What makes a marvelous UFC fighter a champion? You might be thinking of millions of answers, but according to Javier Mendez, there is only one answer. He is currently coaching the fighters in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp along with the Hall of Famer and very soon, Umar Nurmagomedov is going to make a comeback. He is the undefeated cousin of Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov and boasts a record of 17-0. The young star is already climbing the ranks and bagging one win after the other.

He has a big fight coming up against Cory Sandhagen, on August 3 and is training hard day and night. However, being nervous before a fight is inevitable, but this is when their trusted coach came to the rescue.

Javier Mendez gives golden advice

During episode 2 of the Dubai training camp, Mendez gave some valuable advice to the fighters as they prepared for their battles. While practicing tooth and nail and finally taking some time out, everyone sat down in front of Mendez and Khabib while they spoke to the youngsters. Nurmagomedov translated the golden advice that Mendez was giving. The coach gave a simple secret to becoming a champion: “being smart.”

He said in a video uploaded on Khabib’s YouTube channel, “If you have to be a champion, you need to be smarter. Which means listening to your body. Some of you guys train to the point where your body fails you.” He explained that when a fighter trains too hard, there are more chances of injuries. So balancing and being smart by listening to the body was crucial.

Mendez continued, “You guy’s mind is very very strong so if you guys learn to listen to your body, it does not mean you are not a warrior, it means smart. Champion is a smart fighter. So maintaining your health is the number one most important thing after all the training is done, the health  very very important.”

This advice is essential for all athletes in every field, but especially for Umar Nurmagomedov because he has a fight coming up with Sandhagen very soon. With UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov just a couple of days away, it is important for Umar to be safe and maintain his 100% health status is important. While the Khabib camp is confident about the 28-year-old’s victory, there is a 19-year-old UFC star who does not think Umar Nurmagomedov can get past Sandhagen.

Raul Rosas Jr. is not in team Umar

The young Raul Rosas Jr. is a killer when he is fighting inside the octagon and he is a force to be reckoned with. So far, he has secured three wins out of his 4 UFC fights and all the wins have arrived by a finish. He aims big because he wants to become the youngest UFC title winner and also predicted who might have the championship belt when he gets to fight for it. You guessed it! He named Khabib’s cousin as his future opponent. 

“Probably Umar Nurmagomedov, I think he’ll have the belt when I get there,” Rosas Jr. told ‘MMA Crazy’. However, when it comes to the matchup with Corey Sandhagen, he has a different opinion. Even though Umar Nurmagomedov has a record of 17-0, the 19-year-old believes his opponent to be a better fighter. Sandhagen also has a good record of 17-4 and he has beaten some deadly fighters. He defeated Rob Font and performed impressively with a broken arm. 

“He’s [Umar] a beast but Cory Sandhagen is a beast too. I am gonna have to go with Cory Sandhagen,” Raul Rosas Jr. said. The fight is just a few weeks away and fans are excited as well as stressed. Do you think Umar Nurmagomedov will win? Drop your predictions in the comments below.