Javier began his martial arts training in 1978, studying the art of tang soo do and later tae kwon do before moving into kickboxing in 1980. His first action came in the form of an exhibition in 1985 with the legendary Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, and from then on Mendez remained an active competitor under the direction of trainers Walt Carvahlo and Arturo Mata. In 1992, he celebrated his birthday (Sept. 18) in grand fashion, winning his first world title, the ISKA light-cruiserweight championship. He spent two years as champion in that division, before retiring, only to make a comeback in the light heavyweight division. In 1995, Javier added a second title to his collection, the ISKA World light heavyweight title, which he defended once before retiring to address injuries, and, more importantly, oversee the rapid expansion of his gym.

The American Kickboxing Academy® was born in the mid-80s out of after-hours training sessions on the floor of a glass shop. A friend who owned Capitol Glass in south San Jose would allow Javier to clear the cars from his shop, mop the floors and teach kickboxing to a growing list of students. A few years later, Mendez was training and teaching out of a West Coast TKD affiliate in San Jose run by instructor Scott Coker, but with his growing list of accomplishments as a fighter came an even longer list of students, and soon he was running his own independent kickboxing gym.

Already busy overseeing the training of up-and-coming and champion kickboxers, Javier took his expertise into a growing branch of combat sports in the mid-90s, when San Jose-based mixed martial arts fighter Brian Johnston sought Mendez’ help in refining his own skills. Johnston, who he refers to as “the experiment,” was the first in a now-growing list of notable MMA fighters trained by Mendez. In a time when MMA was in its growing stages and most fighters were still one-dimensional, Johnston was able to compliment his ground fighting skills with top-rate striking abilities under the direction of Mendez.

In 1997, Mendez formed a partnership with a fighter who would become the prototype of today’s real mixed martial artist, Frank Shamrock. After relocating to the south Bay Area, Shamrock, a submission-fighting specialist, sought out a place to train and prepare for fights and came across Mendez and AKA. He would end up playing a crucial role in Shamrock’s ascension to the top of the MMA world, training Frank and cornering him through an undefeated streak that included five UFC world title victories. Mendez’ influence was visible in each fight, as Shamrock showed a level of striking that mirrored his ground skills. In addition, Shamrock taught a submission fighting class at AKA, out of which came Team Shamrock, which has evolved into what today is known simply as Team AKA. With the arrival of ground fighting at AKA, it became one of the first true mixed martial arts gyms in the United States, attracting MMA fighters from across the US and around the world that travel or relocate to receive the world-class instruction offered at AKA. Currently, the gym provides instruction in kickboxing, submission fighting, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, and offers an original children’s MMA program.

Today, the number of championship fighters that Mendez has trained continues to grow. The list of kickboxers that have fought their way to titles under his guidance spans two decades, including such state and national champions as Gary Owens, Danny Kelly, Travis Johnson and Derek Yuen, as well as former world champions Jerome Turcan and Jean-Claude Leuyer. A short list of MMA fighters that Mendez has trained is a who’s-who of the sport, including UFC veterans BJ Penn, Cain Velasquez, Sean Sherk, “Crazy” Bob Cook (head MMA trainer at AKA), Mike Kyle and Josh Thomson.