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UFC Issues Statement Addressing Controversial Travel Ban Executive Order

UFC Issues Statement Addressing Controversial Travel Ban Executive Order

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent executive order instituting a travel ban has come under scrutiny across the globe. Considering the possibility that it could affect its business, the Ultimate Fighting Championship recently issued a statement regarding the order.

President Trump signed the executive order, often referred to as the “travel ban,” on Friday. The direction of the order bars refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days. It also put a temporary 90-day ban on immigrants from seven nations identified by the Obama administration as “countries of concern” for terrorist activity, according to the Trump administration. The seven countries are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

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Although the UFC is based in Las Vegas, it holds events globally and has many fighters and employees from around the world. Among them is Iranian-born Dutch national Gegard Mousasi, who recently expressed concern over what the order would mean to him.

“I don’t know,” Mousasi told MMA DNA, when asked what the travel ban might mean to him. “The UFC is working on it. The lawyers and guys that take care of the visas. I just have to wait. They’re gonna change some things probably in a couple weeks, because there’s a lot of protests. I just have to wait and see.”

Mousasi is, of course, just one example of someone that might be affected by the executive order. The Ultimate Fighting Championship and its new owners, WME-IMG, have many other employees under similar circumstances, and they are of course proactively addressing the situation.

“We are aware of the federal travel ban,” UFC officials said in a statement released to MMAWeekly.com. “There are numerous variables including a judicial injunction. We are monitoring and will be affirmatively engaged to ensure that our fighters and employees are able to compete and do their jobs.”

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