“Fighting this week while we see children dying…”

It is often said that sport is the most important of the least important things. This was demonstrated again in the early hours of this Sunday. Khamzat Chimaevnumber four in the welterweight rankings, after beating Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294.

The fighter of Chechen origin, who fights under the flag of the United Arab Emirates, used his speech in the octagon to make a plea against war. “Guys, you already know what is happening in the world right now. I was not happy in the cage. Fighting this week while we see children dying…” ‘Borz’ began, still with his breath hitched by the effort of the fight.

“It doesn’t matter where in the world [en el que ocurra]. Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, the United States… it doesn’t matter, when children die, it’s hard“, continued Chimaev, who recalled that “I have a son waiting for me at home, he is only three months old.”

In this sense, the fighter recognized that “when someone dies, I don’t even know what to say,” and wanted to address all audiences directly: “Muslim, Christian, Jew… it doesn’t matter, please, guys, stay together, let us live well in this world and be happy“he concluded.

The very close fight between the Emirati fighter and the Nigerian Usman served to open UFC 294, whose star fight It was the one that pitted Volkanovski against Makhachev in the Australian’s attempt to take the lightweight belt from the Dagestani and become one of the best fighters in history – being featherweight and lightweight champion – but he didn’t get it.