Javier Mendez thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov could use some work on his cornering.
The UFC Hall of Famer returned to cornering his teammates when he assisted his protege, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, in his title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 earlier this month. Makhachev submitted Poirier to notch his third title defense.
Mendez would like to see Nurmagomedov relax more while giving instructions.
“He needs to master the corner, though,” Mendez told Helen Yee. “We still need to work the corner because he goes a little crazy on there, up and down, slamming on the table. I said, ‘Calm down, calm down.’ He gets really amped up.
“I mean, he loves his fighters so much, his brothers that you know, everything goes into that fight when he goes – I forgot what it was like to have him in the corner. It’s kind of crazy.”
Mendez, the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, gave Nurmagomedov advice on how to improve as a cornerman.
“I gave him instructions on, ‘Hey, it’s OK to do what you need to do, but just sit down, yell as loud as you can to get your fighters’ attention, you don’t have to hit the table, stand up and cause the commission to keep telling us to sit down,'” Mendez said.
“So I said, ‘Scream louder, scream as loud as you can.’ He goes, ‘Coach, how am I going to reach him,’ I go, ‘Scream, scream as loud as you can.’ You’ve got to be able to say things within reason because you’ve got to listen the crowd. The crowd’s screaming, there’s nothing you can say. The fighter ain’t going to hear nothing.”
