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Surging UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev has been lucky enough to train with not one but two world-class coaches throughout his MMA career.
Just like his friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev has also developed as a well-rounded fighter under the tutelage of Khabib's father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and AKA head coach Javier Mendez. In a recent interview with RT Sport, Islam Makhachev spoke about the two great coaches he's had in his life.
Makhachev also pointed to the similarities between them. According to him, what distinguished Mendez and Abdulmanap from other coaches is their 'old school' way of training.
Makhachev says that both Mendez and Abdulmanap would never try to change a fighter's style if the fighter is already good at either grappling or striking. Instead, they'd try to further develop the skill-set a fighter already possesses and is comfortable using inside the cage.
"The major thing that unites them is...In two words I would say its old school. The old school basics they learned. If a fighter has a forte, one great skill he is really good at, Abdulmanap would never change it. For example, he never made a stand-up guy to just wrestle, he tried to help him make his striking even better. If you try to transform a striker into a wrestler, you just mess things up - he just loses it."
"It's the same with Javier. When he sees a great wrestler join AKA, he never tries to make him a striker. He just helps him with some stand-up tips to make him more relaxed on his feet, make him more comfortable in the striking department, but still implement his wrestling game, and stick to what he does best."
To maintain discipline in the gym was Abdulmanap's only priority, claims Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev also spoke about the difference between his two coaches, claiming that the gyms in the USA are not strict about maintaining discipline and decorum, but back in his hometown of Dagestan, Abdulmanap's word was the law.
"You know, in the US, they are not so focused on discipline in the gyms. That's the main thing that differs. In our gym in Dagestan under Abdulmanap's mentorship discipline was the number one priority."
Islam Makhachev is on a seven-fight winning streak inside the octagon and recently picked up a huge win over Drew Dober at the recently concluded UFC 259 pay-per-view.
