Javier Mendez, head coach of AKA Hall, compared the two students, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
"Honestly, from the beginning Khabib was not the best puncher. Even then, Islam worked better than him in the standup. In general, I don't know if anyone can surpass Khabib. But Islam was better in striking from the very beginning, from our first training in 2014. Because Khabib never really practiced standup. Except with me. He spent more time with his father in Dagestan. And he spent too little time with me. Khabib trained with me only three months a year," Mendes told The Schmo.