AKA coach Javier Mendez shares surprising revelation as to who is the most skilled fighter he's ever coached

AKA coach Javier Mendez shared a surprising revelation as to who is the most skilled fighter he's ever coached.

During his appearance on Ep. 126 of Jibber with Jaber, Mendez spoke about a number of topics related to his AKA fighters including Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov. He then had high praise for Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov's skillset and made a surprising revelation.

He said:

"I've said it before when I trained him, that he's got the most skill out of everybody I have ever trained in my whoile entire life. And what has he done? He's gone and proved it, he's done everything. All his fights showcase great Jiu-Jitsu, great wrestling ability, great striking, great [mental work]." [17:02 - 17:19].

The AKA coach's comments come as a surprise of sorts, especially considering he has trained a number of former UFC champions and Hall of Famers throughout his career, including Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Islam Makhachev, and Usman's cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov. He then reflected on Nurmagomedov's most recent win over Benson Henderson in the Bellator lightweight Grand Prix and described why the win was so impressive, saying:

"You know, he's [Usman Nurmagomedov] entered in the million-dollar tournament in Bellator. He just won his first fight against Benson Henderson and he was the only one that actually submitted Benson. Even Demian Maia, who went with Benson in three rounds couldn't submit him, and here Usman submitted him." [17:55 - 18:11]

Mendez has high hopes for the Bellator lightweight champion and believes that the best is still yet to come for the 25-year-old, which is impressive.

Check out the full video:

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Javier Mendez credits Khabib Nurmagomedov for getting Usman Nurmagomedov on track with his development

Javier Mendez credits Khabib Nurmagomedov for assisting him in getting his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov on track with his development and his ability to pick things up in training.

During the affromentioned appearance, the AKA coach mentioned that 'The Eagle's presence has played a pivatol role in the further development of his Dagestani fighters. He noted that it was a little bit difficult training the Bellator lightweight champion at times until Nurmagomedov got more involved, saying:

"Just his [Usman Nurmagomedov] mental focus wasn't there. You know, I'd say something to him and he wasn't snapping to it...He wasn't really attentive the way I needed him to be and it wasn't until Khabib started working on him with me that I said, 'Okay, we got it,' and I knew we were going to win." [17:37 - 17:54]