TULA, May 15. /TASS/. Russia’s legendary US-born MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Jeff Monson told TASS on Monday that he intends to hand in his US passport next week, thus formally renouncing his US citizenship.

"I plan on going to the US Embassy [in Moscow] on May 23 to turn in my American passport," he said. "I have already submitted all the required documents and, so, I will no longer be a citizen of the United States."

In late April, the legendary MMA fighter, who also serves as a city councilor in a Moscow suburb, announced to TASS that he was determined to renounce his American citizenship because of his opposition to the current policies of the United States government.

According to other reports from April, 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, as a candidate of United Russia, the country’s ruling party.

Monson was granted Russian citizenship in May 2018 and in September of that year was elected to the Council of Deputies (city council) of 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 strains of the Soviet national anthem. In 2016, he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Abkhazia; in 2017, he was granted a passport of the Lugansk People’s Republic in the Donbass region.