If anyone thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov is scared of Conor McGregor ahead of their UFC 229 fight, maybe they should think again.
That’s because Khabib, the UFC lightweight champion who trains in San Jose, famously wrestled bears as a kid in his native Russia.
No, really. He did. And here’s video of a 9-year-old Nurmagomedov doing just that as proof.
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If you’d like to imagine how Khabib versus a bear might sound on pay-per-view, well, MMA analyst Robin Black has that covered, as MMA Junkie detailed earlier this year.
Between wrestling bears, going 26-0 in his MMA career, and the wooly hat he famously wears to press conferences and into the octagon, Khabib definitely brings pizzazz to the UFC. Whether that will be enough to beat former two-belt champion Conor McGregor on Saturday night in Las Vegas is an entirely different question, though.