Mkhitar Manukyan was born 20 September 1973 in Leninakan (now Gyumri), Armenia. He took up Greco-Roman wrestling at the age of ten. Manukyan lost both of his parents and a sister in the 1988 Armenian earthquake. According to him, this tragedy helped him in wrestling. He became a junior world champion twice in 1990 and 1991. From 1993 to 1996, Manukyan was a member of the Armenia national Greco-Roman wrestling team. He won bronze medals at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships and 1996 European Wrestling Championships. Manukyan participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, together with his brothers Aghasi and Samvel.