If Putin's Policy Influences Chimaev, He Has No Choice But To Join The War
JAKARTA - Considering how strict recruitment protocols are throughout Russia, there is a high possibility that Khamzat Chimaev could be forced to join the war against Ukraine.
News of Chimaev's passport confiscated upon arrival in St. Petersburg spread like fire throughout the media. If this happens, it means his Chech government will take an extreme route to support the war.
Despite having a Swedish passport, Chimaev is also from barisan. This could mean that Chimaev will fight for thecivilian army in the ongoing conflict.
However, the athlete's manager, Majdi Shammas, denied by telling Brett Okamoto of ESPN that Chimaev's passport was not confiscated.
In fact, he went further and stated that the UFC star would leave Russia in the next week after visiting his family.
Through a series of recent tweets, ESPN journalists reported, manager Khamzat denied all reports about his client's passport.
"Khambahan is in Russia, but 'no problem' with any travel restrictions according to Shammas," said the manager.
Currently, the manager may prefer to deny the rumors about it, but it's time for Chimaev to make a choice.
He identified as a Russian more than anything. If Vladimir Putin's policies affect him despite being a pro athlete, he has no choice but to join this war.
Even if Shammas denies the news, we'll still have to wait and see if Chimaev can leave Russia when the manager says he's about to leave.
On another occasion, Chimaev said he was ready to return to the octagon.
"I will start a training camp, fight someone, find someone, destroy someone, make money," he said.