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MMA star Monson says friends in US criticized his move to renounce American passport

Earlier, it was reported that Jeff Monson had officially surrendered his US passport to the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, thereby formally renouncing his American citizenship

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Some people in the United States disapproved the decision to renounce the American passport, Russia’s legendary US-born mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jeff Monson told TASS on Thursday.

"There are people in the United States, who misunderstood me. There is a host of opinions circulating over there at the moment and some of my friends did not understand me," the fighter said.

Monson told TASS early this week that he had officially surrendered his US passport to the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, thereby formally renouncing his American citizenship. He stated: "I am no longer American, only Russian."

Ex-US fighter said he was planning to open 27 free-of-charge sports schools in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

"I’m planning to open 27 free-of-charge sports schools in Bashkortostan," Monson said.

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 he 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.

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