The International MMA Federation has just announced that they will be suspending the Russian MMA Union and the Belarusian MMA federation.
This will include the MMA Super Cup taking place next week from 8 to 12 March 2022, organized by BRAVE but sanctioned by the IMMAF under IMMAF rules and regulations.
The suspension also prevents IMMAF to be held in Russia.
IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said:
“It is with sadness that the IMMAF board has taken this decision as we believe in the power of sport to unite people beyond politics. However, the homeland of our friends and colleagues in the MMA League of Ukraine is under attack and they have been forced from competing in next week’s Super Cup as they take to defending their country. We are compelled to unite with global sport in showing solidarity with Ukraine.”
The news of IMMAF banning Russia follows a group of major athletic organizations penalizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
For now, other sporting organizations that have banned Russia and Belarus from competing internationally include the International Skating Union, World Athletics, World Rugby, World Baseball Softball Confederation, Badminton World Federation, International Ski Federation, World Pentathlon, and the International Canoe Federation.
In MMA, the Shocker MMA Solutions announced that Polish fighters were prohibited from competing in Absolute Championship Akhmat.
ACA is owned by Ranzam Kadyrov, the head of the Russian Republic of Chechen.
You can read more about this story here.
Following the list of bans, KSW MMA has recently announced that they would be barring the Russian Shamil Muzaev from competing in their upcoming event.
Due to the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, KSW has made a tough, albeit ethically justifiable, decision to cancel Russian fighter Shamil Musaev’s fight, which was scheduled for KSW 68 on March 19th in Radom.
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) February 28, 2022
This tendency of banning Russians from competition puts some pressure on the UFC.
The UFC has already had problems with having Russian fighters fighting in events in England.
After the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Priti Patel, has stated that she has canceled the visas of any athletes whose country is complicit in Russia’s invasion, the UFC was put on alert regarding Russian athletes scheduled to fight in one of their events in England.
For instance, scheduled for the main event of the upcoming UFC England, Russian Alexander Volkov will likely be barred from entering England.
You can read more about this story here.
If the US Government adopts a similar measure, that could mean that the UFC will have its hands tied in regards to having some of its biggest stars like Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev fighting for the promotion.