Russian UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in an interview with , he told how he rejected the offer to represent the UAE.
The Russian has been competing in the UFC since 2015. According to the UFC, a fighter can represent any country in a fight, regardless of their citizenship.
— You have good relations with the prince in Dubai. Have you ever been asked to fight to represent the UAE?
—To be honest, it was. After the first fight, they offered me to represent the Emirates, they said that we represent Russia, that we live there and this topic was no longer brought up,” Makhachev said in an interview with .
Earlier it became known that the fighter of Chechen origin Khamzat Chimaev will represent not Sweden, but the United Arab Emirates. In the next fight, the UAE flag fighter will meet Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman at the UFC 294 tournament on October 21.
Russia’s Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Watch the live broadcast of the tournament on October 21 on the channel from 9:00 p.m. Moscow time.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
