There will be no Russian fighters competing on ONE Championship’s upcoming events in Singapore, as the local government has banned athletes from competing in the city state. “In consideration of the international sentiments around the ongoing Russian-Ukraine conflict, currently arranged bouts involving ONE’s Russian athletes will be/have been rescheduled,” a statement from the Asian martial arts promotion read. “We remain focused on supporting athletes affected by the current situation.” ONE Championship is based out of Singapore, and has hosted most of its events throughout the pandemic at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Its 10th anniversary celebration ONE X – which is set for March 26 – will see the return of a full crowd following the recent relaxation of local Covid-19 restrictions. But the Russian fighters originally slated to appear on the card will no longer have the opportunity. Fighters removed from the bill include Islam Murtazaev, who was lined up to meet Nieky Holzken in a lightweight kick-boxing bout, and Yusup Saadulaev, who was set to battle Japan’s Shoko Sato in a bantamweight MMA bout. Alaverdi Ramazonov was also pulled from a bantamweight Muay Thai title bout against the champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, and has been replaced by Brazil’s Felipe Lobo. “It’s just about international sentiment,” ONE chairman and CEO Chatri told the Post during a virtual media scrum after Friday’s ONE: Lights Out event. “The Russian athletes will be paid their show money,” he added. Several fighters were also taken off Friday’s event, some of whom had already arrived in Singapore. Chatri promised that the Russians removed from the upcoming event would be given replacement fights soon, as the company is preparing to promote shows outside its home city, with cities like Jakarta and Bangkok looking like possibilities. “You will see them back in action as we throw events all over in different countries,” he said. Tearful Lineker says ONE Championship title win ‘represents my life’ Friday night’s ONE: Lights Out event in Singapore featured impressive wins from featherweight stars Thanh Le and Martin Nguyen, both of whom called for the opportunity to compete at ONE X in a few weeks’ time. Chatri did not commit to adding either athlete to the three-part event, but noted that, with several Russians off the bill, “there could be more bouts announced”. “I just talked to my team, let’s see what we can do,” he said. “Each card is insane. If you love martial arts, if you love combat sports, this is probably the greatest event in the history of combat sports.” ONE Championship has not yet made a public statement on the war in Ukraine, but did give Ukrainian featherweight Kirill Gorobets – who lost via third-round TKO to Nguyen – a platform to speak on the topic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ONE Championship (@onechampionship) Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Singapore announced early this month that it would impose unilateral sanctions against Russia , a move a former diplomat said was the first time in decades the city state was censuring a foreign nation without backing from the United Nations Security Council. ONE has dozens of prominent Russian fighters across its roster for mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and kick-boxing, including interim heavyweight MMA champion Anatoly Malykhin, who was slated to face divisional king Arjan Bhullar in the summer. Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé, Saygid Izagakhmaev, could also be waiting a while for his next fight. The 27-year-old Dagestan lightweight made a splash on his debut in January, submitting former welterweight challenger James Nakashima.