Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t take kindly to some costume choices.
Some complaints from Khabib Nurmagomedov about a racy play in his homeland has resulted in threats towards the producer.
On Tuesday, the UFC lightweight champion hit out at some scenes in the play Hunting for Men, with Nurmagomedov branding the play “filth” due to one female character’s costume of skimpy lingerie.
Nurmagomedov slammed the production as “pornography” and demanded action from government officials to ban any further showings of the play in Dagestan.
“Why is the leadership in Dagestan keeping quiet, where are the deputies of the people’s assembly, where are the heads of the regions, where are the deputy minister and ministers themselves?” the undefeated Russian wrote on Instagram.
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“What, you are all keeping quiet, they called this performance ‘Hunting for Men’. It’s a direct insult to us… Be men, at least someone speak out.
“My advice to the leadership of Dagestan, organise an investigation, and the organisers receive punishment according to the law and apologise to the people, and in future for this never to be repeated, that events of this type are controlled at the level of the ministers and leaders of the Republic.”
Nurmagomedov has since deleted the picture of the female character that so appalled him and replaced it with an image of a black background.
But his comments clearly made an impact as the play’s producer, Ivan Zhidkov, has revealed that he has received personal threats on social media since Nurmagomedov complained.
“On behalf of the creative group of the project, I apologise for any unintended offence to people in Dagestan,” Zhidkov wrote in a social media post, as translated by RT. “The performance was in no way intended to show ‘indecency.’ It’s a classic Italian play, which has been performed around the world for many years.
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“The bed scene [referred to by Khabib] is part of the performance. We did not suspect that it could cause such resonance. [My direct messages] are littered with threats. I understand that this is the answer to our intended offence, but still…
“Different people have their traditions and foundations, and we respect that, but we did not take into account that everything was so strict. They invited us, and we came with pleasure. What happened, I think, makes one think about the censorship of many who want to organise a concert or performance in Dagestan.”
