A coach of six UFC champions reveals who stands out above them.
Few MMA coaches have accomplished what Javier Mendez has in the sport with the American Kickboxing Academy general coaching world champions to this day.
Mendez has coached the 29-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold and Frank Shamrock, with each champion leaving behind quite a legacy in the UFC.
With many accolades between them, coach Mendez has singled out one of his fighters as ‘the greatest of all time’ despite a not-so-great end in the premier promotion.
Javier Mendez says Cain Velasquez should be regarded as heavyweight ‘GOAT’
Former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is one of the most skilled fighters we have ever seen enter the heavyweight division.
Velasquez was world-renowned for his cardio and ground-and-pound. The former champ destroyed the likes of Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos, Antonio Silva (twice), and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira in his heyday which would have lasted longer had it not been for injuries that kept him on the sidelines.
“Cain Velasquez sticks out quite a bit,” Mendez said on Red Hawk Recap with Tim Welch.
“By how great he was and the things he used to do and how great this guy should have been.
“He’s a would have, could have, should have,” Mendez said of Velasquez.
“I say would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, because he should be regarded as the greatest heavyweight of all time for damn sure and definitely be considered as a ‘GOAT’ for sure.”
Velasquez had four UFC title fight wins and a 12-3 record in the Octagon.
Cain Velasquez fought three times in last five years with the UFC
In the midst of a legendary title reign at heavyweight, a knee injury for Velasquez forced him out of a title defense against Fabricio Werdum in 2014.
Fighting at altitude after a near two-year layoff, Velasquez would lose his heavyweight title in 2015 to Werdum in Mexico City. More injuries piled up for Velasquez in the years to come as he withdrew from an immediate title rematch in 2016 due to a back injury.
For five years, Velasquez only fought three times with his final fight coming against the powerful Francis Ngannou in 2019 where he was TKO’ed in the first 30 seconds after a knee injury. This would be Velasquez’s final fight in the UFC.
“Too many things happened to him,” coach Javier Mendez said of Velasquez never reaching his true potential.
“Partly my fault, partly other people’s fault, partly his fault. Everybody had a part to blame in his not being what he should have been.
“So, we all had a part in it,” Mendez added.