapse in concentration, or even just pure bad luck can be the difference between being victorious and being unconscious. This is why it is almost shocking to see Khabib Nurmagomedov not only go undefeated in his MMA career but arguably not even lose a round in his stint at the UFC. This, for his fans, makes him the greatest to ever do it.

Perhaps more impressive, however, is the fact that he is still a down-to-earth, respectful, and humble guy, always willing to help others get better and is open to sharing his deep insights into the fight game. So much so, that he was coaching the Dagestani fighters in his AKA gym, even over the head coach, as the latter revealed in an interview last year.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was the real coach of Dagestani fighters at AKA

Javier Mendez once told just how involved Khabib Nurmagomedov was in coaching younger fighters even in his fighting days. In an interview with ‘The Schmo’ on YouTube, Mendez, who used to be ‘The Eagle’s  AKA gym head coach said that while he was officially the head coach for the entire gym, Nurmagomedov had served as the de facto coach for the Dagestani fighters.

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Even though Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 right after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, following his father’s passing away from Covid, he continued to be associated with the sport as a coach. Last year, however, he dissociated completely from the sport to focus on his family.

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And reminiscing about the old days, Mendez claimed, “A lot of people don’t know but Khabib is more the coach than I am. I’m more the mentor to Khabib and I am a coach to all those other guys. But the show with the eagle Dagestan boys is run by Khabib even though they say I’m the head coach. It’s really Khabib, he’s really the head coach, but I’m his mentor and I’m his head coach, so in a roundabout way I am the head coach but I’m really not,” Mendez told the interviewer. He even gave an example to prove his point.

Nurmagomedov once decided to give his coach the day off

Mendez recounted how one day he went to the UFC Apex for what he thought was a training session. However, he was surprised to see none of his students there. He then received a voicemail from Nurmagomedov, who told him he had moved the practice to an alternative venue as he wanted to give Mendez a day off.

“I’ll give you an example. I show up this Thursday at the Apex, you know. I’m waiting there nine o’clock and I’m waiting, and no one’s there. Khabib leaves me a voice message ‘oh coach, I wanted to give you the day off because today is grappling day and you don’t do nothing on grappling day so I wanted to give you the day off,'” Mendez said.

Nurmagomedov commands a lot of respect from his camp, much like his late father. And it’s not just his peers, but coaches like Javier Mendez who hold him in the same regard. What do you make of this revelation from the AKA head coach?

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