"He was bred to be a champion" - Diego Sanchez lauds the "genius" of Khabib Nurmagomedov's father for training him against a bear as a kid
![Diego Sanchez (left), Khabib (center) & Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (right) [Image Credits- @ufc.com & @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/02/45217-16459456887618-1920.jpg?w=500)
Diego Sanchez recently offered some insight into the infamous video clips where a young Khabib Nurmagomedov was seen wrestling a bear.
While in conversation with Amy Kaplan, Sanchez waxed lyrical about the foresight of Khabib's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to put him through such training at a young age.
Watch a young Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestle a bear in the video below:
Sanchez believes 'The Eagle' developed a subconscious idea that prevented him from fearing his competitors through this training.
Diego Sanchez further declared that Khabib Nurmagomedov was the greatest champion that the UFC and the sport of MMA as a whole had ever seen.
"Man I watched that video and I thought about it, I broke it down and analyzed it in my mind and said, 'Man, imagine that kid when he walks into a wrestling room or a room or a mixed martial arts gym and he's looking over there and he sees a human and he's like, I wrestled the bear.' Imagine the level of subconscious programming that his genius father, you know, to put him through that at such a young age. He was bred to be a champion and in my opinion, is the greatest champion."
Check out Diego Sanchez's interaction with Amy Kaplan below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares a chuckle about his weight with Bobby Green
UFC Vegas 49 saw Khabib Nurmagomedov's protégé Islam Makhachev take on late replacement Bobby Green in the main event. Makhachev made short work of 'King' and walked away with a first-round TKO win. Nurmagomedov, on his part, found the time to share a few laughs with Green.
While in conversation with ESPN MMA's Megan Olivi, the Dagestani phenom offered some insight into the joke that the two shared while greeting each other inside the octagon after the fight.
"[Bobby Green] come to me, he come to close like he say, 'Hey, you was lightweight?' Like something like this, you know. Of course, now I'm big because I'm no like almost two years I'm finished with fights you know. I try to enjoy. I try to enjoy. But every day I train, I spend time in gym with the guys, you know. But why I have to be lightweight?" said Nurmagomedov.
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's interaction with Megan Olivi below:
The Eagle FC head honcho last featured in a title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 back in October 2020. The fight saw the then-lightweight champion emerge victorious by submitting 'The Highlight' in the second round of their clash.
In the aftermath of their scrap, Khabib Nurmagomedov left his gloves behind in the middle of the octagon, signifying the end of his time inside the cage as an active fighter.