Ongoing War Puts Russian and Ukrainian Fighters in a Difficult Position

A touchy topic for both sides, sports and politics collide in the world of MMA.

Nine days before Islam Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 280 in October, he conducted a series of interviews concerning the fight.

Makhachev answered questions about the upcoming fight with relative ease, including ones about his home in the Russian republic of Dagestan. During one particular media call, he was asked for his opinion on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a war where Ukrainian MMA fighter Yaroslav Amosov served. Instead of offering insight, he ended the call.

The question was valid, yet so was Makhachev’s decision not to answer. It is a question with no proper reply. If he supports his native Russia, then he is criticized throughout America. But if he criticizes the war, then that has the potential to create a whole new batch of problems. So why not just avoid the question?

“Many Russian fighters are afraid to talk about it,” says Amosov, speaking through a translator. “And many are zombified by their propaganda.”

Amosov is the reigning Bellator welterweight champion. Undefeated in the cage, he has won all 26 of his fights. But he encountered loss in an altogether different manner earlier this year when protecting Ukraine as a member of its armed forces.

A champion leaving his sport to fight in a war is just one example of how the war in Ukraine has significantly impacted the fight world. As Christmas approaches, there is no end in sight.

“War is bad for everyone, but people should ask, where is the war taking place, and who started it?” says Amosov. “If someone told me we were going to invade someone else’s land, I wouldn’t have gone.”

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and the war has caused tens of thousands of deaths and Europe’s largest refugee plight since World War II. There is plenty of shared history between the two nations, and Ukraine was formerly under Russian control until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. It appears this current war is a strategic plan to obliterate the modern-day state of Ukraine and replace it under Russian control. And with a plethora of Russian and Ukrainian fighters in every major MMA organization, the war has affected fighters.

Nearly a dozen Russian fighters were asked about the war, but all offered similar answers.

Speaking through a translator, UFC star Petr Yan said, “I just keep doing my job being an athlete. Sports should be without politics. I hope that everything comes back to normal.”

Askar Askarov, a former UFC flyweight, also spoke through a translator, stating, “I’m just doing my job and training hard. I’m not focused on anything else.”

Bellator’s Vadim Nemkov said, through translation, “Keep sports out of politics.” Reigning Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov was asked the question, but his translator responded that there would not be an answer.

The pattern is clear. The potential for negative consequences exists for those willing to speak out against Russia. One fighter refused to speak on the record because his mother was scheduled for surgery in Russia, and he refused to make any comment that could put her in the slightest bit of danger.

“The culture [in Russia and Ukraine] is very, very different from America,” said UFC heavyweight Alexey Oleinik. He was born in Kharkiv when it was part of the Soviet Union, but it is now part of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Oleinik fights out of Moscow, Russia, and he also believes–you guessed it–that sports should be separate from politics.

“I am not a political analyst, I am a fighter,” says Oleinik. “I am not a blogger, I do not want to speak about it on social media.”

Russia is part of both Europe and Asia, and a noticeable difference from the United States is criticizing public figures. That is a way of life in the U.S., but it is much different in Russia.

“This is tough to explain,” says Oleinik. “But only people who live in these countries, only those people can judge what is happening in Russia and Ukraine. No one from the outside. No citizens from other countries can speak on this.

“I hope it is finished soon. Russia and Ukraine, it is one people and one nation, so it is very terrible.”

The war has affected the fighters in different ways. The Russian fighters have, predominantly, remained quiet. For the fighters from Ukraine, it is a terrible strain to know what is occurring back home. A complicating factor is that so many Russian and Ukrainian train and spar together.

When it comes to the war, the stage has been set for the fighters. There are no ramifications or repercussions for those who remain quiet. That is a dangerous blueprint, however, as history has repeatedly taught that silence is as loud as thunder.

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Dober Looks to Make More Noise in Lightweight Division

Drew Dober jumped into the lightweight rankings following his win this Saturday against Bobby Green. Dober endured a significant amount of punishment from Green in the first round, then unleashed a vicious assault in the second round

Dober called out Michael Chandler and Jalin Turner for a fight, which both could be a banger. The fight against Turner would also have some unique optics, pitting the 6’3” Turner against the 5’8” Dober. Turner is ranked tenth in the division, so that fight would represent Dober’s shot at cracking the top 10.

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— Drew Dober (@DrewDober) December 20, 2022

Another interesting option for Dober is Paddy Pimblett. There are few secrets in MMA, and it is painfully obvious why people are lining up to face Pimblett after so many of his flaws were exposed in his bout against Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Initially, I thought Ilia Topuria was going to be the one to wreck Pimblett’s hype train, but Topuria is on a different path after dominating Bryce Mitchell. Dober would benefit from fighting Pimblett, as would anyone else in the top 15.

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May Your Days be Merry and Bright

I’ve always thought of the Internet as the Wild West. There are countless different options to read or watch anything. If you’re clicking on these stories, I am grateful. And a special shoutout to those who email and engage, which is really fun.

There will be plenty more coverage next week. That includes the Top 10 fighters for 2022, the fights to watch for in 2023, and my chance to play Nostradamus and predict what’s to unfold in the coming year.

Happy holidays!