"He was doing like 30-something chin-ups” - Javier Mendez names fighter in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team who impressed him the most in the gym
The team that Khabib Nurmagomedov's late father, Abdulmanap, created through his vision and knowledge has become a dominant force within MMA.
With most of them hailing from the Caucasus, the team has produced notable champions such as 'The Eagle', Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov. But it also comprises a plethora of talented combatants, with others such as Umar Nurmagomedov and Amru Magomedov touted as future world champions.
During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, head coach of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Javier Mendez, was asked to name the fighter from Khabib Nurmagomedov's team who has impressed him the most in the gym.
'The Eagle' arrived at AKA in 2012, paving the way for many Dagestani fighters to train in the gym. Mendez has developed an immensely close relationship with most of them.
The AKA founder named Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov as the fighter who surprised him. He said:
"Those guys don't really lift that much weight, they do a lot of pull ups and stuff. They do some weights but not a major amount of weights, it's more [bodyweight]. The guy who impressed me the most was Usman, he was doing like 30-something chin-ups... I don't think I've ever seen anybody do as many chin-ups as Usman did."
Catch Mendez's comments below from 18:00:
Khabib Nurmagomedov took up a role as mentor and coach for the team after retiring from MMA in 2020.
He most recently joined Islam Makhachev for the final leg of his training camp ahead of his clash with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 last month. But Nurmagomedov has not appeared in a fighter's corner since 2022, and his return appears unlikely.
Javier Mendez names the one condition that could see Khabib Nurmagomedov return to coaching full-time
Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would be taking a step back from cornering fighters at the beginning of 2023.
While he stills spends some of his time in the training room with teammates, a return to a fighter's corner is a mere wish of MMA fans across the world right now.
Javier Mendez recently shed light on one thing that could bring Khabib Nurmagomedov back to a full-time coaching role. During the aforementioned Red Corner MMA interview, Mendez said:
"When you devote yourself to the fighters, you're not gonna have time for your children... And he doesn't want to miss that... I think at some point when his kids are old and they're involved, I think he will be back. But who knows when that will be." [23:30-24:06]