In September of 2021, Jason Long was deep in Alaska’s wilderness when he stumbled upon a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs.

A wrestler from the time he was six years old until he graduated from high school, Long credits the toughness, mental capacity and never-quit attitude with helping him survive the toughest match of his life, against the bear.

He says he relied on the work ethic, dedication, mental toughness and physical toughness not only to survive until help arrived but also to endure the surgeries and healing that followed.