American President Donald Trump is banning residents from seven Muslim countries entering the USA and it will adversely impact the UFC and its athletes.
Iranian-born UFC Middleweight Gegard Mousasi revealed the 45th President’s temporary travel ban could impact his scheduled fight against Chris Weidman at UFC 210 which takes place in Buffalo, New York.
Donald Trump’s legislation could change the UFC landscape
In an exclusive interview with Dutch website MMA DNA, former Strikeforce champion Mousasi (41-6-2) spoke about how the controversial order banning travel from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen could keep him from fighting on April 8 at the KeyBank Center.
“The UFC is working on it, the lawyers and the guys that take care of the division so I just have to wait and see,” explained a stoic Mousasi ahead of his fight with Weidman (13-2). “I was born in Iran but I have Dutch nationality and I have a Visa for the US but the rule is if you are born in Iran you are a threat so I don’t know.
“If [the ban] is going to ruin relationships between countries, I think the U.S are on a wrong path. The new company that have taken over the UFC have a lot of foreigners that work for them and some of them have been to countries that are on the banned list so it’s going to create a lot of problems. Not just for me but for a lot of people, so they have to deal with it because I’m just an employee.”
Mousasi could earn a title shot with a win over Weidman
The 31-year-old is currently riding a four-fight unbeaten run that includes a hat-trick of stoppage victories over Thiago Santos, Vitor Belfort and Uriah Hall. With a win over former champion Weidman in Buffalo, Mousasi’s claims for a title shot will be hard to deny.
UFC 210 goes down on Saturday, April 8 at KeyBank Center and features light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier taking on Anthony Johnson. The event will be the promotion’s first visit to the city since UFC 7 on September 8, 1995.
