A ranked UFC contender has named a possible reason for the promotionâs ban on athletes carrying the flag of their countries to the Octagon.
Previously, members of the UFC roster have made the walk with flags wrapped around them. That scene was often replicated post-fight, with the victor celebrating their result along with their nationâs colors.
However, in recent times, that trend has been forcibly stopped. That includes before and after fights, as well as during the backstage portrait photos. When asked about the decision at UFC 274 this past May, Dana White was hesitant to confirm the reason for the ban.
âYou guys know why,â White told the media at the post-fight press conference. âLetâs not even play that f*cking game.â
UFC welterweight Li Jingliang found out just how serious the promotion is taking the ban this past July, when he had the Chinese flag ripped off him following his victory over Muslim Salikhov.
While details have been kept relatively hush since the ban was introduced, the promotion has come under scrutiny from many fighters and pundits, some of whom have pointed to the organizationâs previous open stance on free speech.
Now, a prominent name in the promotion has revealed what he was told prior to his most recent fight, and given a possible reason for the ban.
Ranked Featherweight Discusses âWeirdâ Flag Prohibition
During a recent interview with The African Fighters, #11-ranked featherweight contender Sodiq Yusuff looked back on his victory inside the Octagon last month, as well as his post-fight interview.
During his interaction with Paul Felder, Yusuff addressed his home nation in Yoruba, a language primarily spoken in southwestern and central Nigeria. Recalling what heâd said, âSuper Sodiqâ noted that heâd apologized for not wearing the countryâs flag.
Yusuff, who always wore a banner with the Nigerian flag on pre- and post-fight, revealed that heâd been threatened with a fine should he continue wearing it. He also cited the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a possible reason for the UFCâs stringent policy.
âThe flag thing, it was so weird,â Yusuff said. âThey always let me wear my bandana, but that weekend, they told me, they said, âHey, if you wear the flag, weâre gonna fine you a lot of money.â So it wasnât worth it. They were like, âYou canât wear it anywhere the UFC cameras are gonna catch.â
âBecause I think of whatâs going on with Russia and Ukraine. They donât want them to wear the flag because of the war, so they said they canât just single them out, they said theyâre gonna do everybody. So nobody can wear their flag,â Yusuff concluded.
Despite Russia invading Ukraine in February, UFC 274 in May marked the first pay-per-view event where flags were prohibited. And at UFC 272 in March, Maryna Moroz was able to proudly fly the Ukrainian flag as she celebrated an emotional victory over Mariya Agapova.
What potentially altered the promotionâs stance is unknown, but Yusuffâs comments certainly support a theory that many have shared since the banâs introduction.
Bunch Of Flaggots
They take away their personalized shorts for their fighters to make extra money and now take away their flags. Yet they have Otter Pops and gas stations as official sponsors with their logos plastered across the octagon. UFC is the greediest company ever.
You guys know why,â White told the media at the post-fight press conference. âLetâs not even play that f*cking game.â
LOL legitimately nobody knew why because they werenât told a reason
Fun fact: Ukraine is the only flag Khabib has hoisted in MMA
Russia is invading Ukraine so now mixed martial artists who fight in a cage for money arenât allowed to wear their flag?
Makes no sense and I thought BLAF and the ufc would be the last to do so Liberal ass shit like this
Itâs almost like theyâre in it for the money.
I still donât. I realize that Dana would call me stupid for not realizing it, but be that as it may, it still doesnât make sense to me, and no one is really explaining it.
No more flags because war is a thing? Hasnât it always been? Is it that he believes UFC has gotten so big that the presence of one flag over another could turn the tide in a war?
I assumed that the reason they said no more flags is because the CCP was either mandating that their fighters must always, or that they didnât want to see one, or any, other flags in their market. Or, that perhaps certain flags were considered âoffensiveâ in certain theocracies.
Whatever the UFCâs reasons, and whether theyâre logical or not, Iâm all for no more flags. The presence, or lack thereof, of a flag doesnât change anything. Itâs the lack of a symbol that only dumb people care about in the context of a competition of two individuals.
Are you fucking kidding me? They donât want anyone speaking out in support of Ukraine or wearing Ukrainian flags.
Itâs to placate Russia and stay out of that situation.
Well then just ban Ukraine flags lol
Good, every attention whore on the roster would have a Ukraine flag trying to get Instagram likes rn. Plus posers like Aljo canât have a Jamaican one now so thatâs good too. Flags were more annoying that good.
I think they should put a flag on each persons trunks like PFL and then not allow them to bring flags in cage.
No biggie for me, I couldnât give a shit if Anderson Silva or Crocop didnât have their flags in the cage, I just wanted to see them fight.
