Mairbek Taisumov Out Of UFC 223 Due To Visa Delay

MMA Junkie reports that Mairbek Taisumov has been pulled from UFC 223 due to his ongoing visa issues. There has been a delay with processing so his fight with Evan Dunham was cancelled. His team is still saying he will compete in the US soon. He has not been denied a visa. He was previously forced off of UFC Fight Night 81 and UFC 203 due to the same problem.

Back in January, he said: “Right now, the UFC lawyers are working on it. I feel it will all be done very soon. All I can do is wait. It’s probably going to be a few more weeks, but from what I’ve heard I will finally get my visa. The process is ongoing, like I said the UFC lawyers are working on it, but they are very confident that everything will be okay. I’m not the problem. I’m just a sportsman; I’ve never done any kind of crime in my life. I’ve never done any bad things to people. I’m a good person and there’s nothing I have done in my life that would stop me from getting a visa, but I’ve still had trouble getting it. The strange thing is, I’ve been in America before. I had a two-year working visa. I’ve fought in America and everything was okay. I just came back after my fight and everything was fine. Now, it seems I can’t get my visa, and I don’t know why. It’s just politics, but it has a big effect on normal people like me. I really feel like it’s holding my career back.“