Legendary UFC Coaches and Their Famous Fighters

When it comes to mixed martial arts, the spotlight is rightly placed on the fighters, but behind the scenes, every great fighter will have a coach or a team of coaches who play a very critical role in shaping the journey. The coaches featured were not only responsible for guiding some of the world’s great fighters into greatness but left a mark on the sport itself. Leading fighters from UFC history’s most well-known pugilists, these coaches have been strategic masterminds and motivational leaders. This article identifies those contributions of legendary UFC coaches and provides details about the fighters they helped groom into champions.

1. Greg Jackson – Jackson-Wink MMA
   Greg Jackson is a legendary coach with some of the highest success and respect in MMA history. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jackson is the co-founder of Jackson-Wink MMA, a training camp that has produced multiple UFC champions and domestically notorious contenders. He is a leading tactician in the event of personalized game planning and holds insightful wisdom on MMA as a conglomerate of various sports.

Celebrated Fighters

Jon Jones
Perhaps the most notable fighter to have come through the Jackson-Wink MMA academy is Jon Jones, who is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in history. Under Jackson’s watch, Jones would soon become the youngest champion in UFC history, attaining the light heavyweight title at the tender age of 23. In Jackson’s training, the weaving throughout striking and wrestling with submissions perfectly accustomed Jones to dominate his division.

Georges St-Pierre
Another legendary fighter whom Greg Jackson has trained is Georges St-Pierre, more popularly known as GSP, a two-time world champion of the UFC Welterweight Championship title—certainly one of the most well-rounded MMA fighters ever. Thus, Greg Jackson had every substantial share in the development of GSP’s game in many ways, most particularly with regard to wrestling and defensive strategies for fighting. GSP is still ruling the roost of the ever-challenging Welterweight Division of the UFC, mounting a great comeback stroke of fortune in 2017, befitting the Middleweight Title. No doubt, these are huge credentials for Coach Jackson.

Carlos Condit
One more fighter who also reached his peak under Jackson’s coaching was Carlos Condit, widely recognized as “The Natural Born Killer.” Some of the things that endeared him to fans and made him the menace of the Octagon were his aggressive striking and generally well-rounded fighting style in the welterweight division. Very similar to Gaston, one could truly see this influence of Jackson in Condit—in none other than strategic use during his fight with Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight title at UFC 143.
Jackson contributed more to the sport than individual fighters accomplished besides the circumstances. He paved the way in constructing MMA as a strategic sport and had an influence on the development of the methods of training in the UFC that are not so simple to wipe out quickly.

2. Rafael Cordeiro – Kings MMA

Rafael Cordeiro is the legendary Brazilian coach of Muay Thai. He is also known for wielding the capability to turn out exceedingly aggressive and powerful strikers. He is the head coach at Kings MMA, which is located in Huntington Beach, California. He has trained some of the most feared strikers in the UFC with the former head coach of PRIDE. His dominant approach beats his trainees many times on the mental aspect.

Well-known Warriors

Anderson Silva
One of the most iconic fighters to be trained by Rafael Cordeiro is Anderson Silva, widely regarded by many people as the best striker ever to compete in mixed martial arts. The precision along with the creativity and knockout power in him had made him the most dominant middleweight champion inside the UFC. It was during this period that Cordeiro’s input to Silva’s striking game helped him retain the title for a longer period and land various highlight-reel finishes.

Fabricio Werd
Another fighter who has benefited hugely from Cordeiro’s coaching: Fabricio Werdum, another former UFC heavyweight champion. Once primarily a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player, Werdum developed into a more complete fighter under the tutelage of Cordeiro, including the addition of dangerous Muay Thai striking. Werdum’s victory over Cain Velasquez at UFC 188 to win the heavyweight title showed better striking and conditioning under Cordeiro.

