Israeli MMA fighter writes names of Muslim fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Khamzat Chimaev on war missile targeted at Palestine
Haim Gozali, an Israeli MMA fighter, faced criticism for posting an Islamophobic Instagram message targeting Muslim UFC fighters amid the Israel-Palestine conflict, overshadowing his MMA achievements.
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Haim Gozali posted on Instagram referencing Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev (Image via: IMAGO, X/Karim Zidan)
Haim Gozali is an Israeli mixed martial artist who fought for Bellator MMA. He has competed in both the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions. Gozali served with the Israel Border Police during his time in the Israeli military.
Recently, Haim Gozali faced backlash for an insensitive Instagram post targeting prominent Muslim UFC fighters. The post displayed an image of a missile with the names of top UFC fighters- Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev, and Belal Muhammad engraved on it. Moreover, it was accompanied by a disturbing caption. This act has been widely condemned mainly due to the current situation between Israel and Palestine. This is what he captioned on his Instagram post.
“This from me to the ?”
– Haim Gozali via Instagram
In addition to competing in MMA, Gozali made history by becoming the first Israeli athlete to participate in the BKFC. He is also the founder of the Israeli World Combat Championship. Gozali has recently come under criticism for his social media activities which have been deemed Islamophobic despite his achievements. It needs to be noted that fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat Chimeav, and Belal Muhammad are supporters of the Palestinian cause. It is one of the reasons why Gozali took offense and ultimately resulted in the posting of the Instagram post.
The Muslim fighters in the UFC are ardent supporters of the Palestinian cause. They showed their support in the recently concluded UFC 294 PPV. There are also fighters supporting Israel like Sean Strickland and Michel Pereira. Moreover, Pereira notably wore a flag of Israel on his octagon walkout at UFC Fight Night 230.
[realted_content] Related: WATCH: Stephen Thompson’s jaw-dropping reaction as Islam Makhachev delivers an ins*ne knockout to Alexander Volksnovski [/realted_content]
Social media reacts to Israeli MMA fighter writing names of Muslim UFC fighters on missiles
It did not take long enough for netizens to support and oppose the Instagram post of Haim Gozali. His Instagram post found supporters and detractors on social media. Nevertheless, mainstream media have condemned the actions of the 50-year-old fighters. No doubt posting a controversial picture amid the unrest in Middle East was going to draw attention from fans.
See how social media reacts to the post.
With fighters choosing sides on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it comes as no surprise to see a Jewish fighter bashing the supporters of Palestine and vice versa. Moreover, such actions can only make the conflict even worse. The world of combat sports has never shied away from speaking its political opinions.
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