What mistake led to Umar Nurmagomedov's knockout? Legendary coach reveals the real reason

One of the most experienced coaches in the MMA world, founder of the famous AKA gym, Javier Mendez, Submission Radio spoke openly in an exclusive interview about the sensational event at the UFC Fight Night 286 tournament in Shanghai.

The experienced specialist Umar Nurmagomedov's unexpected deep knockout loss to Chinese opponent Song Yadong left him deeply shaken, and he admitted he didn't understand what happened at that moment.

“I should have been there”: Mendez’s heartfelt words

Javier Mendez stated that he took his student's defeat as a personal tragedy:

• First reaction and shock: “To be honest, it happened so fast that my jaw dropped at that moment. I said to myself: ‘What just happened?’ I was in a state of real shock because I love and value Umar very much.”

• Personal pain: “When someone is very close and dear to you, such a heavy defeat hurts the heart twice as much. ‘I should have been there,’ I thought. But he was already in safe hands. This is sports; sometimes such unexpected situations happen.”

Decisive mistake: How did Song Yadong trap Umar?

The AKA coach provided a tactical analysis of the moment the knockout occurred:

• Dangerous plan: Song Yadong planned to land exactly that kind of counter-punch—an uppercut—from the very first seconds of the fight;

• Takedown error: While moving forward to attempt a takedown, Umar made a positional error, shifting his head away from the center line;

• Precise and fatal blow: “Song hit him right on the temple. If a precise and powerful blow lands on that exact spot, a person immediately loses consciousness and falls.”