GLORY terminates contracts of all Russian athletes, light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov vacates belt 

Due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, kickboxing promotion GLORY has decided to to terminate the contracts of all the Russian fighters on its roster.

The promotion has cited several reasons, such as safety issues, travel restrictions and payment difficulties, for their decision.

In an official statement, the promotion's Executive Vice Chairman Scott Rudmann thanked the Russian athletes for their cooperation and their contributions. Rudmann said that the real-world circumstances were too tough to get fights for the the athletes.

"We'd like to deeply thank our Russian athletes for their cooperation during this challenging time and for their historic performances in our league. We value them as athletes, competitors, and friends, and this regrettable situation is not their fault. It's not our fault either. We respect their careers and committment to the sport, and we've gone to enormous lengths to try and make various bouts happen for them, but the real-world challenges are insurmountable in today's environment."

Henry Cejudo commented on the situation and accused the promotion of discriminating against Russian athletes.

"We really need to separate sports and politics. Whatever happen to peace through sports bridging the gap. This is straight up discrimination. #freerussianathletes."

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Artem Vakhitov vacates the GLORY light heavyweight title

The Russian fighters being released also included Artem Vakhitov, who was the light heavyweight champion of the promotion.

With Vakhitov being released, the light heavyweight title is now vacant. Luis Tavares and Sergej Maslobojev will fight at GLORY 81 in order to determine the new light heavyweight king.

The fight will take place on August 20 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Both athletes are currently on impressive win streaks. Tavares has won five fights in a row. In his last encounter, he knocked out Florent Kaouachi with punches in the third round. The professional kickboxing record of 'The Infamous' stands at 65-8.

Maslobojev, on the other hand, is on a 11-fight win streak that includes four knockout victories. 'Kuvalda' currently has a professional kickboxing record of 35-5. During his days as an amateur kickboxer, Maslobojev also scored a win against current UFC fighter Alex Pereira.