Rafael dos Anjos
Another major name is Rafael dos Anjos, a former UFC lightweight champion and product of Kings MMA. Under Cordeiro’s watch, dos Anjos grew into a complete fighter with murderous striking, powerful grappling, and relentless cardio. Included in dos Anjos’ dominant title run were wins over Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone, showing the effectiveness of Cordeiro’s coach.
The correlation, undoubtedly, is in the modus operandi; Rafael Cordeiro’s fighters are the fiercest and most dynamic over any other fighting style. His potential to combine striking with other components in MMA has made him one of the most sought-after coaches in this sport.

3. Javier Mendez – American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)

Javier Mendez is the head coach of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, one of the more noted gyms in the world that turns out some of the best wrestlers and overall fighters competing in the UFC today. Given his background in kickboxing, his coaching philosophy is that of a well-rounded gentleman, meshing striking with wrestling and grappling into one fully-fledged fight.

Celebrities of Combat

Khabib Nur
The most prominent fighter produced by this camp is Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion who retired without defeat. Under Mendez’s guidance, Khabib went from a suffocating wrestling style to one that was nearly impossible for opponents to stop in the Octagon. Mendez was crucial in restoring Khabib’s abilities in striking and planning his games, ensuring his unbeaten status and acquiring one of the most dominant champions the UFC had ever seen.

Daniel Cormier
Yet another top fighter who has been under the wings of Javier Mendez is Daniel Cormier, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the Heavyweight Champion. Added to his wrestling pedigree developed all throughout his wrestling career was striking, also learned under Javier Mendez, that has made Cormier a dual-division champion—greatness through the effective implantation of game plans, especially in victories over Stipe Miocic and Anthony Johnson, which was only a testament to the coaching of one Javier Mendez.

Cain Velasquez
Another that owes nearly all his success to Javier Mendez and AKA is the former UFC heavy champion Cain Velasquez. According to Mendez, Velasquez was built around the style of pressure, cardio, and wrestling, which he helped develop. The dominant performances by Velasquez against the likes of Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos cemented the legacy of one of UFC’s greatest heavyweights to have ever entered into the Octagon.

Javier Mendez has ensured that AKA becomes one of the most outstanding gyms by turning good wrestlers into very good all-round MMA fighters. Without sweat, A legendary coach.

4. John Kavanagh – SBG Ireland
   John Kavanagh is the head coach of SBG Ireland, a gym that has turned out some of the most successful fighters in the UFC. With a heavy base in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kavanagh brings his technical knowledge, calm demeanor, and ability to get the best out of his fighters. He has played a big role in popularizing mixed martial arts in Ireland and throughout Europe.
   Known Brawlers

Conor McGregor

Key Information: Conor McGregor has not only been the most successful fighter from SBG Ireland but arguably from most other fighting clubs as well in the past, recording previous glories as the UFC featherweight and lightweight champion. With Kavanagh at its helm, McGregor was developed to become one of the most accurate and powerful strikers in mixed martial arts out there. More importantly, Kavanagh was the brain behind McGregor capturing two UFC titles and standing out as the biggest pay-per-view draw in the history of mixed martial arts.

Gunnar Nelson

Gunnar Nelson is also an SBG Ireland flagship fighter, an incredibly adept welterweight with good ground game and submission skills. Kavanagh helped in sharpening Nelson’s striking, which he was able to incorporate into his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to become a serious threat in the welterweight division.

Artem Lobov

Another one of John Kavanagh’s fighters who trained at SBG Ireland was Artem Lobov, or “The Russian Hammer.” Much though Lobov failed in the UFC to scale the heights of either McGregor or Nelson, he had still become something of a cult favorite, prone to his tenacity and willingness to fight anybody.

John Kavanagh’s influence does not stop at technical skills; that pride goes right up to mind installation and feeding a virtuous cosmos of confidence into his athletes for the steps toward success. The success of his implementation shows itself also in the fame of his teammate Conor McGregor, making Kavanagh one of the most famous coaches in MMA today.

