Bellator
Bellator grants tournament winner "Frodo" Khasbulaev his release due to unresolved visa issues
Dec 17, 2014 - 2:05:53 PM Bellator grants tournament winner "Frodo" Khasbulaev his release due to unresolved visa issues

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Dagestan's Frodo Khasbulaev hasn't fought since winning the Bellator season eight featherweight tournament in April of 2013, but that's not by injury nor by choice, and now he's been granted his release by the organization.

Khasbulaev took to Twitter in late November to accuse former Bellator head Bjorn Rebney and former Bellator matchmaker Sam Caplan of withdrawing his visa application. Caplan vehemently denied that, and said it was the U.S. embassy who told them Khasbulaev's visa had been denied.

Bellator's new President Scott Coker attempted to fix the issue, but with no luck, he said in a statement via Sherdog.com this week that it was time to let him go.

"We encountered difficulties obtaining a working visa for 'Frodo,' and as a result, we are releasing him from Bellator so he can continue fighting elsewhere," Bellator President Scott Coker said in a statement. "Frodo is a great fighter and we wish him the best moving forward."

Penick's Analysis: According to Caplan, the story from the U.S. embassy was that several fighters in Khasbulaev's gym had been denied visas due to one of their acquaintances having been flagged with possible ties to extremist organizations. Dagestan is a veritable hotbed of terrorist and extremist activity (Vice's HBO television show featured the region this season in a story as "Terrorist University"), so that explanation does hold weight, and with Coker and company not having any luck themselves, that could be an issue. It's unfortunate for Khasbulaev, who performed very well during his time in Bellator, and hopefully he can find a spot fighting in Europe or Russia to continue his career.