Miscellaneous
On this episode, I was honoured to be joined by an MMA legend, Javier Mendez. 'Coach' Javier is the founder and head coach at one of the top MMA gyms in the world, American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). He is well known for coaching many MMA/UFC champions including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold amongst many others. Timestamps for each segment are below: (00:00:42)- Quarantine life and the social impacts of being in lockdown(00:05:29)- How AKA has facilitated training sessions during the lockdown(00:06:52)- What is coach watching on Netflix?(00:10:45)- Javier Mendez tells us how he became a world champions kickboxer(00:18:00)- The origin and evolution of AKA(00:20:20)- The story of AKA's first UFC champion (Frank Shamrock) and what this moment felt like(00:28:50)- AKA Thailand(00:30:41)- THAT moment in their careers when Javier knew that Khabib, DC, Cain and Luke would become world champions(00:41:00)- Javier pays tribute to Abdul Manap Nurmagomedov (Khabib's father) and tells us about the time he spent with him and what he learnt(00:48:04)- Khabib's potential return and who does Javier think will be Khabib's toughest test?(00:57:45)- Those 2 moments that Khabib was in 'trouble' during the Johnson and Poirier fights.(01:01:40)- Khabib and Daniel Cormier's comical relationship(01:02:15)- Why Daniel Cormier is a 'True' Champion and his legacy(01:07:00)- Who are Javier's 3 favourite active fighters that he enjoys watching?(01:07:40)- AKA upcoming fighters to watch out for(01:09:00)- Thoughts on the UFC Welterweight situation and prediction for Whittaker vs Till Make sure you follow Javier Mendez on Instagram (akajav). Remember to also subscribe to my Youtube channel and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@AbzTalks1).