Report: Khamzat passport seized in Russia, UFC star detained until further notice (Updated)

UFC middleweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev is currently detained in St. Petersburg, Russia, after having his passport seized by the Russian government. “Borz” was on his way to Chechnya and was expected to travel to Brazil later this week, but all future plans are currently on hold until further notice.

That’s according to a report from Brazilian outlet Combate.

Chimaev was born in Chechnya but immigrated to Sweden at the age of 19 where he would later become one of the nation’s top wrestlers.

“My brother was doing [work] he and he told us, come here it’s good for us and our one brother Tahir, he has like surgery as well so, that [would help him] like when we come directly here,” Chimaev previously told ESPN. “After that we stay[ed] here, we like[ed] it and they helped us a lot as well.”

UFC fans quickly became familiar with “Borz” after an electric 6-0 start to his Octagon career, with five of those victories coming by way of first-round finish.

Here is the latest from ESPN MMA:

The 28 year-old Chimaev is scheduled to appear in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a film premiere on Oct. 6. Whether or not “Borz” is able to keep those plans in light of his current situation remains to be seen.

We’ll have additional details on Chimaev’s status as more information becomes available.