Khabib Nurmagomedov has some strong opinions about a ubiquitous part of the world of MMA. During a recent press conference in Russia, the former UFC Lightweight champion did not mince his words in calling out the presence of ring girls in MMA fights (h/t MMA Junkie).

“Look, I don’t want to offend anyone: Ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts,” Nurmagomedov said at a Moscow press conference. “What is their function? I have a question. You can show that it is the second round on the screen.

“I realize that is a history (behind ring card girls). 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. Dana White maybe likes it. Maybe you do, too. But my name is not Dana. My name is Khabib.”

https://twitter.com/SameeraKhan/status/1430201036782948353

Is Khabib Nurmagomedov merely being rhetorical here, or is he really that clueless about the main purpose why companies like the UFC invest in having ring girls in weigh-ins, fights, and other promotional events?

Although the world of MMA has become more and more inclusive, with women fighters consistently being billed as main attractions of major events, the fact remains that the sport still heavily relies upon a male-dominated market for revenues, as underlined by the demand for ring girls. Khabib Nurmagomedov must also know that the more prominent ring girls, especially in the UFC, is doing a whole lot more than just carry round cards inside the Octagon. Off of it, they do a pretty good job of promoting the fights and the company they work for with their extensive social media reach.

Khabib Nurmagomedov can voice his opinion but we don't see MMA ring girls going extinct anytime soon.