Edgar Chairez comes full circle from fan to fighter

MEXICO CITY – The last time the UFC was in Mexico, Edgar Chairez was there. But he had to go as a fan.

Now Chairez (10-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) gets to fight Saturday on UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) at Mexico City Arena – but in the cage he was looking down at from the rafters just a few years ago. Chairez takes on Daniel Lacerda (11-5 MMA, 0-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2023 fight that was deemed to be an early stoppage and ruled a no contest after referee Chris Tognoni mistakenly thought Lacerda was put to sleep from Chairez’s standing guillotine choke.

Now Chairez might feel like a win is his second over Lacerda, but what he’s really excited about is just the opportunity to come full circle from fan to fighter in just a few short years.

“I’m really happy because the last (UFC event) in Mexico, I bought my ticket way over the top of the building. Now I’m happy that I’m going to be on the card and I’m going to fighting with some of my friends,” Chairez told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day.

Check out Chairez’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.