Putin meets Van Damme at big fight

St Petersburg (Russia):Russian President Vladimir Putin rolled out the red carpet for Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme and a score of grizzled martial arts fighters in St Petersburg, state-run television reported on Sunday. Putin treated the fighters to tea and cakes at the chandelier-lined hall of the Konstantinovsky palace following a mixed martial arts contest. Dubbed “Russia versus America,” Saturday’s contest was won by Russian champion Fedor Yemelyanenko who defeated US rival Matt “The Law” Lindland. Television footage showed judo enthusiast Putin, dressed entirely in black and with no tie, greeting martial arts films veteran Van Damme in the sports hall.