Russian MMA fighter Dmitry ‘Anubis’ Kuznetsov has revealed scorned fans threatened he would receive “a bullet in the head” in response to releasing a diss track titled ‘Hypocrisy King,’ aimed at UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Kuznetsov released the rap song in a dig at Khabib in April, and later took to Instagram to claim he had been attacked by fans furious at the track’s disrespect toward the UFC lightweight champion.
In an interview with RT, Kuznetsov detailed the torrent of abuse he has faced in the aftermath, including death threats and physical beatings, which he says are forcing him to move.
You said that you planned to move. Has this taken place yet?
Not yet. But it soon will.
Is the move connected with the attacks on you?
That’s the reason. People already more or less know where I live, they know my car’s license plate number. At this stage of the situation moving is the only option.
Do you think the situation will get worse?
I’m sure it will. The messages and threats continue to come, apart from a new trend that has emerged. They’ve started to accuse me of being gay, faking chats in which I allegedly confirm that.
Do you fear for your life?
It’s hard to say anything about that. People are different, they can be really unpleasant. Some wrote that this story has only one outcome – that I will get a bullet in the head.
It’s strange that not only Khabib’s fans write to me, but outsiders too.
Coming back to the last time you were attacked. Can you tell us in detail what exactly happened?
I was driving to the shop late at night. After which I needed to meet a friend. Before turning I reduced my speed, and at that moment bricks came flying at the windscreen and the right-hand-side door. There were people standing on the left, so I turned right and stopped.
What was it?
One guy was hitting the right side glass with a tire iron, four others with their fists on the left. They were screaming ‘get out!’. At that moment I was filled with emotion; the car isn’t mine, I share it with my dad.
I came out of the car but didn’t manage to do anything, scarcely landing a couple of punches. They attacked me from behind, beat me to the ground, dragged me along the concrete. I tried to fight them off, kick out, but it was futile.
When did it all end?
They ran off only when they saw another car approaching. Although it came from the other side.
Did they shout anything, when they were beating you?
They said: “apologize” and “answer for your words,” things of that nature. In general, there was no real dialogue. It was just swearing and threats.
You announced that after the clip they accused you of fascism. What exactly do you think could be the reason for such accusations?
I don’t know. It’s possible that the fact is I speak the truth. People cannot answer in a reasonable manner, and so they start to make up other things. Initially they called me a fascist, they said that I propagate homosexuality in Russia.
Where has that come from?
Maybe it’s because of my haircut. There were many comments on the subject of my image. In my view, some people are limited in their vocabulary and they don’t have anything else to say. Now I’m not instigating anything, but rather those who send insults to me.
Did you not want to offend people from the Caucasus with this clip?
Of course not.
Why did you decide to release this clip?
It is my artistic approach to solving a problem in Russian MMA. I am sure that in the future it will help make MMA fans more loyal, more rational, and mainly tactical. That will lead to an increase in the number of spectators and fans, because this sport will no longer be considered barbaric.
Many now believe that your main aim is to get famous off the back of Khabib.
That’s not the point. But who else can I write about if attention is fixed mainly on him? About those people who have no influence over Russian MMA? I could write about Jon Jones, who makes the same old mistakes again and again. But here it doesn’t worry anyone.
Do you think the reaction in that situation would be the same?
I am certain that none of the fans of Jones, nor McGregor, would begin writing to me. It’s all about how you react. You need to accept criticism. You can passionately discuss something, but to send death threats and rape threats – it’s not right.
Why is the clip called ‘Hypocrisy King’?
Because of the double standards. For instance, in Nurmagomedov’s team they judge McGregor, but behave themselves in the same way. They say one thing and then do another.
Right now you don’t regret that you released the clip?
No. I understood that it would be difficult for me. People say that I made a big mistake. But I think that this way I showed the environment in Russian MMA.
Do you not think that a lot of people were hostile to your clip because they don’t really accept trash talk in Russia?
That’s the problem. Maybe it’s not the norm here, but people follow closely when there is trash talk, elements of a show, a story. It is like a TV series or a film. People want to see something more than a fight.
What feedback did you get?
Many supported me, they liked what I’m doing. But there were a lot of negatives. Even among fighters they called me a douchebag, and said that men don’t behave that way. That I need to just quietly and calmly go about my business. But I’m of a different opinion. I try to show that MMA is intriguing and attractive. Look at the tournaments in Japan – it is more like theater.
Do you not think that the negative reactions might be because Khabib is an unbeaten UFC champion and Kuznetsov is a fighter in a less prestigious promotions, with a record of 11-6?
Yes, people think that a person doesn’t have the right to speak out on some subjects if he hasn’t achieved great success. But then again they actively judge the authorities, diverse organizations and groups.
How do you react to that?
I think it’s a huge misunderstanding. I don’t understand why I don’t have the right to say anything about him if I have six defeats.
Have you personally met Khabib?
No, never. Many people write to me “Why don’t you say it to his face?” I think that it isn’t necessary to know someone personally to have an opinion on them. I wouldn’t call him an insufferable personality. But there are moments that show who he is in reality.
When did you begin to follow him?
In actual fact, I’ve not been in MMA long. But from 2014 I started to follow Khabib. I really liked him as a fighter. Maybe his fights can seem boring sometimes, but he is effective. He won, didn’t say much, acted very dignified.
Judging by what is in the clip, you started to dislike Khabib quite some time ago. When did this start?
When McGregor got the fight with Eddie Alvarez. At that moment they used Khabib to make Conor agree to fight for less. After that Khabib began to trash talk and so did his teammates to get under the Irishman’s skin. They called him something like ‘McChicken’.
