Movsar Evloev says he asked Nina-Marie Daniele to wear a hijab hoping she would refuse, so he could avoid the interview without turning it down outright.
What we know
- Evloev asked Nina-Marie Daniele to wear a hijab for their interview, and she agreed.
- Evloev told Adam Zubayraev he set the hijab condition hoping she would refuse, so he could avoid the interview without turning it down outright.
- Daniele said the choice came from respect, that her interviews are not mandatory and that she was not forced to do anything.
Reported, not confirmed
- It was the first time a fighter asked Daniele to change her outfit for an interview. EssentiallySports
Movsar Evloev says his request that interviewer Nina-Marie Daniele wear a hijab was a way to avoid the interview rather than a statement of principle. Speaking to Russian MMA content creator Adam Zubayraev, Evloev said he wanted to turn the interview down and set the condition thinking she would refuse.
"I just set a condition so she, I thought, would refuse," Evloev said. When Daniele agreed, he said, he had to sit for the conversation. He also questioned whether wearing a hijab for an hour meant anything, pointing out that he himself would soon be fighting in shorts.
Daniele, known as Nina Drama, wrote that the decision came from respect and a wish to make Evloev comfortable. She said her interviews are not mandatory, that she was not forced to do anything, and thanked Evloev and his team.
The comments came as Evloev prepared to face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. According to the syndicated EssentiallySports report, it was the first time a fighter had asked Daniele to change her outfit.
"I just set a condition so she, I thought, would refuse," Evloev said. When Daniele agreed, he said, he had to sit for the conversation. He also questioned whether wearing a hijab for an hour meant anything, pointing out that he himself would soon be fighting in shorts.
Daniele, known as Nina Drama, wrote that the decision came from respect and a wish to make Evloev comfortable. She said her interviews are not mandatory, that she was not forced to do anything, and thanked Evloev and his team.
The comments came as Evloev prepared to face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. According to the syndicated EssentiallySports report, it was the first time a fighter had asked Daniele to change her outfit.
- Summary
- Movsar Evloev says he asked Nina-Marie Daniele to wear a hijab hoping she would refuse, so he could avoid the interview without turning it down outright.
- Key points (one per line)
- Evloev told Russian content creator Adam Zubayraev he did not want to do the interview with Nina-Marie Daniele
He said he set the hijab condition expecting her to refuse; she agreed, so he sat for it
Daniele said the choice came from respect and that her interviews are not mandatory
Evloev is preparing to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Yardbarker MMA | https://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/movsar_evloevs_hijab_request_to_nina_marie_daniele_was_tied_to_interview_reluctancy/s1_17730_44468680
Fighters in this story
Movsar Evloev
Islam Makhachev
Alexander VolkanovskiSources
Yardbarker MMASummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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