Edgar Chairez on Noche UFC placement: 'It does bother me a lot'
· Yahoo Sports
Visit hilogame.news for more information.
Edgar Chairez feels like his work in the UFC is not being appreciated by the fanbase, but specifically the company.
Chairez, a rising flyweight contender, was disappointed to see he didn't receive main card placement for Saturday's Noche UFC in Glendale, Ariz., an annual event meant to celebrate Mexican Independence. Chairez fights Tim Elliott, a former UFC title challenger and longtime staple of the UFC flyweight division. Their bout serves as the final bout of the preliminary card.
A Mexican brawler, Chairez has been feeling underappreciated for quite some time, but seeing Tommy McMillen get a main card spot over him has hit differently.
"This whole marketing thing is sh*t," Chairez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "They put Tommy McMillen on the main card, and he's a rookie. He's only there because he said something about Mexicans and posts his rockstar lifestyle – smoking weed, women, and that's what the market wants. I'm not going to do that. I'm not interested in doing that. I live like an athlete, and I want to give a good example for the youth. Yeah, I might curse a lot, but I'm an elite athlete who only shows my athletic life. That's it. I'm not going to make up a role and play a false character. I feel what I do is not appreciated, so I don't care anymore as long as I keep getting paid well. If I get a good fight next, good, I'll take it. If they put me against a debutant so I can be a test, then I'll do that. I'm nobody to call the shots."
Chairez is on a 3-0 run with two wins being first-round submission victories that won Performance of the Night bonuses. His last defeat came in 2024 when he lost a closely contested decision to Joshua Van, who's now champion of the division. Given his recent form and trajectory, Chairez took issue with McMillen, who will be competing in just his third UFC fight. Chairez says it's nothing personal towards McMillen, but it's just a good way to show why he feels overlooked.
"For this card, but in other cards in Mexico, I've been on the prelims and others on the main card, too," Chairez said. "I put (McMillen) as example because he's a debutant basically. He's got one fight, and I have seven. I'm Mexican. I'm mentioning him, but in other events I've also been on the prelims. There were two events where last minute I was promoted. I sell a ton of tickets. My family is from Mexicali and Phoenix. It's going to get packed. They know how many tickets I sell because they use my link. They know statistically I pull numbers. But whatever, I'm going in there to fight and win and see what happens. It does bother me a lot. I feel very underappreciated by the company."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Edgar Chairez on Noche UFC placement: 'It does bother me a lot'