<p><br /> Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently took Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme to watch a championship match of Ultimate Fighting at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.<br /> </p><p><br /> Ultimate Fighting - known in Russia as "Fight Without Rules" -- is a combination of boxing and karate where almost all moves are allowed.<br /> </p><p><br /> Putin and Van Damme, who have known each other for a long time, attended the Mixed Fight European Championship. The Russian fighting art sambo, referred to by Putin, is a mixed martial art and derives from an acronym meaning "self defence without weapons".<br /> </p><p><br /> Fighters from Russia's M-1 Global and Sambo-70 clubs fought against the best European contenders.<br /> </p><p><br /> This is not the first time Van Damme has come to Russia for the Mixed Martial Arts Championship.<br /> </p><p><br /> In 2007, he watched the Mixed Fight Championship between teams from Russia and the United States in St. Petersburg's where he sat together with then-Russian president Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.<br /> </p><p><br /> Putin is a judo black belt and an honorary president of the European Judo Union.<br /> </p>
