Javier Mendez
At a glance
- Founder and head coach of AKA in San Jose
- Only coach with three reigning UFC champions at once, in 2015
- 2022 MMA Coach of the Year, shared with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Overview
Javier Mendez founded American Kickboxing Academy, known as AKA, in San Jose, California, and serves as its head coach. Before coaching, he was a two-time ISKA kickboxing world champion, in two weight classes. He has coached full time since 1996.
AKA has produced several generations of UFC champions. Mendez has trained Frank Shamrock, B.J. Penn, Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Islam Makhachev. He was the first coach to have multiple UFC champions who won titles in two divisions, with Daniel Cormier and Islam Makhachev. In 2015 he was the only coach with three reigning UFC champions at the same time: Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold.
What you'll find
On Instagram and X, Mendez posts behind-the-scenes looks at training at AKA and his fighters' preparation before their bouts. You get a view of the daily work inside one of the most decorated gyms in MMA.
He also speaks to the media regularly before his champions fight. He talks about his fighters' form, their camp, and how he reads the opponent. Those interviews are widely picked up by MMA outlets in the weeks leading up to a title fight. His Instagram and X accounts are the direct way to follow AKA between fights.
Why follow
Javier Mendez gives you direct access to how UFC champions prepare. When Islam Makhachev gets ready for a title defense, Mendez is the one explaining how camp is going and what the team expects from the fight.
His angle is technical analysis. A former elite kickboxer, he speaks as comfortably about striking as about the wrestling of his fighters from Dagestan. He was named 2022 MMA Coach of the Year, an honor shared with Khabib Nurmagomedov. His fighters have held UFC titles at heavyweight with Cain Velasquez, at light heavyweight and heavyweight with Daniel Cormier, at middleweight with Luke Rockhold, and at lightweight with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
MMA Official's take
Javier Mendez is a fit for fans who follow AKA's champions and want to understand how a title fight camp is built. He also appeals to athletes who want a look at how a major MMA gym runs.
Start with his interviews ahead of Islam Makhachev's next fight, where he explains the camp and his read on the opponent. Then follow his Instagram for training footage from AKA, and his X account for his reactions after fights.