Ahead of his UFC Vegas 118 fight with Bruno Silva, Edgar Chairez revisited the gun attack he survived in Mexicali—saying his attacker hit him only once as they kept firing until their bullets ran out.
Edgar Chairez still remembers the sound and the arithmetic of it: four shots for his friend, one hit for him. He didn’t come back to those memories for drama. He brought them up because the photo on his social media—him lying in a hospital bed—still carries the shock of what almost ended his life.
Chairez is set to fight Bruno Silva at UFC Vegas 118 this Saturday. and he spoke about the story behind that post ahead of the bout. The 30-year-old Mexico native described what happened more than a decade ago as a street confrontation that was never supposed to be “his” fight—until he was right there. part of the group that tried to break things up.
“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.”
He said his friend was hit four times, while he was struck only once. In the chaos that followed, Chairez said he got away only because he ran, while the gunfire continued after him until the shooters ran out of bullets.
“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,” Chairez said. “But the good thing was, they were such idiots, they had terrible aim. They only hit me once.”
For Chairez, the attack wasn’t a distant tragedy; it was part of the background he grew up with. He said violence was a constant presence in his life growing up on the streets of Mexicali. and he compared Mexico’s street reality to Brazil’s—guns. lawbreaking. and people moving through danger like it’s routine.
“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.”.
He framed survival as both luck and purpose. “The good thing is, I’m still here for a reason.”
That “reason” now has a different path attached to it: professional fighting. Chairez is 30 years old and now carries a UFC record of 3-2 and one no-contest. He has won his past two fights—against CJ Vergara and Felipe Bunes. His losses have come against Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. the two men involved in the most recent UFC title fight.
But as a child, he said MMA wasn’t what he imagined for himself. He heard stories about popular Mexican boxers, and that was his initial link to combat sports. Still, his driving dream was soccer.
“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?”.
Now. the soccer dream is still in the air—because the fight falls at a moment when his country is about to turn its attention to the FIFA World Cup. 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—Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
Chairez said he is hoping his UFC visibility will help convert into something bigger than a win: an invitation for him to watch a 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.”.
Mexico’s World Cup history is part of the backdrop too. The only FIFA World Cup held in Mexico was in 1970, when Brazil added another title to its trophy case. The U.S. has hosted the tournament in 1994, again won by the Brazilian national team.
For this World Cup, Chairez expects a “strong showing” from his countrymen—ideally reaching the semifinals.
“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.”.
He said the team will be playing “at home,” and he hopes that translates into performance. “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.”.
Back in the octagon, the stakes are immediate and personal. Chairez faces a Brazilian talent in Silva, who is currently 5-5 in the UFC and holds the No. 15 spot in the official rankings.
Chairez said his training camp was “very good. ” and he pointed to a specific detail: he wasn’t surrounded by “guys from other countries trying to prove themselves against a UFC fighter and trying to knock me out in sparring.” He described that as something that should lead to a more dominant performance.
“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.”.
He said he has long considered himself among the top tier in his division. “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.”
Silva, he said, deserves respect. “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.”.
Chairez also expects fireworks, not grappling games. He called the fight a potential “Fight of the Night” candidate because both fighters are strikers—“knockout artists. finishers. guys who stand and trade.” He added that the fight’s $100. 000 bonus creates a clear incentive: “Ever since they announced the $100. 000 bonus. everyone goes in there looking for the finish.”.
Edgar Chairez Bruno Silva UFC Vegas 118 Mexicali gun attack Mexico World Cup South Africa CJ Vergara Felipe Bunes Joshua Van Tatsuro Taira