Javier Mendez didn't know what to expect when he flew out of San Jose, California, on Sept. 10, bound for Dubai. A five-hour flight from California to New York, then a layover in JFK Airport. Thirteen more hours in a plane would take him to the United Arab Emirates. And all the while, he didn't really know what awaited him.
Mendez has been the head coach of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov since 2012. Over the past eight years, they have won 12 consecutive bouts, claimed the UFC's 155-pound championship and grown into one of the most recognized and celebrated teams in the sport.