There could not be two polar opposite fighters than former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov and perennial fan-favorite Nate Diaz. One is a staunch Muslim, highly conservative and proudly religious … the other … is Diaz.
So when Diaz decided to chime in on the controversial comments Nurmagomedov made in regards to ring card girls, you know it’s going to be good and he did not disappoint.
Hahaha bitchass pic.twitter.com/Nxj8RuL8Ug
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) September 4, 2021
Diaz shared a Simpsons meme of ultra-Christian Ned Flanders covering his eyes as two strippers bend and grind. The meme has Nurmagomedov’s name over Flanders and two UFC Octagon girls, Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste, written over the strippers.
Many fighters stepped in to defend the Octagon girls and fans and media criticized Nurmagomedov’s comments as sexist and outdated.
“Look, I don’t want to offend anyone, ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts,” Nurmagomedov said during a Moscow press conference. “What is their purpose? I have a question. You can show that it is the second round on the screen. 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.”
This isn’t the first time Nurmagomedov has been in hot water over his views about women in MMA. In 2018 he told a woman asking for advice about starting a career in fighting to,”be a fighter inside your home. All the time, finish your husband.”
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Diaz wasn’t the only person to chime in on the comments, Celeste also made a statement in which she seems to take aim at both Nurmagomedov and Diaz.
“I’ve work[ed] over 15 years in this industry and learned it’s easier just to simply not care,” Celeste wrote on her Instagram. “For 15 years we have been more than just ring girls – we have dedicated time in promoting UFC and showing love and time to our die hard fans through touring the world and personal appearances. And while the world is very different right now, I can still feel that energy and love every time we have a show with an audience.”
She also compared her 15 years in the UFC to Diaz’s and listed all of her accolades.
This probably won’t be the last controversial thing we hear either of these men make and that’s the beauty and the curse of MMA.
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