"A total cheater!" - When Joe Rogan commentated on Khabib Nurmagomedov's viral 1997 clip of wrestling a bear as a child in Russia

Joe Rogan once reacted to the iconic viral footage of Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestling with a bear during his childhood in Russia. 'The Eagle' concluded his professional MMA career with an undefeated 29-0 record, a testament to the countless hours of relentless dedication and training that propelled him to be regarded as one of the sport's all-time greats.

The UFC Hall of Famer began honing his combat skills at a young age, training under the watchful eye of his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Amid the intense training regimens in the rugged terrains of Dagestan, Russia, Nurmagomedov was famously introduced to the unconventional challenge of wrestling a baby bear, as seen in a viral clip believed to be from 1997.

Check out the video below:

During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in October 2018, the veteran UFC commentator discussed Nurmagomedov's legacy and recounted the tale of the former UFC lightweight wrestling a bear, much to the intrigue of his podcast guest. Rogan remarked while reacting to the video:

"He’s been wrestling since he was a little kid. Did you ever see the video of him wrestling a bear? It’s f**king hilarious. It’s him wrestling a small brown bear—like a Russian brown bear, which is like our [American] version of a grizzly in Russia... First of all, who the f**k lets their kid wrestle a bear?"

He added:

"And the bear’s biting him... that bear’s a total cheater, which prepared him for Conor [McGregor] this weekend [at UFC 229], he kind of did a lot of cheating. He gave up position because of the bite. Do you see that? He was on top, and the bear bit him."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (0:58):

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When Joe Rogan addressed accusations of biased commentary against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223

During Khabib Nurmagomedov's first title fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 in April 2018, numerous fans took to social media to accuse Joe Rogan of bias toward 'The Eagle' in the commentary booth.

Although Nurmagomedov triumphed in the bout via unanimous decision, many were taken aback by the fight going the distance, and the renowned podcaster was among those surprised. Just days after the event, Rogan took to Instagram to offer a public apology for his comments.

He explained that his intentions were never to show bias against 'The Eagle', but rather to highlight potential vulnerabilities in the Dagestani's strategy. A part of Rogan's post read:

"Khabib won that fight by a landslide, but it went to a decision, and that in and of itself was an upset... If any of you were annoyed by my concentrating on that aspect of an incredibly dominant performance by one of the most impressive guys in the history of the division, please accept my sincere apology."

Check out Joe Rogan's post below: