Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach comes clean about his most talented student: "Not dedicated enough"
Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach recently made his feelings known about his most talented student's work ethic and discipline early on in his career. He noted that he needed to be pushed and steered in the right direction.
Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez has made it known that his most talented and promising fighter he's coached is 'The Eagle's cousin, Usman. The revelation is certainly high praise, considering the legendary fighters he has trained throughout his coaching career. He highlighted his physical traits and skill set as something that separates him from the rest.
During the latest episode of his Javier & Mo Show, Mendez revealed that there were some challenges with getting the most out of Usman. The AKA coach mentioned that he enlisted Nurmagomedov's assistance to get his cousin on the right track and recalled when he noticed a shift in his mentality:
"Usman at the very beginning was not mentally 100% like he needed to be, and I asked Khabib, 'I need your help with him because he's not mentally there. He's physically there and he appears to be dedicated, but not dedicated enough.'
"So we got on him, and one year before he won the [Bellator] title, I said, 'Khabib, we got him.' Next thing you know, here's the guy winning the title, and he's on a roll. And now, he's pretty darn disciplined."
Check out the full episode featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez's comments [24:35] below:
Javier Mendez discusses Khabib Nurmagomedov's transition from fighter to coach
Javier Mendez also discussed Khabib Nurmagomedov's transition from fighter to coach and revealed that the former UFC lightweight champion had always been a coach.
During the aforementioned episode, Mendez mentioned that Nurmagomedov would usually coach other fighters once he completed his training, as it was instilled in him by his father:
"Khabib was a coach when he was a fighter, so there was no easy transition. He came as a coach. After his sparring, he'd be there cornering his brothers, giving them advice, so he was always a coach when he came to me [at AKA]. His father transitioned him into a coach, not me. He was already a great coach back then." [28:08]
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's post-fight interview after cornering his cousin Usman in Bellator below: