Monson: “The official position of the authorities of Moldova: I am Russian, therefore I cannot enter the territory of the country”

Russian fighter Jeff Monson, who was banned from entering Moldova to participate in an FEA league fight, said on Match TV that such a decision was made because of his citizenship.

On November 29, Monson was supposed to fight in Chisinau against Moldovan Ion Soltoianu. Earlier, Monson told Match TV that he was not allowed into the country because of Russian support.

— My coach and I went to Moldova, on November 27 we had an official invitation. Already at the airport, security guards blocked us and told us that we could not enter the territory of Moldova. The official version from government officials is as follows: I have Russian citizenship, I am Russian, so I cannot enter the territory of Moldova. In an informal conversation, airport employees who spoke Russian said that because of the tattoo with the letter Z on my neck, because I am politically active, I speak out in support of the SVO.

One of my contacts in Moldova called some authorities, but they didn’t let us through. The authorities issued an official order, I don’t know how it was formalized, some kind of document or verbally, that if any of the airport and border service employees let us through, they would be fired on the same day,” Monson said on the “There is a topic” program on the Match TV channel.

Monson is 54 years old, has been a Russian citizen since May 2018, and at the end of May 2023 he surrendered his American passport at the US Consulate in Istanbul.

At the end of July, Monson fought with Maxim Shcherbakov in Yevpatoria. The fight, according to the rules of full contact combat, lasted the entire distance. The winner of the confrontation was not announced. Monson previously stated that the fight in Yevpatoria would be the last in his career. Before the fight with Shcherbakov, he won 60 victories in mixed martial arts, suffered 26 defeats, finished one fight in a draw, and one of his fights was declared invalid.