Kamaru Usman has come to the defence of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who’s been under fire for his recent comments about women’s MMA.
The former UFC lightweight champion has never hidden the fact that he’s not interested in watching or promoting female fighting. And while this isn’t a new stance for him, his remarks still tend to spark debate whenever they resurface.
During a press conference in Phuket, Thailand last week, Nurmagomedov added more fuel to the fire when he said ‘a woman is weaker’ while discussing his views on WMMA. The comment has once again put him at the centre of criticism.
Kamaru Usman says there’s a misunderstanding between cultures
Usman believes the backlash is more about cultural differences than anything else.
Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim, grew up in Dagestan and comes from a place where traditions run deep.
“I completely understood where he went because I am from a different culture, and I think it’s just a cultural thing,” Usman said on the latest episode of the Pound4Pound podcast, which he shares with Henry Cejudo.
“I think it’s just the way of expressing himself, to where this has absolutely nothing to do with what society or the American public is taking this as. He didn’t mean that, ‘Oh, women can’t do anything, women are just little weaklings.’ He didn’t mean that.
“Fighting is a rough sport. It’s a rough and tough sport. We know that. It’s very violent, and it’s rough.
“Everybody knows that men war. This was the premise of why you draft men to go to war and the women and children stay at home. That’s exactly what that is. He’s not saying that women are weak, women can’t do anything, but it’s just taken out of context.
“He meant that it’s a violent thing that men do, and that’s why you leave that to violent men sometimes.”
Valentina Shevchenko responds to Khabib
Valentina Shevchenko didn’t hold back after Khabib’s comments about women’s MMA started making the rounds online.
The UFC flyweight champion took to X, replying, “Women are weak?! Tell that to my sister—an airline captain.”
“Or tell it to the ‘Night Witches’, the all-female bomber regiment of World War II, who dropped bombs under the cover of darkness with their engines off, then landed in pitch blackness without landing lights. For this, they earned a reputation for being elusive and deadly. Go ahead, tell them who is stronger.
“It all depends entirely on one’s upbringing. You can just as easily raise a man to be a helpless milksop who is incapable of doing anything. Martial arts represent a warrior tradition where there is no distinction between man and woman. There is only the Art itself.
“That is precisely why people train: to become more graceful, stronger, and wiser—and to ensure that no one ever gets the chance to punch them in the face.”
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