The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought about hefty financial and political sanctions, as the Putin regime becomes increasingly isolated from the rest of the world.
The nation’s athletes, meanwhile, have become collateral damage, banned from flying Russia’s flag and playing its anthem during upcoming FIFA matches, and apparently, given the cold shoulder by the U.K. altogether.
It’s that latter factor that has complicated matters for UFC London later this month. Topping the card is heavyweight Alexander Volkov, who had been expected to face off with England’s Tom Aspinall. Volkov, however, remains in Russia, per UFC President Dana White — and despite having a British visa in hand, getting him out of Russia may prove challenging.
“We’re trying to get him into England sooner so he can fight,” the UFC President told TSN previosuly. “When things like this start blowing up, we start looking at potential problems and what possibilities are, and we try to get around them. We try to figure out, ‘If that’s going to happen, let’s get these guys into England earlier.’ I know that we’ve been trying to get Volkov to leave Russia, and he hasn’t wanted to.”
In addition to Volkov, several other fighters on the card are Russian: Timur Valiev, Sergei Pavlovich, and Shamil Abdurakhimov all hail from Russia, while Nikita Krylov, a Ukrainian of Russian descent, fights out of Donetsk, Ukraine, a disputed territory at the heart of the Russian invasion.
Getting any or all of them to London later this month could prove problematic. Last Thursday, United Kingdom Transport Minister Grant Shapps confirmed he had banned all Russian airlines from entering U.K. airspace or landing there. In a tit-for-tat measure, the Russian government enacted a similar ban on U.K. air traffic.
European Union and Canadian airspace is also closed to Russia. Presumably, Russian travelers could travel to a friendly third party, then resume their trip to Europe — but there may be another stumbling block. While Volkov has a visa in hand, it may not be valid by the time UFC London arrives. Just days ago, the U.K. canceled visas belonging to members of the men’s Belarusian basketball team.
Belarus, closely allied with Moscow, has served as a staging ground for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As it stands, UFC London is set to go ahead on March 19, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England, despite the war, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and damage to the arena from Storm Eunice.
