People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urged the Ultimate Fighting Championship to cut ties with reigning Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov because of the fighter's videos of him wrestling with a bear.
"PETA encourages the UFC to evaluate its relationship with Mr Nurmagomedov until he shows a clear change in attitude and a commitment to showing animals the respect that they deserve", PETA UK director Elisa Allen stated.
There are no official comments from the championship or from Nurmagomedov at the moment.
The Russian MMA fighter shared an old video of him wrestling a bear cub back in 1997 via his official Instagram account. Footage of 9-year-old Khabib and the cub brawling became popular, so he met the same bear in 2014 and again in 2019, calling it "an old friend".