Feature: An Eastern Star on Western Soil

Karim Zidan delves into the ongoing political divide between the United States and the Russian Federation, and how it impacts athletes like UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In December 2016, new UFC owner Ari Emanuel and longtime president Dana White flew to Moscow to meet with deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, where they attempted to set the wheels in motion for a potential UFC event in Russia.

The high-ranking government official was shown a presentation that highlighted the economic benefits of hosting a UFC event in Russia. Mutko later told the Russian media that “he met with the UFC owners” who informed him that they “do not have a single partner or a title fight in Russia.”

While the deputy prime minister seemed interested in the presentation, he was more focused on the undefeated Dagestani fighter representing Russia in the UFC. He informed the media that “our Khabib there is alone, beating everybody” and that plans should be set in place to host a future UFC event in Russia.

After years of promises to enter the Russian market, the UFC brass was able to score a meeting with a high-ranking Kremlin official. A UFC event in Russia seemed inevitable.

Yet despite the stamp of approval from a Kremlin official in 2016, the UFC is still struggling to venture into Russia two years later. While logistical issues and a lack of economic viability were the promotion’s initial concerns, the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia has created an entirely new set of stumbling blocks for the promotion and the athletes hoping to compete in either nation.

A Return to Cold War Rhetoric

Since December 2016, the relationship between the United States and Russia has been increasingly characterized by heated diplomatic tension. During the final few weeks of his tenure in office, President Barack Obama expelled dozens of Russian staff and officials from the country and ordered the closure of two recreational Russian compounds in New York and Maryland. The unexpected closure and expulsion was revealed to be a response to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Sanctions were also placed on Russian intelligence agencies believed to have been involved in the Kremlin’s cyber operations. At the time, Putin opted not to retaliate.

During the first six months of the Trump presidency, the US and Russia held talks on improving relations between the two nations, including a joint news conference between Rex Tillerson, who served as Secretary of State at the time, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. This was followed by the infamous meeting between Trump, Lavrov, and Sergey Kislyak, Russian Ambassador to the U.S., in the Oval Office, where it was reported that the U.S. president revealed classified information to the Russian officials.

Over the following few months, the two nations were unable to patch up their differences. By June 2017, the U.S. Senate had approved a new sanctions bill against Russia, which would prevent Trump from cutting back sanctions without congressional support. The following month, Trump met Putin for the first time as president at the Group of 20 summit. However, the meeting did not lead to an improvement in relations, as it was followed by the Senate passing the Russia sanctions bill in July.

What followed was a series of escalating retaliations. In July 30, 2017, the Kremlin ordered the reduction of the U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 people. In response, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow temporarily decided to stop issuing nonimmigrant visas and limited other forms of visa operations, which caused massive delays for thousands of Russians applying for visas to the United States.

“Russia’s decision to reduce the United States’ diplomatic presence here calls into question Russia’s seriousness about pursuing better relations,” the U.S. embassy said in a statement on their website. “We will maintain sufficient staff to carry out essential elements of our mission.”

Relations continued to deteriorate between the two countries over the following months. In August 2017, the US government also ordered the closure of Russian diplomatic facilities in Washington, New York, and San Francisco. Then in December 2017, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on five Russian citizens, including Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.

In March 2018, diplomatic relations reached a boiling point. On March 4, former Soviet and Russian spy Sergei Skripal, was found unconscious next to his daughter in Salisbury, England. The British government revealed that it had been a nerve agent attack and blamed the Kremlin for attempting to murder a Russian spy on foreign soil. While Moscow denied any involvement in the attack, the UK government announced that it would expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation. Nearly two dozen countries followed suit; the U.S. kicked out 60 Russian intelligence officers (which was more than the 55 that President Ronald Regan expelled during the height of the Cold War) and shut down the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Russia responded by expelling 60 American diplomats and shutting down the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg, further cementing the diplomatic crisis between the two nations.

The rapid deterioration of diplomatic relations between the US and Russia has placed a burden on travel to or do business in both countries, as they will likely face increased scrutiny and significant delays in visa processing. Considering that Russia is scheduled to host the World Cup in June 2018, the security concerns are an added strain on the event as well as the tourists travelling to enjoy it.

On the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia website, a statement informed prospective visa applicants that visa interviews are being conducted at a reduced scale.

“Embassy Moscow also continues to offer interviews for immigrant, diversity and nonimmigrant visas. Our services, however, are not back to the levels prior to the Russian Federation’s 60 percent cut of personnel at the U.S. Embassy and three consulates. Fewer people inevitably mean fewer staff to provide visa services.”

Even athletes, who have occasionally been the catalysts for diplomatic relations (see, for example, Ping Pong Diplomacy or Wrestling Diplomacy) between countries with tense relationships, will be impacted by the deterioration of the relationship between the U.S. and Russia.

Athletes Caught in the Crossfire

As a result of the diplomatic tit-for-tat between the United States and Russia in March 2018, the Russian Foreign Ministry is claiming that the United States has barred Russian wrestlers from competing in the upcoming Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, which takes place between April 5-9.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Ministry, released a statement accusing the U.S. embassy in Moscow of refusing to arrange visa interviews for the Russian wrestling team ahead of the World Cup. She added that the embassy is claiming that a shortage of staff and “consular personnel” is to blame for their inability to process visas on time.

“We regard the US actions as another obvious example of obstructing the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions,” Zakharova said in an official statement. “The American authorities also clearly are not averse to eliminating strong competitors for their athletes.”

The 2017 Freestyle World Cup was hosted in Tehran, Iran, and featured its own sports diplomacy concerns. After President Donald Trump issued an executive order in early 2017 restricting travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries, Iran responded by banning US wrestlers from participating in the 2017 freestyle World Cup. It was only after a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked the travel ban, that the Iranian government reversed their decision to deny entry visas to U.S. wrestlers.

