Retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov recently spoke out on ring girls used in MMA and boxing fights, claiming he saw no use for them in the sport.During a press conference, he said: “Look, I don’t want to offend anyone, ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts. What is their purpose?”He then continued to explain how, when he used to watch Fight Night with his late father, he felt uncomfortable whenever the ring girls showed up on screen.Khabib added: “I am not against it, if you want you can do it, but don’t impose it to me, do it aside… This is my private opinion.”As expected, the comments didn’t go down too well in the ring girl industry.

Sara Beverly Jones, who is known for working at Anthony Joshua fights, told Daily Star Sport her thoughts on The Eagle’s comments, as her agency prepares for the upcoming Josh Warrington fight, which sees the return of ring girls for the first time in 18 months.

She said: “We’re all excited to see Ebanie Bridges fight again on this card, as a former ring girl turned boxer, we love to support her.

“It also shows the opportunities that can arise from being a ring girl, the opportunities created and the different paths taken. I know this has happened in MMA too, former ring card girls turned to training to fight.”

Jones then referenced Khabib’s accusations of them being ‘useless’ and a ‘distraction’, to which she countered: "Khabib has made a comment regarding ring girls in MMA and branded them 'useless' and a 'distraction' from the fight.

"Which seems absurd to me as the girls only ever enter a cage or ring during the interval, so they're not distracting from any fighting taking place.

"It's a great job and a great side earner for lots of women who enjoy doing it. I know many ring girls feel very fortunate for the opportunity to work huge fighting events, such as the Joshua vs Usyk fight coming up."