MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Russian citizen and legendary US-born mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jeff Monson told TASS on Wednesday that he has been elected to the parliament of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan.

Monson told TASS in May that he had officially surrendered his American passport to the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, thereby formally renouncing his American citizenship.

According to later reports, Monson filed papers stating his intention to run for a seat in the legislative assembly of the central Russian region of Bashkortostan, formally known as the State Assembly - Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan, on the United Russia ticket, the country’s ruling party.

The former MMA fighter told TASS in late May that he planned "to open 27 free-of-charge sports schools in Bashkortostan."

Monson was granted Russian citizenship in May 2018 and in September of that year he was elected to the Council of Deputies (City Council) in the Krasnogorsk District, Moscow Region, an inner suburb of the neighboring City of Moscow.

Jeffrey William Monson, 52, nicknamed "The Snowman," hails from the state of Minnesota, USA. As a mixed martial arts fighter, he boasts a record of 85 fights, chalking up 60 wins. He is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion. His last fight was in the Russian city of Belgorod on October 22, 2016, when Monson defeated Alex "Bizon" Kardo of Russia, using a chokehold.

Monson is known for his love of Russia and its Soviet past. On many occasions, he has appeared in the ring to the tune of the Soviet national anthem. In 2016, he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Abkhazia; in 2017, he became a citizen of the Lugansk People’s Republic in the Donbass Region.

Russia’s Single Voting Day elections were held throughout Russia on September 8-10. Russian Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova announced earlier in the day that the turnout during Russia’s Single Voting Day this year was the highest since 2013.

According to Pamfilova, 31.5 million of Russian voters out of 67 million, who were registered to vote took part in the elections.