"These guys did nothing wrong" - Ali Abdelaziz speaks up against Russian athletes getting visa-banned due to current political issues

Ali Abdelaziz cried foul over Russian athletes being punished as a result of the political conflict in the Eastern European region.

In the aftermath of Vladimir Putin's decision to launch the invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged governing bodies of all sports worldwide to refrain from allowing Russian sportsmen to participate in any organized international competitions.

The call made it exceedingly difficult for Russian and Belarusian athletes to receive visas, and in turn, made it virtually impossible for them to participate in overseas sporting events.

Ali Abdelaziz, who manages several high-profile Russian UFC fighters, believes the situation is completely unfair to the athletes. On Twitter, the Dominance MMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) wrote:

"This whole political thing affecting a lot of Russian athletes, especially guys from Dagestan, Chechnya and the Caucuses, and nobody talking about it. It’s sad because these guys did nothing wrong. It’s extremely hard to get Visas for these guys."

Abdelaziz also pointed out that Russian athletes who may become the next Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, are being robbed of the opportunity to flourish:

"And I know many Khabib, many Islam and many Zabit will come from this region, and I know if you still giving opportunities for these guys, I respect you very much and you know yourself and if you don’t I completely understand too."

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Do Ali Abdelaziz's comments have merit?

Currently, there haven't been any reported cases of Russian fighters getting banned from the UFC, as Ali Abdelaziz said he's concerned about.

The closest it has affected a fighter was when Alexander Volkov revealed that he had a hard time entering the United Kingdom for his UFC London fight. Still, 'Drago' was able to make it into the country and went through with his fight as scheduled.

The IOC also made it clear that the ban on Russian athletes isn't a form of punishment, but is instead implemented for their own protection. The sporting body's president, Thomas Bach, told The Associated Press:

"Let me emphasize again that these are protective measures, not sanctions. Measures to protect the integrity of competitions," Bach said in an online meeting with IOC members. "The safety of the Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials could not be guaranteed because of the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the invasion."