Javier Mendez reveals which AKA fighter has the 'strongest mentality'

Javier Mendez is widely revered as one of the best coaches in the sport of MMA today. Mendez and his entourage at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, are well-known for their emphasis on mental fortitude in addition to physical excellence.

AKA has produced several notable champions over the years, including the likes of Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Josh Thomson, and others. Given the talent he's mentored, it’d be safe to say that Javier Mendez is highly experienced when it comes to assessing his students’ mindset.

During a recent live stream on the JavierMendezAKAPodcast YouTube channel, Mendez was asked to rank his current fighters based on their mental fortitude.

In response to the same, the AKA head coach said:

“For me, the strongest is Umar (Nurmagomedov)” Javier Mendez then praised Islam Makhachev as well. Mendez continued, “Islam (Makhachev) might have him beat. But I wanna say Umar because I know more about Umar than I do Islam. Islam’s very quiet; very quiet. But you know, let’s just say, probably, for the fact that Islam’s been doing it longer, I would say Islam is probably stronger than Umar. Umar definitely (is a) sure second, if not number one. It very well could be Islam, number one. But it’s those two. Let’s put it that way; those two.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Watch the video below:

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Javier Mendez’s students Umar Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have momentum on their side

Umar Nurmagomedov (left); Islam Makhachev (right) [Images courtesy: @umar_nurmagomedov and @islam_makhachev on Instagram]

Rising bantamweight star Umar Nurmagomedov holds an undefeated professional MMA record of 13 wins and 0 losses. Umar is the cousin of legendary former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Umar Nurmagomedov’s most recent fight was a second-round submission win over Sergey Morozov at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny in January 2021.

Make that 13-0!A sub win for @UmarNmgdv's UFC debut 😤[ LIVE NOW on #ESPNPlus | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/8HZrzl9orM

— UFC (@ufc) January 20, 2021

Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev’s professional MMA record stands at an impressive 20 wins and 1 loss. Makhachev is riding high on an eight-fight winning streak and has been touted by many as a future UFC lightweight champion.

Islam Makhachev’s most recent fight was a fourth-round submission win over Thiago Moises at UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises in July 2021. The victory saw Makhachev leap his way from No.9 to No.5 in the divisional rankings.

Islam Smesh! 😤@MAKHACHEVMMA taps out Thiago Moisés in the fourth round! 🙌#UFCVegas31 pic.twitter.com/nTSjJfnHLL

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 18, 2021