VIDEO | Khabib Nurmagomedov swims against current in Russian river

Khabib Nurmagomedov shows fans why he is the undefeated lightweight champion. In an Instagram video, the Dagestani fighter is seen swimming in a hazardous river against the current.

The 31-year old goes to great lengths to prepare for his fights. Since he was a child, Nurmagomedov would swim in Russian rivers and go running up the mountains. He trained under the guidance of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. His father even built a gym for Nurmagomedov and other youngsters to train out of.

To this day, ‘The Eagle’ goes to extreme lengths to achieve peak performance. The Russian fighter was previously hospitalised due to complications from extreme weight cutting. Also, footage surfaced online of Nurmagomedov wrestling a bear.

The fighter’s friend (King Farruh,) uploaded the video to his Instagram account with the caption,

“Hard work and dedication from champ 🥶 @khabib_nurmagomedov
Today was very cold, he doesn’t care. Water was very cold I tried to put my feet and almost freeze my a$$ off😄
Tony you’re in trouble!”

Yesterday, he posted another one of Khabib Nurmagomedov hitting a target.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3kJ-7hhG59/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3qrRz0hWwA/

‘The Eagle’ is coming off another strong win against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 last month. He submitted the lightweight interim champion in the third round and tallied his undefeated record up to 28-0.

The lightweight champion believes he only has a few more years left before retirement and is expected to fight Tony Ferguson in his next bout. Khabib Nurmagomedov also hopes he can bring Georges St Pierre out of retirement to fight. His recent video swimming down a river is a testament to ‘The Eagle’s’ athletic dedication, which has allowed him to defeat some of the toughest opponents in the sport.

The Anatomy of A Fighter series gives an insight into Khabib Nurmagomedov’s life and his training. Watch an episode from ‘The Eagle’s’ hometown of Sildi below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvpXLeEZjw&t=591s