In just his second UFC fight, Edgar Chairez was able to partake in a historical moment for his country of Mexico.
The UFC flyweight competed at Noche UFC on Sept. 16, the UFC’s inaugural event celebrating Mexican Independence Day. Unfortunately for Chairez (10-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a mistake by the referee led to a no contest in his bout against Daniel Lacerda.
Either way, despite not getting the desired result, Chairez is grateful to have competed in such an important event for his country. It was an experience he won’t forget.
“It was a beautiful event, it was all Mexican; the show, the flags, the public,” Chairez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “It was a great night, and you can tell it was for the Mexicans. I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but whenever you usually look around you see people that look from the U.S., white people. For this one, you looked around, and it was all Mexa, Mexa, Mexa, Mexa everywhere.
“The energy, how they would chant, everyone doing Mexican chants, it was incredible. I love that Dana White liked it and now plans on doing this event every Mexican Independence Day. I’m delighted. Hopefully, I can fight next year, too.”
Chairez got a quick turnaround, as the UFC rebooked the bout against Lacerda for the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 14. He’s hoping to set the record straight and get a definitive win.
The 27-year-old strongly believes this first Noche UFC is the start of a boom of Mexican MMA. Chairez also thinks this effort could’ve been done sooner.
“I think they were a bit late to it,” Chairez said. “They’re working on the P.I. in Mexico, but it’s taken them a bit. I think they also said that they didn’t do too well in ticket sales for a few Mexican cards, but I think they should look into an audience and market study, because in Mexico, there are a ton of people that support it.
“I mean, you saw how it (Noche UFC) broke records of viewership, and I think they will continue to break records the more of these events they do. Keep in mind, there were several Mexican stars missing from this event too. I think this is going to continue to grow rapidly.”
‘It was a beautiful event’: Edgar Chairez reflects on UFC’s inaugural Mexican Independence Day card
