Jeff Monson Relocates for Animal Rescue Project
American fighter Jeff Monson, who converted to Islam and became a politician in Russia, is moving from Ufa to Yekaterinburg to join an animal rescue project.
Jul 30, 2026 0
The eccentric deputy now plans to focus on animal rescue work.
Source:
Jeff Monson, a deputy of the Kurultai (State Assembly) of Bashkortostan and mixed martial arts fighter, has decided to move from Ufa to Yekaterinburg, colleagues at E1.RU report.
Residents of the Urals spotted the former American star at a local supermarket. In April, the athlete had already visited Sverdlovsk Oblast — both trips are linked to a rehabilitation center project for rescuing animals, which Jeff decided to undertake together with local ecologist Kirill Potapov.
«I see how Kirill is leading this wonderful project — a center that helps animals. This is what I want to do. All my life I have helped people and cared for them. Now we have started developing a project in Yekaterinburg: different animals come to us — including from zoos and circuses. We take care of them. This project could not exist without the help of Kirill and other people,» the politician told E1.RU.
Jeff Monson is a former MMA fighter, originally from the United States. In 2013 he moved to Russia, and in 2023 he voluntarily renounced his US citizenship. He is a deputy of the seventh convocation of the Kurultai of Bashkortostan. Before being appointed to the state assembly of the republic, he served on the Krasnogorsk City Council — at the same time when the current head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, was mayor of that Moscow suburb. There the two politicians met. In 2024, out of solidarity with Palestine, he converted to Islam and even had a wedding according to Muslim customs.
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