UFC fighter Paulo Costa's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been met with backlash.
Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine in February after a build-up of tension between the two countries. Over 20,000 civilians have since been feared to be dead in the city of Mariupol whilst other residents attempt to flee the cities of Kyiv and Svyatoshynskyi.
Nations have responded to Putin's actions by freezing the assets of a number of oligarchs linked to the Russian leader. In the meantime, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that negotiations with the country have gone well, as reported by The Mirror.
Costa, a former UFC title challenger, recently slammed the US and French Presidents as "weak leaders" whilst praising Putin despite his actions as of late.
Costa took to Twitter to state: "Vladimir Putin is not a weak leader like Biden or Macron. He is an ex-military man who was once stabbed in the belly and survived. He is another level of world leader. You may hate it, but it's the truth."
The Brazilian's comments have sparked controversy among the fighting community with former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub being among those to criticise Costa. 'Big Brown' thinks many fighters should keep their opinions quiet when discussing politics.
"For some of these MMA guys, when they talk about politics, I wish you didn’t. If you knew the horrible s***, clearly, just turn on the news," he said on ' The Schaub Show.'
"They’re killing pregnant women, innocent children; murdering kids, bombing daycare centers, bombing hospital…You don’t know what the f*** you’re talking about." You have no clue, dude.
"To tweet something like that, you’ve gotta be a god damn moron. You're a f****** moron.” But again, these guys, you wanna talk about, like, you have any idea what you’re talking about? Co-signing Putin."
"Just pick up a goddamn book, man. Watch the news. You can’t co-sign this f****** devil. Talking about a really bad dude; responsible for thousands of lives, man. You have millions of people looking for safety and refuge here.”
It's not the first time Costa has shared his controversial political opinions. The UFC star has previously voiced his support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is known for his concerning views on homosexuality and women's rights.
Several Ukrainian fighters such as boxing heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Bellator titleholder Yaroslav Amosov have recently put their careers on hold to defend their country from Russian attacks.
UFC flyweight Maryna Moroz sent an expletive message to Putin before her UFC 272 fight, in which she later broke down in tears after dedicating the win to those suffering in her native country.
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