Javier Mendez News

Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023

Javier Mendez has revealed that Cain Velasquez is back home at the American Kickboxing Academy. The former UFC heavyweight champion has had a rough few years to put it lightly. Velasquez last competed in February 2019, facing Francis Ngannou. In that outing, ‘The Predator’ defeated the former champion by first-round knockout. Following the loss, Velasquez opted to retire.

Cole Shelton - May 30, 2023

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still coaching his fighters, according to Javier Mendez. Back in January, it was revealed that Nurmagomedov was retiring from coaching and being involved in MMA completely. This came after he was serving as a coach for the likes of Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov among others and having success doing so.

Cole Shelton - September 29, 2022

Javier Mendez says no one beat Khabib Nurmagomedov in a sparring session and the only person to win rounds off of him was Islam Makhachev. Nurmagomedov retired undefeated and was dominant in the UFC as he hadn’t lost a round until he fought Conor McGregor. He had his ways with opponents and since he retired, the attention has turned to Islam Makhachev who’s set to headline UFC 280 against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title.

Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2022

Coach Javier Mendez has given his take on a potential comeback for Cain Velasquez. Mendez coached the former UFC heavyweight champion during his time at AKA. During their time together, the Mexican captured UFC gold on two different occasions. During his peak, Velasquez was considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

Chris Taylor - January 30, 2021

American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez has shared some advice for his star pupil in Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA) retired from mixed martial arts immediately following his submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The Russian sensation cited the death of his Father as the reason for hanging up his gloves.

Tom Taylor - January 27, 2021

Javier Mendez, the head coach behind Khabib Nurmagomedov, says Conor McGregor would get smashed in a rematch with the lightweight champion. Like pretty much everybody, Mendez was watching last Saturday’s UFC 257 card very closely. After seeing McGregor get stopped by Dustin Poirier in the main event, he has some concerns about the Irishman’s preparation.

Tom Taylor - October 28, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov has penned a heartfelt tribute to his long-time head coach at American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez. Nurmagomedov returned to the cage in the main event of UFC 254 last Saturday on Fight Island, where he picked up a submission victory over Justin Gaethje and defended the UFC lightweight title in the process. Post-fight, he announced his retirement from MMA.

Cole Shelton - October 20, 2020

The 15th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 254. We’re first joined by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s head coach, Javier Mendez (2:34). Next, UFC light heavyweight, Sam Alvey (16:27) joins the program. Closing out the show is UFC bantamweight, Casey Kenney (28:16).

Fernando Quiles - July 7, 2020

Head coach Javier Mendez anticipates a healthier Daniel Cormier to go to war with Stipe Miocic in the trilogy bout. UFC heavyweight champion Miocic and Cormier are scheduled to collide a third time on Aug. 15. The title bout is set to headline UFC 252 in Las Vegas. Cormier insists that this will be the last bout of his pro MMA career win or lose.

Natasha Hooper - May 7, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez has explained why Conor McGregor is still his pupil’s toughest opponent. The undefeated lightweight champion was scheduled to defend his title against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249. However, due to travel restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak and Nurmagomedov’s commitment to Ramadan, their showdown has been postponed. Justin Gaethje will fill in as a short-notice replacement to fight “El Cucuy” on May 9.

Natasha Hooper - April 14, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez has come to the defence of his fighter amidst criticism regarding his UFC 249 withdrawal. The undefeated lightweight champion was expected to face Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. The UFC stars were scheduled to fight four times in the past, but the matchup was foiled for medical reasons each time. Their fifth matchup was no different as “The Eagle” pulled out a few weeks before their scheduled fight.

Mike Pendleton - March 19, 2020

The status of UFC 249 is up in the air when it comes to the location and whether or not the event will actually take place, but one half of the main event are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it happens. On Wednesday night, the NYSAC and the UFC released separate statements acknowledging that UFC 249 which had been scheduled to take place at Barclays Center will not take place in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thomas Taylor - May 19, 2019

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov looks more and more like an unbeatable fighter every time he steps into the cage. The Dagestani champion is 27-0 overall — the mark of a puzzle that has not yet been solved. While it’s getting more and more difficult to imagine anybody beating Nurmagomedov, his head coach Javier Mendez believes there are fighters out there with the skills to test the champ — four lightweight fighters in particular.

Cole Shelton - April 1, 2019

Following his knockout win over Edson Barboza at UFC Philadelphia, Justin Gaethje proclaimed that he is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toughest challenge. Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez does not agree with that statement. In fact, the longtime AKA head coach believes Gaethje isn’t much of a threat to “The Eagle”.

Cole Shelton - March 3, 2019

Daniel Cormier was supposed to partake in the final fight of his career before his 40th birthday this March. Well, that is no longer going to happen. Both Cormier and his head coach Javier Mendez have said his retirement will be delayed. Now, the question is, how many fights does Cormier have left, and who will his next opponent be? He definitely has options, whether it’s a fight with Brock Lesnar, a rematch against Stipe Miocic, or a trilogy fight with Jon Jones. But if Mendez has any say in the matter, it probably won’t be a Miocic rematch.

Cole Shelton - March 2, 2019

When Khabib Nurmagomedov took on Conor McGregor at UFC 229, it resulted in the biggest pay-per-view in promotional history. The event did well over two million PPV buys, and in the end, Nurmagomedov beat McGregor in the fourth round by submission.

Jason Kindschy - February 17, 2019

With the highly anticipated return of former heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez just hours away, the question remains if we will see the dominant display of cardio and technique that Cain is known for against a very dangerous opponent in Francis Ngannou. Following a hiatus from combat sports for over two years, one individual who has no doubt that Velasquez will make a big statement tonight on ESPN is his longtime friend and coach, Javier Mendez. On the most recent episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Mendez discussed his star pupil, the long journey back to action, and the continued evolution of Cain as a martial artist.

Jason Kindschy - February 17, 2019

Founder and head coach of the famed American Kickboxing Academy, mentor and close friend of Cain Velasquez, Javier Mendez returns to the show to preview the highly anticipated return of his star pupil. We’ll get Javi’s thoughts on the matchup against Francis Ngannou and the challenges he poses for Cain, how Mendez sees the fight playing out, and what the future has in store for the former champion Velasquez. Mendez believes Cain will become the heavyweight king yet again, and is confident about his chances in a potential matchup with Jon Jones. We’ll also get Javi’s thoughts on the immediate future for Daniel Cormier, and what the ideal scenario is for DC to wrap up a historic career in style. Mendez also gives us his thoughts on Khabib’s refusal to compete before November, best-case-scenario matchups for Nurmagomedov, and a whole lot more.