A Russian politician known for his homophobic views suffered a humiliating beating at the hands of an aged actor during a bizarre celebrity fight in Moscow last week.
Vitaly Milonov, the State Duma deputy who referred to homophobia as “beautiful and natural” and called for gay people to be “sterilized,” faced Russian-Ukrainian cult actor Nikita Dzhigurda in a mixed martial arts bout that lasted a total of three rounds. The 47-year politician was clad in a white t-shirt, a pair of blue trunks and matching gloves, and spent the vast majority of the fight dodging punches from his 60-year-old opponent.
According to a report from Match TV, Milonov asked for a change of rules shortly before the fight began in order to prohibit punches to the head or liver. Once the fight began, he reportedly told his opponent that he was hitting him too hard, despite the limited exchange of blows in the opening two rounds. Milonov later claimed that he was deceived by Dzhigurda, whom he did not expect to take the fight seriously.
As for Dzhigurda, he claimed to have prepared for the fight by abstaining from sex with his wife, two-time French Olympic champion Marina Anissina, for six months. Despite his unusual training regimen, the actor looked comfortable in the bout and clearly took mercy on his opponent. “When a person looks at you in the third round with a pleading look… I understand that he is a deputy, not a fighter,” Dzhigurda said after the fight.
Nikita Dzhigurda pounds State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov in the octagon. There is no full video of the fight yet. Milonov promised that a revenge would take place in a year.
“I will beat him so that the pieces will go through the back streets. I’ll prepare for a year pic.twitter.com/4beynGTbVb
— Oleg But (@olegbut52) October 6, 2021
Milonov’s loss made headlines given the politician’s well publicized homophobia. In 2013, Milonov suggested that gay athletes should be subject to arrest at the Sochi Olympics if caught “promoting homosexuality to minors.” The State Duma deputy also reportedly made antisemetic statements to the St. Petersburg Legislative Council and has attempted to pass legislation proposing to use the historic name Constantinople for Istanbul in all Russian media and maps.
Despite his loss, Milonov expects to face Dzhigurda again in the near future. “There will be a rematch. I just need to learn to at least somehow do this business [of fighting],” he said.
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