"He was just too loyal to me" - Javier Mendez reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov refused to work with other striking coaches

Javier Mendez (left) & Khabib Nurmagomedov (right) [Image Credits- @akajav on Instagram]

Javier Mendez recently opened up about the relationship he shares with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He revealed that their bond was so strong that Nurmagomedov refused to train under the guidance of anybody else.

In an interview with Helen Yee and 'The Schmo', the American Kickboxing Academy head honcho offered some insight into how Nurmagomedov honed his stand-up game exclusively under him:

"He's unbelievable on the ground. He came in that way. What I gave him, is the finishing touches, sharpening up his stand-up. Because he didn't train with anybody but me. When he got back home, I tried to get him to train with other people and he wouldn't do it. He was just too loyal to me on the stand-up, you know."

Check out Javier Mendez's interaction with Helen Yee and 'The Schmo' below:

Furthermore, Mendez suggested that this loyalty cost Nurmagomedov in some ways. It meant that 'The Eagle' was only working on his striking while he was with Mendez. Any time he went back to Russia, he would stop working on that aspect of his game.

Javier Mendez revealed that Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, was more than willing to work with different coaches. This gave him the upper hand over Khabib Nurmagomedov when it came to striking.

However, Mendez asserted that a lack of talent was certainly not the issue with Khabib. It's just that Makhachev works on his striking year-round, which has helped him hone his craft more efficiently.

Javier Mendez believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is traversing the promotional landscape smartly

During the same interaction with 'The Schmo' and Helen Yee, Javier Mendez opened up about how Khabib Nurmagomedov is nurturing his relationship with all the big promoters in MMA:

"Khabib is doing it right. He's friends with all these guys and he's not going to ruin the relationship by doing something underhanded, you know. He's going to keep it straight. He's going to, you know, keep his relationships intact with all these other promotions."

Mendez declared that this did not mean Khabib Nurmagomedov was not focused on running Eagle FC. The AKA head coach believes that 'The Eagle' is working toward making his promotion the premier MMA organization in the world.

The Dagestani phenom successfully managed Eagle FC's Stateside debut last month with Eagle FC 44 at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida.

NEXT UP! 🔥 #EagleFC46

🇺🇸 @MoTownPhenom vs. @DiegoSanchezUFC 🇺🇸

📆 March 11
📍 Miami, USA
📺 LIVE and FREE on @EagleOnFLX https://t.co/NWTz1g9f46

The promotion is set to make a return to the United States with Eagle FC 46. It is scheduled to take place on March 11 and will be headlined by former UFC fighters Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez.