MMA: Chechen leader has more interactions with UFC fighters amid US sanctions

NEW YORK – As the war in Ukraine heads into winter, Ramzan Kadyrov, one of the closest allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is gaining more visibility and propagandist fodder through his connections with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters and others in mixed martial arts.

And although the UFC as a company has repeatedly said its business has no connections to Kadyrov and that it follows all laws, government officials in the United States say they are aware of the apparent ties between UFC athletes and Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, who faces severe legal restrictions.

Kadyrov has supplied soldiers to support the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine and has been one of the most hawkish cheerleaders of the invasion, at one point calling on Putin to use a low-yield nuclear weapon against Ukraine.

Kadyrov also owns several businesses tied to MMA that have been restricted by the US Treasury Department for US citizens and others looking to do business in the US. The businesses include Akhmat MMA, a gym that trains and sponsors fighters, and the restrictions also keep people from doing business with Kadyrov.

Still, the main event for UFC 282 last Saturday featured Magomed Ankalaev, who has been sponsored by Akhmat for nearly his whole career, competing for the light heavyweight championship.

Neither Ankalaev nor his opponent took the belt after a rare split draw. Still, the bout was the latest in a string of recent moments that have linked UFC personalities with Kadyrov and people in his orbit.

Last month, three former UFC champions visited Chechnya at the behest of Kadyrov, who was first rebuked with Treasury sanctions in 2017 and accused of a wide range of human rights abuses, including kidnapping, torturing and killing LGBTQ people in Chechnya.

He was given additional sanctions related to the war in September, as were his wives and adult children.

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje were pictured in November testing out grenade launchers and assault rifles at the Russian Special Forces University in Chechnya. The facility is used to train Russia’s special forces units, including those participating in the war.

Usman, Gaethje and Cejudo also attended a birthday party for one of Kadyrov’s teenage sons. For Usman, it was the third time he had visited Chechnya since 2020 and the second time since the Treasury Department imposed sanctions directly on Kadyrov’s MMA businesses.

Some Chechen MMA fighters, such as breakout UFC star Khamzat Chimaev, also have extensive ties to Kadyrov.

Ali Abdelaziz, an agent who represents Usman, Gaethje, Cejudo and Ankalaev, among many other fighters, did not respond to messages seeking comment. Neither did an agent for Chimaev.

On Twitter on Sunday, Gaethje said he had never met Kadyrov but acknowledged his trip to Chechnya. “Went for the kid’s birthday party,” he said. “I also like to shoot guns.”

The sanctions, which are broad, are generally designed to discourage people from taking actions that will benefit those facing restrictions financially or in other ways. Simple interactions could be subject to harsh penalties.

A US State Department official familiar with the investigations of Kadyrov’s business dealings said in a statement: “The Department of State is aware of Kadyrov’s association with Chechen UFC fighters.”

The official was not authorised to publicly discuss the application of the Treasury sanctions and shared the statement on the condition of anonymity.

Although the State Department had previously noted Kadyrov’s ties within combat sports, the statement is its first direct mention of athletes with the UFC having ties to him.

In October, at UFC 280, which was held in the United Arab Emirates, Chimaev sat cage-side along with two of Kadyrov’s teenage sons, who are minors and not among his children named in the sanctions.

Chimaev and one of the boys, who is 14, posed for a photograph with UFC president Dana White. The image later appeared on an Instagram account associated with Kadyrov, who has long used similar photographs to burnish his reputation.

In a statement, the UFC said it had “no contractual relationship or any commercial dealings with Ramzan Kadyrov” or anybody affiliated with him.

It added that the more than 600 fighters from more than 70 countries were independent contractors “who have control over many aspects of their careers, including where they train or where they live when not competing”.

Maxim Grishin, a Russian-born Akhmat MMA fighter, was scheduled to fight in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, but his bout was abruptly cancelled just days before. Grishin said in an interview with a Russian news outlet that he struggled to secure a visa.

Grishin said he did not believe his affiliation with Kadyrov led to his travel difficulties but he also revealed that he was advised not to publicise their friendly relationship. NYTIMES

The UFC declined to answer questions about Grishin. Asked about denials of visas to Russian nationals, a State Department spokesperson said that visa records were confidential and that, by law, it could not provide details about individual visas.

In September, the State Department announced visa restrictions against 910 Russians in response to the invasion of Ukraine, as well as sanctions against other key Russian officials.

“We will hold to account any individual, entity or country that provides political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the announcement. NYTIMES