However, it appears that the Russian freestyle wrestling team will not be able to compete at the 2018 World Cup, making them one of the first casualties of the diminished relationship between the two countries.

As for the UFC, several of the promotion’s fighters have had visa issues over the past few months. Mairbek Taisumov, a Chechen fighter with a 6-1 record in the UFC, was forced to withdraw from UFC 223 in Brooklyn after continued delays with his visa paperwork. This was the third time that the talented lightweight has been forced to withdraw from UFC events in North America. As a result, he has been relegated to Fight Pass shows in Europe for the past couple of years, stalling his rise through the ranks.

“I’m not the problem. I’m just a sportsman; I’ve never done any kind of crime in my life. I’ve never done any bad things to people. I’m a good person and there’s nothing I have done in my life that would stop me from getting a visa, but I’ve still had trouble getting it,” Taisumov told MMAFighting.com. “The strange thing is, I’ve been in America before. I had a two-year working visa. I’ve fought in America and everything was okay. I just came back after my fight and everything was fine.

“Now, it seems I can’t get my visa, and I don’t know why. It’s just politics, but it has a big effect on normal people like me. I really feel like it’s holding my career back.”

Even Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, who founded the Akhmat MMA promotion and fight team, released a statement on his remaining social media accounts claiming that the U.S. government is investigating UFC athletes who are affiliated to the Chechen leader and his promotion. This occurred shortly after the U.S. Treasury department placed sanctions on the Chechen republic’s leader.

“The US chose sports to pressure Russia. This was the case at the Olympics in Pyeongchang. Uneducated officials are trying to politicize sports organizations. Now the US does not like that the UFC signs fighters from the “Akhmat” club, and they decided to check whether my friendship with the athletes has a financial issue.

“The US can not waste time on another investigation against me, because it’s just a waste of effort, money, and will result in frustration – what has been sought for so long does not exist. I’m not the head of the club “Akhmat”, nor the sponsor of it. This is politicized nonsense. In addition to “Akhmat” we have other clubs: Berkut, Edelweiss. The name “Akhmat” carries football, fighting, boxing and other clubs. The club “Akhmat” encourages giving gifts to athletes – football players, fighters, boxers. I have nothing to do with this, I have no accounts, no companies, no firms. This is another trick of the American “democrats”. If they do not like that our fighters are competing in the UFC, then there are other tournament venues.”

The UFC currently engages six fighters affiliated with Akhmat MMA, the fight club founded and funded by Kadyrov himself. Two of those fighters are Chechen natives (Magomed Bibulatov, Abdul-Kerim Edilov), three are of Dagestani origins (Magomed Ankalaev, Said Nurmagomedov, and Ruslan Magomedov), while the remaining fighter is a former UFC champion from Brazil (Fabricio Werdum). While the latter is a Brazilian national, the five aforementioned fighters all hold Russian citizenship and could be impacted by the ongoing tension with the United States.

Despite the UFC having reportedly booked a date at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, it remains unclear whether the promotion will take the risk of hosting a show in Russia amidst the current political climate.

Eastern Star in a Western Promotion

Over the past few years, Khabib Nurmagomedov has earned the reputation as one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC, as well as the most popular fighter from the Russian Federation. A native of Dagestan, the 25-0 competitor is an enigma clothed in a stony persona, a ferocious fight strategy, and a furry Papakha.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Abdulmanap, who spent decades giving youth an alternative to insurgency through participation in sports, Khabib is aware that his success abroad is pivotal in inspiring Caucasus youth entrenched in Russia’s societal problems. He is an accepted role model for North Caucasus youth because he not only represents his nation successfully, but proudly embraces the identity of his mountaineer ancestors. His nickname, ‘The Eagle,’ as well as his Papakha headgear, pay homage to centuries of highlander heritage.

Khabib is also a practicing Muslim who speaks openly about his religiosity, his devotion to God, and his refusal to treat fighting as a higher priority than his spirituality. These aspects of his personality have only furthered his position as a role model for North Caucasus youth, the vast majority of whom are Muslim.

Despite his distaste for the spotlight, Khabib appears to have fully embraced his role among his native people. His trajectory as a successful professional fighter in the United States has paved the way for others to follow in his footsteps. Because of his popularity, those around the fighter believe the long-term development of mixed martial arts in Russia rests solely on the Eagle’s shoulders. The only other fighter to have such a significant impact on MMA in the Russian Federation is Fedor Emelianenko, the heavyweight legend still considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of all time.

While Khabib has become a celebrity in Dagestan, as well as across Russia and the post-Soviet sphere, the undefeated contender has also become a fan favourite on U.S. soil, where he has competed seven times in the past six years. His dominant wins against the likes of Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson, Rafael dos Anjos, and Abel Trujillo have added to his popularity and helped develop his aura of invincibility.

The Dagestani native has not struggled to secure visas to the United States, though his travels to the U.S. began several years before the current diplomatic meltdown. However, visa issues have impacted his family, including his father and longtime coach, who was denied a visa to the United States ahead of UFC 209. Former Bellator featherweight Magomedrasul ‘Frodo’ Khasbulaev, who happens to be Khabib’s second cousin, was also denied a visa into the U.S.

“The Embassy of course knows everything but they have no right to tell us about the real reasons for the denial,” Abdulmanap explained at the time. “Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to fly back to the United States.”

Though many athletes will likely be caught in the crossfire between the United States and Russia during this period of uncertainty, it is unlikely to impact Khabib’s chances of competing in the U.S. in the future. However, he remains in an awkward position, trapped between the the country he represents and the country that made him a star.