Mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson who has been long proclaiming his love for Russia and the Russian people will soon have his dream come true – his Russian passport is almost ready.

In an interview with RT Jeff Monson shed light on the reasons why he feels so connected to such a distant and mysterious country that he’s decided to become its citizen and fight in the ring under its flag.

When asked to explain the phrase “I have the Russian soul” from a recent interview, Monson entered into a detailed explanation, saying that his fascination with Russia is rooted in his childhood when the USSR still existed.

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“People say ‘why did you choose Russia?’ and I say, ‘I think Russia chose me as much as I chose Russia… I feel like this is home.’"

Starting with Moscow and St. Petersburg, Monson has visited around 40 Russian cities over the last five years. However, the most “shocking and surprising” thing for him have been the Russian people.

“They are so generous, they open their homes to me, they open their hearts to me.”

Monson, who has a Twitter account partially written in Russian, admits that those tweets are currently written by a special group working on it, but he plans to improve his Russian skills nonetheless. Every day he adds a couple of new words to his active vocabulary and keeps practicing.

Monson, being interested in the current political situation, also commented on the US-Russia relationship. Although it is reminiscent of the Cold War, people should not pay attention to what’s going on between the governments because we all share basic human values, he noted.

The only things about Russia that really bug Monson are traffic jams and the Wi-Fi connection, which he deems volatile – we say, check your phone, Mr. Monson!

As for now, all the documents necessary for his acquiring a new passport have been approved and the procedure of turning him into an official Russian is almost complete.