The real story of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s battles on the streets of Dagestan

Long before Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped foot into a UFC octagon or began to amass his incredible undefeated record, rumours about his street-fighting past began to spread like wildfire.

Stories of the child from war-torn Dagestan who wrestled bears and took on foes twice his size were quickly dismissed as folk tales.

But separating fact from fiction about the UFC lightweight champion is perhaps easier than it seems - quite simply, most of the legendary stories are true.

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At the age of 24, Nurmagomedov was starting to really make a name for himself in the UFC. In May 2013, he took Abel Trujillo down 21 times in three rounds to set a new record which is unlikely to ever be broken.

It took his perfect MMA record to 20-0 and fans and critics alike began to whisper about a potential title shot.

Keen to expedite the process, the Russian called out former 155lbs king BJ Penn as well as number one contender at the time TJ Grant from Canada.

For those who thought it arrogant, 'The Eagle' simply put it down to confidence having spent years fighting on the streets.

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He told the UFC: "I have been fighting in the street and various tournaments since childhood and this experience and confidence helps me quite a bit.

“Perhaps it's in my genes because my father is an accomplished athlete as well.”

His father Abdulmanap – a judo black belt, Ukrainian National Sambo champ, and National master of sports in freestyle wrestling, did not want to see his son fight initially.

But, in 2005, he realised Khabib had the talent to become one of the best in the world and began to train him.

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In the opening scene of the 2004 film Troy, Brad Pitt's Achilles is called to fight a behemoth from Thessaly to avert a war with the Greek armies of King Agamemnon.

Oddly enough, Khabib's long-term friend Islam Makhachev remembers disputes in Dagestan being settled with similar methods.

Speaking to , the No.12 ranked lightweight in the world eluded to tales of hundreds of angry Dagestani teens on the brink of an all-out battle - only to decide to settle the arguments by sending out their best fighter. No surprises as to who always ended up in combat.

“Whenever it was 100 vs. 100 like this, my school, we put Khabib first, and he fight somebody,” said Makhachev.

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“Always. Always like (that),” Khabib added. “Because in my gym, I was coach’s son. And when I was young, I was one of the best. And when these guys bring to me, ‘OK, someone have problem?’ — OK, we go there. I was like a big brother for everyone.

"If something goes wrong, I have to take care of this. Like, even if this (doesn’t affect) me, everything that happened, even if I’m not (a part of it), I have to go (deal with it).

"Because if I come here and I see my guys a little bit losing, I have to go (deal with it). So a lot time, I fight for nothing. I don’t know people, I don’t know what happened. I come and I see my side a little bit losing. ‘OK, hey, what happened? Blah, blah, blah.’

“Boom — fight.”

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Of course, deciphering what is truth and what is hyperbole cannot simply be determined based on the word of the fighter in question and their friend.

But with the 31-year-old now 28-0 in professional MMA and with Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor sitting illustriously on his unblemished record, it would be hard to argue Khabib is not the real deal.