Edgar Chairez says he was hit once in a gun attack in Mexico more than a decade ago, and he is carrying that story into UFC Vegas 118 against Bruno Silva. The 30-year-old said the shooting happened during a friend's fight on the street, with violence and guns a constant part of life growing up in Mexicali.
Chairez and the street shooting
Chairez said he was trying to break up the fight when shots were fired at him and his friend. “It was a friend’s fight on the street,” he said. “Well, I mean, I was involved because I was there, but no, it wasn’t my fight.”
He said the attackers shot his friend four times and hit him once. “So I tried to break them up, and while I was doing that, since I was in the group, they shot at both of us,” he said. “But I remember they fired a lot of shots at me.”
Chairez said he got away by running while the attackers kept shooting until they ran out of bullets. “But the good thing was, they were such idiots, they had terrible aim. They only hit me once,” he said. “The good thing is, I’m still here for a reason.”
Mexicali and Chairez's path
He said violence was ordinary where he grew up. “Mexico is, well, it’s a lot like Brazil, isn’t it?” he said. “Where many people, it’s the street, many have guns, many, uh, break the law, and there are so many idlers.”
Even with that background, Chairez said his focus stayed on sport. “From the very beginning, my life was all about sports,” he said. “I mean, I do come from a tough neighborhood, but I wasn’t a gang member, I didn’t even hang out.” He said he played football until he was 18 years old and added, “My dream was to be a professional footballer.”
The UFC fighter enters this bout with a 3-2 record and one no-contest. He said his two straight wins came against CJ Vergara and Felipe Bunes, while Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira handed him his losses.
UFC Vegas 118 and the World Cup
That run sets up a fight he wants to turn into something bigger. Chairez said he hopes to beat Silva at UFC Vegas 118 and earn an invitation to watch a World Cup match in Mexico City, where Mexico opens against South Africa. “I need to motivate them because I want them to invite me to a match,” he said.
He also said only about 15 people are on the national MMA team. “We’re on the national MMA team, so they have to invite us,” he said. “So hopefully we can start things off on the right foot a week before the tournament.” After that, he said, “After that, I’d like to take a couple of weeks off and go watch a World Cup match.”
