Former UFC champion Petr Yan included on Ukraine’s sanction list
Petr Yan was named in Ukraine’s sanction list on Tuesday.
The former UFC bantamweight champion was one of 56 athletes included on the list. Two other Russian mixed martial artists, Alexander Shlemenko and Alexander Emelianenko, were also named.
Notably, Schlemenko and Emelianenko have both voiced their support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The list also included eight Russian wrestlers and five boxers.
According to Bloody Elbow’s Karim Zidan, the sanctions were meant for athletes who “systematically and actively support the war against Ukraine, legitimize the military invasion and genocide of Ukrainians by the armed forces of the Russian Federation”.
Yan became the second Russian UFC champion when he captured the vacant bantamweight title from José Aldo in July 2020 at UFC 251. He last competed at UFC 280, where he lost to Sean O’Malley in a controversial decision.
The sanction against Yan lasts for ten years and includes a travel and trade ban throughout Ukraine.
