At the age of nine, Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestled a bear in his native Dagestan. His father has since declared: 'It is a pity that there was nothing more interesting to do when he was younger.'
You won't find Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's solution to boredom in any parenting books but his son has since become one of the most formidable grapplers on the planet.
This Saturday, a decidedly less ursine opponent stands in his way but if Conor McGregor succumbs to a Nurmagomedov mauling, few will be surprised.
At the age of nine, Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestled a bear as a test of his character
Under the watchful eye of his father Abdulmanap, Khabib trained from a young age
Abdulmanap (left) has guided his son (right) through the ranks top to top of professional MMA
That nine-year-old bear wrestler is now 30, undefeated in 26 professional fights and about to take centre stage for the most high profile contest in the history of MMA.
Abdulmanap, his father and trainer, has nurtured his son into a formidable beast and now dismisses that early training session with a brown bear as a simple test of character.
'Firstly, a child always wants his father to see what his son is capable of,' he reasoned ToFight.Ru.
'In the end, this was to test character more than exercise.'
Nature, nurture, or a bit of both, a future champion was being molded.
Khabib (left) grew up scrapping with his cousins in Dagestan in the North Caucasus
Plenty of professional athletes have forged success from a tough upbringing but this kind of ruthless approach to combat is a way of life in Dagestan.
The North Caucasus are historically one of the most politically unstable, war-torn regions in the world and yet provide a conveyor belt of elite level fighters.
Bear wrestling is a right of passage for many young boys of the region and they are socialised into a culture of violence and masculinity tied to fighting.
Poverty and unemployment are rife in the area, a federal subject to Russia, and there has been ethnic tension and conflict since the early 90s. Fighting may be an accepted part of life but for many it has been a ticket to greener pastures.
Dagestan is a hotbed for wrestling talent and the locals are so obsessed with combat sports that the best buildings are often reserved for gyms.
Since 2000, Russia has won 37 Olympic wrestling medals, 29 of those athletes were from the North Caucuses. Is there something in the water? Why are there a disproportionate number of world class wrestlers in this small corner of Russia?
Khabib (left) trained in wrestling, judo and combat sambo as he refined his techniques
In Dagestan, youth participation rates in wrestling are astronomically high, there are regular competitions for every age group and a clear route to national representation and ultimately Olympic honours.
Money is pumped into state-run wrestling schools with a lineage of knowledgeable and demanding tutors. There aren't alternative sporting avenues offere and as a result, there is a massive pool of talent spilling into MMA organisations in the professional ranks.
Khabib was one of these thousands of hungry aspiring athletes and with the help of his father separated himself from the pack, training in judo and sambo under the watchful eye of Abdulmanap who had himself been a decorated athlete in the Russian army.
Khabib's father even turned the ground floor of their two-story building into a gym and his son spent hours honing his craft. He funded the renovations by selling four bulls. Everything was geared towards Khabib's development. Nurmagomedov Sr and his three brothers moved all their 16 boys into the property and Khabib later admitted: 'It was a 24/7, year-round training camp, a lot like the military.'
It wasn't just the military-style training camp with brothers and cousins at home that the Nurmagomedov boys got their licks in. Khabib has admitted to having a number of street fights but resolved to act professionally once his fists started paying the bills.
The youngster (left) was drilled in a military style training camp at his converted home
Khabib (top) has won all ten of his fights in the UFC, claiming the lightweight title in April
At the age of 20, the 'Eagle' made his MMA debut and it didn't take long for people to take notice of his burgeoning ability. Within three years he'd stormed to 16 consecutive victories in the brutal Russian and Ukrainian fight promotions. Inevitably, the big show came calling.
Khabib signed a six-fight deal with the UFC in 2011. Ten fights later and that perfect 0 in the losses column remains in tact.
Every decision victory has been unanimous and there are those who claim he's never even lost a round in training, a feat difficult to believe given the who's who of established fighters he works with on a daily basis.
Having relocated to San Jose in California, he trains with American Kickboxing Academy, home of four current and former UFC champions including Daniel Cormier and Cain Velazquez.
Abdulmanap is regarded as combat royalty in Dagestan and is hugely demanding of his son
The ferocious wrestler has a relentless style, backed up by conditioning that allows him almost continuous output during a fight. The drawback is that this uncompromising approach has led to plenty of injuries, three of which have forced him to withdraw from fights.
This time however, the Dagestani enters fight week with a clean bill of health.
The championship belt was wrapped around his waist this April but after both Tony Ferguson and then Max Holloway withdrew, the victory over third-choice opponent Al Iaquinta felt hollow.
The big show in Las Vegas this weekend will feel anything but and UFC 229 is primed to smash all previous pay-per-view records.
Khabib will never have faced anything like the level of stand-up McGregor wields this Saturday, that's a certainty.
But another guarantee is that the Irishman will never have felt the suffocating force of a wrestler quite like this before, a true beast from the east who's skills were polished against the brothers, cousins and even bears of Dagestan.
Khabib takes on Conor McGregor in defence of his lightweight title in Las Vegas this weekend
https://hienalouca.com/2018/10/02/khabib-nurmagomedov-vs-conor-mcgregor-ufc-229-the-dagestan-wrestlers-route-to-the-top/
Main photo article At the age of nine, Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestled a bear in his native Dagestan. His father has since declared: ‘It is a pity that there was nothing more interesting to do when he was younger.’
You won’t find Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s solution to boredom in any parenting...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1/2018/10/02/13/4696154-6230789-At_the_age_of_nine_Khabib_Nurmagomedov_wrestled_a_bear_as_a_test-a-63_1538485085275.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий