Nikita Krillov expects to have the Russian flag next to his name when he walks to the Octagon for a fight with Dominic Reyes at UFC 314.
The light heavyweight candidate returned to action for the first time in more than two years after competing on Saturday, but when he last appeared in 2023, the flag was notably lacking from his profile. Kryloff dealt with the situation on Wednesday’s UFC 314 Media Day, explaining why he was very confused about his home country due to his previous fight.
“Yes, we talked about it in the UFC. I even spoke at two events before I asked about placing Kislovodsk in Russia as the place I’m fighting,” Krylov said. “I’ve lived there for a few years now and I think I have the honor of representing them.”
While he previously lived in Ukraine, Krylov fought from Donetsk. Donetsk is the area that Russian troops took over during the ongoing conflict that began in 2022, and while Russian President Vladimir Putin has actually signed an order claiming four different regions, including Donetsk, the battles in that region continue to fight.
Krylov believes it was something that caused a lot of confusion when he last fought in the UFC, but he currently lives and lives only in Russia, which is the country he is scheduled to represent on Saturday.
“The reason why some events that had no flags next to my name weren’t flags next to my name was obviously most of my life and I lived in Donetsk (Ukraine),” Krylov said. “Donetsk is still a kind of city, and not everyone is thinking where Donetsk belongs.
“At this point, I think it’s a good thing that Russia is next to my name. I’m proud to represent Russia.”
Despite his absence, Krylov returns to the UFC on a three-game winning streak and has the chance to return to the deep edge of the Light Heavyweight Division in a matchup with the former two-time title challenger of the Reyes.
The victory allowed Kryloff to be placed near his own potential title shot on Saturday, as his fight with Reyes kicked the pay-per-view main card.