Almost as iconic as the fights themselves, combat sports are virtually bare without ring girls walking the skirt in between rounds. However former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is not exactly a fan of this.
Following his UFC retirement, Khabib decided that he was going to get into the world of promoting. He started his own MMA organization by the name of Eagle FC, where he has held several successful events, each of which taking place without any sort of ring girls.
When asked about this during a recent press conference, Nurmagomedov said that he has no real intention of ever having ring girls at his events. He said that he is not particularly a fan of this occupation, and feels it unnecessary in his promotion and combat sports in general.
“Look, I don’t want to offend anyone, ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts. What is their purpose? I have a question. You can show that it is the second round on the screen,” Khabib said.
“I realize that is a history. History knows many mistakes. We read history to avoid mistakes of the past in the future. If we look in the history, it says they are useless. That is my personal opinion…
“For example, I sit with my father. Every person has his own preferences, the culture and values. I come to Fight Night, sit with my father. These people are passing by and showing that it is the second round. But no one looks at the plate,” Khabib added.
“I feel uncomfortable with my father. I am not against it. If you want you can do it, but don’t impose it to me, do it aside. There are the designated places for it. I think we must not mix all of it. This is my private opinion.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov: Ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts.
😂🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/OOSEHsWuKI
— Samirah (@SameeraKhan) August 24, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov Has A Point
A lot of people were quick to point at these comments from Khabib Nurmagomedov and accuse him of being sexist or too conservative. While there is an element of this that may be true, his opinion of how he wants to run his own promotion is not something that should cause anger.
He made it clear that it was his own values and culture that led him to believe that ring girls are pointless. Honestly, when you consider the fact that some Octagon girls for the UFC have been reported to make seven figures a year, which is more than some champions are making to fight, something does not seem to add up.
At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to like or dislike whatever they please. If Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to run his promotion with ring girls, that is his right.
