MMA fans booing Putin becomes international issue
A Russian YouTube user posted the video of Putin’s post-fight remarks, and it’s already been viewed almost a million times…
A Russian YouTube user posted the video of Putin’s post-fight remarks, and it’s already been viewed almost a million times in its first day online
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia — a longtime fan of combat sports in general, and of Fedor Emelianenko in particular — stepped into the ring to offer a congratulatory message to Fedor after his unanimous decision win ovetr Jeff Monson this weekend. But as soon as Putin started talking, the fans in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow began to boo.
The booing of Putin has become a major story in outlets like the New York Times and the BBC. The Associated Press called the reception for Putin “an unprecedented rebuke.”
M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan wrote on Twitter that fans were booing a Russian singer. One report said the fans were booing Monson. Another report claimed — seriously — that the fans were booing because there weren’t enough toilets in the arena.
“We have never seen anything like this on this scale before,” Russian commentator Konstantin von Eggert said. “It is a symptom that some in Russian society are tired of Putin’s image.”
