FILE PHOTO: American mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson attends a news conference in St. Petersburg, Russia October 17, 2013. Picture taken October 17, 2013. REUTERS/Andrei Pronin/Interpress
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to U.S. mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson, a presidential decree published on Tuesday showed, a move the Kremlin said was motivated by Monson's sporting fame.
Monson, 47, a tattooed cage fighter known as The Snowman, has cultivated ties to the Russian Communist Party. He has also said he feels "Russian in spirit" and has rubbed shoulders with senior Russian politicians.
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