Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals what his father said when the bear he was wrestling with tried to bite him!
Khabib Nurmagomedov's father, Abdulmanap, was a man of principles. He passed away in July last year, but his teachings of sheer discipline will be forever etched into Nurmagomedov's memories.
One of the most well-known facts about Khabib Nurmagomedov is that he used to wrestle bears during his childhood days. The former UFC lightweight champion would often overpower them as well.
During his interaction at the UFC Vegas 22 post-show on ESPN+, Nurmagomedov recalled an instance when he was worried about the bear trying to bite him. After expressing his concerns to his father, Abdulmanap simply asked him to bite the bear back.
"When father put me (in) wrestling with bear, when I told him, 'hey this bear tried to bite me'. I remember when he told me, 'bite him back; no problem. You have to wrestle. You have to keep going'" said Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov's unparalleled dexterity in wrestling could be credited to the toughness he displayed while wrestling against bears. The 32-year-old recently retired as the undisputed UFC champion while being the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA due to passing of his father
Khabib Nurmagomedov shared an unimpaired bond with his father, Abdulmanap. After he passed away last year, 'The Eagle' had made up his mind that he would no longer consider fighting in the UFC now that he wouldn't be present in his corner.
"Today I want to say this is my last fight. No way am I coming here without my father. When UFC called me about Justin I spoke with my mother for three days. She didn't want me to fight without father and I said this is my last fight, and I have given her my word," said Nurmagomedov.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is widely recognized as one of Russia's greatest coaches of all time. He is an Honored Coach of Russia and also has his name in the Russian book of records for training 18 world champion athletes in Sambo.
Some of Abdulmanap's well-known pupils include his son Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Sultan Aliev, Magomedrasul Khasbulaev, Shamil Zavurov, and Khabib's cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov.