Khamzat Chimaev agrees with Conor McGregor‘s take that a fighter’s family, and particularly children, shouldn’t attend UFC fights.
Chimaev is set to face Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 headliner this Saturday night in Las Vegas, NV. This is his first UFC main event, and a win could give him a title shot for his next fight.
As Chimaev’s stock has risen amongst the UFC fanbase, so has an interest in his thoughts on various topics in the sport. This includes the current hot topic regarding whether or not children should be sitting cageside to potentially see their parents get seriously hurt in a fight.
The topic came to the forefront after Kamaru Usman suffered a knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278. His daughter cried in reaction to her father’s stunning loss, prompting a strong take from McGregor against the invitation of children.
Khamzat Chimaev Joins Conor McGregor In ‘Children At Fights’ Criticism
During a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Chimaev echoed McGregor’s sentiment about bringing kids to fights.
“Guys come with their kids, and Gilbert [Burns] came with his wife, kids,” Chimaev said referring to his UFC 273 bout against Burns. “I don’t like it. Why you take your kids and wife to the fight hotel, press conference…you take on the war, you don’t take your family in the war… I said that Gilbert was gonna cry after the fight, he did that. I don’t need that.”
Usman responded to critics like McGregor, and indirectly Chimaev, saying that having his daughter in attendance can provide her with life lessons.
Chimaev defeated Gilbert Burns via a unanimous decision in a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate at UFC 273. This came while Burns had his family in attendance for the fight.
While it seems like Chimaev respects different opinions on children at fights, he feels it’s in a fighter’s best interest to leave their personal life, and particularly their children, away from the Octagon.
Do you agree with Khamzat Chimaev and Conor McGregor?