Majdi Shammas, the manager of UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev, has denied reports circulating in Brazilian media that his fighter is currently being detained in St. Petersburg in Russia, and that he has had his passport seized.

Per a report by Brazilian outlet Combate, Chimaev had his passport seized by Russian authorities at a stopover in the Russian city of St. Petersburg while en route to Chechnya where he was to visit members of his family. The report added that Chimaev’s team are attempting to get him passage to return to Sweden, where he is a naturalised citizen.

Chimaev was also due to fly to Brazil in the coming days to attend a film premiere. No confirmation of Chimaev’s alleged detention has been reported in Russian media at the time of writing.

However, in a statement distributed by ESPN reporter Brett Okamota, Majdi Shammas says that there are “no problems” with Chimaev’s travelling arrangements.

I just spoke to Khamzat Chimaev’s (@KChimaev) manager Majdi Shammas, who told me reports of Khamzat being stuck in Russia with a revoked passport are not true. Khamzat is in Russia, but there are ‘no problems’ with any travel restrictions according to Shammas.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 4, 2022

“I just spoke to Khamzat Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas, who told me reports of Khamzat being stuck in Russia with a revoked passport are not true,” Okamoto tweeted soon after the initial reports surfaced. “Khamzat is in Russia, but there are ‘no problems’ with any travel restrictions according to Shammas.”

Further updates are expected in due course.