Former American heavyweight, who turned Russian, weighs in with Vladimir Putin t-shirt to honor his hero

American-born boxer Kevin 'Kingpin' Johnson made some headlines when he announced himself as Russian last week. Furthermore, the New Jersey-born changed his name to Kevin Vladimirovich. Now, he is turning some heads as he appeared at the weigh-ins for an upcoming bout paying tribute to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Johnson has been competing inside the squared circle for over two decades now. The boxer has competed in over 50 bouts with a 36-21-2 record. His upcoming bout against Mark Petrovsky this week will be his first fight on Russian soil.

'Kingpin' is now a Russian citizen. He will secure his first million-dollar bag after an extended boxing career. The now-Russian paid tribute to Vladimir Putin by donning a custom shirt supporting a large image of Putin's face on a Russian flag at the weigh-ins.

Kevin Vladimirovich is 3-2 in his last five fights. He will be facing an undefeated prospect with an impressive 5-0 record in Moscow.

Vladimir Putin once thanked Fedor Emelianenko for promoting MMA in Russia

Vladimir Putin is a huge fan of Fedor 'The Last Emperor' Emelianenko. The Russian President was once in attendance to witness Emelianenko's bout against Pedro Rizzo. Fedor ended the contest in just 84 seconds, leaving Putin impressed.

Putin stepped inside the ring and showered praises on Emelianenko for his immense contribution to inspiring a new wave of MMA fighters from the country.

"It is because of him [Fedor Emelianenko] this sport [MMA] became so popular in our country," said Putin.

After 'The Last Emperror' made MMA famous in Russia, many fighters made their way to the top of the MMA echelon. Khabib Nurmagomedov emerged as one of the biggest stars to ever compete in the sport and held an undefeated 29-0 record.

Putin even met and congratulated Nurmagomedov after he secured a submission win over MMA's biggest box-office star Conor McGregor at UFC 229.