Russia invading Ukraine is dominating the headlines globally at the moment and the war may have implications for an upcoming UFC event in London, England on March 19th which was expected to be headlined by Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall.
Volkov is Russian and so it appears that he would be subject to a new ban on sports stars from that region competing in the UK as the region and may other parts of the world seek to punish Russia for attacking Ukraine.
“I have cancelled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle tomorrow night,” the UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel had posted on Twitter over the weekend.
“The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine.”
That suggests Volkov’s spot on the UFC card in London would also be in jeopardy, with UFC officials telling MMAJunkie that they are, “looking into the situation for possible solutions.”
Volkov wouldn’t be the only Russian fighter on the card who might be forced out of the London show as Timur Valiev, Shamil Abdurakhimov and Sergei Pavlovich were also booked for the event,
