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Russian MMA fighter relinquishes title due to religion: ‘I can’t fight my Muslim brothers’

Related Topics: Russia, Muslim

A Russian MMA champion chose to give up his own title rather than defend it against his fellow Muslim fighters.

Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC) middleweight champion Rinat Fakhretdinov revealed that he has no intention of fighting his fellow ‘Muslim brothers’ in the cage, citing his religious motives as the reason for relinquishing his title.

The news was confirmed by the Russian promotion in an Instagram post.

“I don’t fight against my brothers due to my religious beliefs. Now the belt contenders are Faridun Odilov and Dauren Ermekov. They are Muslim and I don’t fight against my brothers,” Fakhredtinov said in the post.