UFC Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov Blasts Ring Girls: ‘Most Useless People in Martial Arts’

TOLGA AKMEN_AFP via Getty Images
TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
Warner Todd Huston

UFC Champ and Russian gold medal Olympian Khabib Nurmagomedov took a shot at the UFC’s ring girl tradition Tuesday, calling them “useless” and hinting that they are indecent and an embarrassment.

Nurmagomedov recently bought out Russia’s martial arts fight tournament Gorilla Fighting Championship and said he will rebrand it as the Eagle Fighting Championship. But he won’t be keeping one popular aspect of the show: the ring girls.

Octagon Girl pose during the UFC Fight Night event at Cadillac Arena on November 24, 2018 in Beijing, China.

BEIJING, CHINA – NOVEMBER 24: UFC Octagon Girl pose during the UFC Fight Night event at Cadillac Arena on November 24, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images)

“Look, I don’t want to offend anyone: Ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts. What is their function? I have a question. You can show that it is the second round on the screen,” he told Russian media, according to MMA Junkie.

“I realize that is a history (of ring girls),” he added. But he then insisted, “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.

Then the undefeated brawler took a shot at his new fight promotion rival, Dana White, saying, “Dana White maybe likes it. Maybe you do, too. But my name is not Dana. My name is Khabib.”

Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim, explained that the often scantily clad women are an embarrassment and hinted that they are also indecent.

Octagon Girl Camila Rodrigues de Oliveira stands on stage during the UFC 179 weigh-in at Maracanazinho on October 24, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 24: UFC Octagon Girl Camila Rodrigues de Oliveira stands on stage during the UFC 179 weigh-in at Maracanazinho on October 24, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

“I sit with my father (at an event). Every person has his own preferences – the culture and values. I come to fight night (and) sit with my father. These (ring card girls) are passing by and showing people that it is the second round. But no one looks at the (round number). 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 (personal) opinion,” he exclaimed.

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