Edgar Chairez recalls night he nearly lost his life. UFC flyweight Edgar Chairez has shared a chilling story from his past, revealing how he narrowly survived a shooting that nearly cost him his life long before he ever stepped into the Octagon.
Ahead of his fight against Bruno Silva at UFC Vegas 118, Chairez spoke about an incident that occurred more than a decade ago in his hometown of Mexicali, Mexico. What started as an attempt to break up a street fight quickly turned into a life-or-death situation.
“It was a friend’s fight on the street,” Chairez said. “Well, I mean, I was involved because I was there, but no, it wasn’t my fight. 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. And well, they shot my friend, like, four times, I only got hit once. And honestly, I got away only because I ran, but they kept shooting at me until they ran out of bullets. But I remember they fired a lot of shots at me. But the good thing was, they were such idiots, they had terrible aim. They only hit me once.”
The 30-year-old explained that violence was a common reality in parts of Mexicali while he was growing up. However, unlike many around him, Chairez says he focused his energy on sports rather than becoming involved in gangs or criminal activity. His dream was initially to become a professional football (soccer) player before combat sports entered the picture.
“Mexico is, well, it’s a lot like Brazil, isn’t it?” Chairez said. “Where many people, it’s the street, many have guns, many, uh, break the law, and there are so many idlers. So it’s still that way. That crime issue is very out of control, and well, I also ended up being involved in one of those situations where people had guns, and I almost lost my life. The good thing is, I’m still here for a reason.”
“From the very beginning, my life was all about sports,” Chairez said. “I mean, I do come from a tough neighborhood, but I wasn’t a gang member, I didn’t even hang out. I mean, my mindset wasn’t about being a street punk, stealing, doing drugs, nothing like that. No, my mindset was always about football. In fact, I was a footballer from as far back as I can remember until I was 18 years old. My dream was to be a professional footballer. I throw kicks, but in the face, not on the ball anymore, right?”
Chairez’s clash with Silva goes down five days before Mexico’s first match on the FIFA World Cup, with the squad playing South Africa in Mexico City. This year’s FIFA tournament takes place in three countries which are Mexico, Canada and the U.S. and Chairez hopes to score a big victory at UFC Vegas 118 to earn himself an invitation to watch a World Cup match live.
“I need to motivate them because I want them to invite me to a match,’ Chairez said, laughing. “We’re on the national MMA team, so they have to invite us. I don’t know why they haven’t already. There are only about 15 of us, very few. So hopefully we can start things off on the right foot a week before the tournament. After that, I’d like to take a couple of weeks off and go watch a World Cup match.”
“It’s difficult, but as a Mexican soccer player once said—Chicharito [Hernandez] said, ‘Let’s imagine great things,’” Chairez said. “Every day you have to hold on to that dream and that hope that one day Mexico can achieve it. No matter what people say about the Mexican national team, they always qualify for the World Cup and usually perform well. I can’t remember recent World Cups where they were humiliated or anything like that. They always compete. As Mexicans, we rise to the occasion in difficult moments. Adversity is what brings out the best in us. We’ll basically be playing at home, and I think we’ll put on a great performance. I hope we can at least reach the semifinals. I’d be happy with a strong showing. Maybe one day God will allow me to see Mexico become world champion, but even a great performance would make me proud of my country.”
“I always try to picture myself winning, obviously,” Chairez said. “And I try to see myself in the best possible position no matter how difficult the fight is. I feel like I have very good takedown defense, which is probably the area of my game that has evolved the most. But I also feel I have tremendous boxing power and very strong kicks. As for being a worthy opponent, I’ve considered myself a top-10 fighter in this division for a long time. It was just a matter of this moment arriving and finally having a number next to my name.
“Of course, he deserves respect. He’s a very tough opponent and has been ranked for many years. He was someone I always thought I might end up facing. This is my opportunity, and I have to take advantage of it. I only see myself winning and proving that I belong among the best. I also think this fight could be a Fight of the Night candidate because we’re both strikers, knockout artists, finishers, guys who stand and trade. It’s going to be a great fight. Ever since they announced the $100,000 bonus, everyone goes in there looking for the finish.”
More than a decade after bullets nearly ended his story, Edgar Chairez is preparing for another walk to the Octagon. The experience left physical and emotional scars, but it also gave him a perspective few fighters ever have. Now, every fight represents something bigger than rankings or bonuses. For Chairez, it’s proof that he survived one of life’s darkest moments and turned it into a second chance. As he heads into UFC Vegas 118, his greatest victory may not be what happens inside the cage but the fact that he’s still here to compete at all.
