How old was Khabib Nurmagomedov when he wrestled a bear?

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was nine years old when he wrestled a bear in Dagestan. A YouTube video of young Khabib Nurmagomedov engaged in a grappling match with a Russian bear went viral a few years back. Initially suspected of being a hoax, the video turned out to be legit. The timestamp on the video shows September 23, 1997 as the date, which means the video was recorded only three days after The Eagle turned nine.

In a 2015 interview with Giannis P, Khabib Nurmaomedov was asked to talk about the video. The Eagle said that he started wrestling at a very early age and had no reason to worry about fighting the bear as long as his father accompanied him. Khabib also added that the bear he wrestled with was a trained animal as many bears in Russia are taught to wrestle by their trainers.

"These are wrestling bears. These are like circus bears that are taught to wrestle by their trainers. He took me down twice but I took him down too. Guys my age were afraid to wrestle with the bear, but I told my father that I wanted to fight the bear. I started wrestling when I was five and my father had a gym where he taught wrestling to many guys. I have learned wrestling from my father my whole life. I was a nine-year-old wrestler with my father. You think I would be scared of the bear? No," Khabib Nurmagomedov said.

It was a test of character more than exercise, according to Khabib's father

Khabib Nurmagomedov (Right) with his late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov at UFC 242

In an interview with Russian Sports outlet ToFight.Ru, Khabib's father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was asked about the purpose of pitching Khabib against the animal. The late Abdulmanap responded by saying that the session was to test Khabib's character rather than wrestling ability.

"Firstly, a child always wants his father to see what his son is capable of. It is a pity that there was nothing more interesting when he was younger. In the end, this was a test of character more than exercise," Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov said.

Khabib's rigorous training regime reaped the fruits of his professional MMA career. The Dagestan native finished his career as an undefeated champion with a flawless 29-0 record after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.