5. Firas Zahabi – Tristar Gym

Firas Zahabi currently presides over his job as head coach at the world renowned Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada. Zahabi runs a gym of fighters known for their technical and disciplined approach inside the UFC. He also has traditional roots in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, which have all played a part in informing his coaching style to be more analytical—as it relates to technique and strategy—and to have an acute awareness of the fight itself.

Legendary Fighters:

Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre (GSP) is the most distinguished fighter to come under the mentorship of Firas Zahabi. GSP’s undisputed claim to the welterweight division and his adaptation and evolution of style were all due to Zahabi’s mentorship. Zahabi could be credited for that one fact — how in the world GSP could out-strike strikers, out-wrestle superior wrestlers, and put nothing but flawless game plans together inside the Octagon. GSP’s image as a fighter on that pantheon pedestal does not shine that greatly without Zahabi in the picture.

Rory MacDonald
One of the most elite and deadly fighters to have been trained is Rory MacDonald, former UFC welterweight title contender. This fighter has often been touted as one of the most perilous for the division because of the incorporation of a well-rounded technical game mixed with precision. Arguably considered one of the best battles in UFC history, his fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 illustrated his development under Zahabi quite effectively.

Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian, the former lightweight and featherweight UFC challenger, was also trained by Firas Zahabi in the latter part of his career. Firas Zahabi had Kenny Florian really working on his performance in striking and grappling, developing him to compete at the highest level in many different weight classes. It is this analytical and methodical approach toward coaching that places Firas Zahabi among the most respected men in MMA. His working with fighters, developing them to be high fight-IQ and highly technical fighters, continuously brings success in the UFC.

6. Mark Henry – Ricardo Almeida BJJ

Mark Henry is a high-level professional boxing coach and strategist working in mixed martial arts with many of the top fighters in the UFC. Mark is located in New Jersey and has quite a good reputation for always being thoroughly prepared for and on top of all details—especially in the field of striking and game planning. He is very closely associated with Ricardo Almeida BJJ, from where many of his fighters come.

Renowned Warriors
Frankie Edgar The most notable fighter that Mark Henry has trained is the former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Under his helm, Frankie Edgar transformed and became one of the good boxers in the lightweight and featherweight categories, most widely known for excellent footwork, speed, and enduring chin. More instrumental than ever in making a name with noted legacies of title defenses, not to mention transforming and reinventing himself game after game.

Eddie Alvarez
Former UFC former Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez, also trained with Mark Henry. In Alvarez’s performance, when he wrested the belt from Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90, it was clear how influential Henry had been on Alvarez’s striking and game-planning. That made Alvarez very dangerous in the lightweight division, as he mixed boxing up with his wrestling techniques.

Edson Barbo
Another name among the best is that of Edson Barboza, who already has his place set in dynamism with strong leg kicks. Strikes – they honed the striking of Mr. Barboza and coached him in the coordination of a more strategic aspect inside of the game that is fighting. Barboza’s highlight-reel knockouts and his ability to compete with the best in the lightweight division are a testament to Henry’s coaching.

Mark Henry is considered one of the most sought-after coaches in the UFC for being able to turn out some of the best elite strikers and apply successful game plans. The success of his fighters in the Octagon mirrors the man’s dedication and expertise.

Conclusion
These are the legendary coaches who, kind of in the limelight of this article, have really been the mentors for some of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the Octagon. Much more than just providing technical and strategic training provisions through MMA, these coaches passed confidence, mental toughness, and a full understanding of the sport on to the athletes. These will have left an indelible mark on the sport, MMA, and fighters they will have guided to greatness, as new generations of fighters continue to rise in the UFC’s walls. Whether through the strategic brilliance of Greg Jackson, the striking expertise of Rafael Cordeiro, or the analytical approach of Firas Zahabi, years of toil will pay off with these coaches having an indelible mark in relation to the sport, MMA in general, and the fighters they will guide to greatness.