Khamzat Chimaev and the UFC's Kadyrov problem

MMA star Khamzat Chimaev’s first defeat at UFC 328 on May 10 wasn’t just a blow to his 15-0 undefeated record — it was a rare moment of silence from the Chechen fighter. After the judges declared American Sean Strickland the winner of the match, Chimaev placed the championship belt around his opponent’s waist and left the ring without addressing the crowd.

It was a radically different end compared to his usual post-match displays of bravado, which have included the slogan “Akhmat — sila” (“Akhmat is power”).

For international fans of the multi-billion dollar American sport who don’t know Chechen history or speak Russian, the phrase always meant little. But every time Chimaev has triumphantly shouted “Akhmat — sila” to the crowd, the cameras have amplified a slogan that signals allegiance to Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.

Kadyrov has been under U.S. sanctions since 2017, and many of his associates and family members were sanctioned in 2020 and 2022. Despite a period from 2023-2024 where Chimaev competed in the United Arab Emirates because of what many suspect were U.S. visa issues relating to his friendship with Kadyrov, Chimaev resumed U.S. competitions in 2025 — and credited U.S. President Donald Trump for his return.

To many, the fact that Chimaev fights in the UFC — even though he openly flaunts his relationship with Kadyrov — feels like the organization is turning a blind eye to, or even normalizing, his ties the Chechen dictator.

“I would say that the UFC allowing Chimaev to compete normalizes Kadyrov and his crimes, which, in turn, normalizes (Russian President Vladimir) Putin — his master — and the Russian regime's longstanding abuses,” sports journalist Karim Zidan told the Kyiv Independent.

“But this doesn't mean much to the UFC, which has never faced consequences for its decision to promote Kadyrov's fighters, even when they were facing sanctions. As long as it does not impact the UFC's profit margins, they will not budge.”

Chimaev was born just months before the First Chechen War broke out in 1994. He’s spoken openly about how the aftermath of the war’s devastation — and the looming post-war presence of Russian security forces watching Chechens’ every move — shaped his childhood memories.

But even though Chimaev’s family found refuge in Sweden when he was a teenager — and he represented his adopted country in competition until becoming a citizen of the United Arab Emirates in 2025 — his meteoric rise in the MMA world ultimately brought him into Kadyrov’s orbit.

“If you were my brother, things would have been easier, there wouldn’t have been such hardship. May God honor you, my brother,” Chimaev wrote in an Instagram post from 2021, when the two reportedly first became acquainted.

Chimaev has credited Kadyrov with convincing him to stay in combat sports after he nearly retired in 2021 due to lingering health issues from Covid. The two have been seen “training” together for the cameras and Kadyrov has publicly gifted him luxury cars and other lavish items.

“This person helped me return to life — not only me, but the entire Chechen people. I would like to thank him for everything he has done and continues to do for us and our people,” Chimaev wrote about Kadyrov in 2023.

While Chimaev continues to heap praise on Kadyrov for “helping” Chechnya, reality paints a starkly different picture.

Multiple international human rights organizations have documented widespread abuses in Chechnya under Kadyrov’s rule, including abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings and other violent tactics used to maintain control.

More than 67,000 Chechen soldiers have also fought for Russia in the full-scale war against Ukraine, according to the Chechen government’s own admission. Pro-Russian Chechen soldiers, known collectively as “Kadyrovtsy (Kadyrov’s men),” have been among the Russian units who took part in war crimes in Ukraine, like the Bucha Massacre during the partial occupation of Kyiv Oblast in 2022.

None of this has stopped Chimaev from continuing to align himself with the Chechen leader. On the rare occasions he has been confronted by reporters about his ongoing relationship with Kadyrov, Chimaev has only pushed back or refused to comment outright.

“He is the president of my country. There is a king in Sweden, right? If the king tells me to come and eat with him, then I will do it,” Chimaev told Swedish media outlet Expressen in 2023.

“I will respect the king. (Kadyrov) is the president of my country and I respect him. When he invites me to dinner, then I eat dinner with him.”

When Expressen brought up Kadyrov’s ties to Putin, Chimaev only responded “I am an athlete” and reportedly called for an abrupt end to the interview.

The most pressing concern about Chimaev openly flaunting his relationship with Kadyrov — and the UFC largely turning a blind eye — is that it helps project Kremlin soft power internationally while also downplaying the regime’s many crimes.

However, another major issue is the influence Kadyrov wields in Chechnya through his influence over fighters like Chimaev, according to Harold Chambers, a researcher on the Caucasus.

“In Chechnya, Kadyrov’s monopolization of the sport at all levels means he has control over and association with the most popular sport, which facilitates early age indoctrination attempts. The success of this has manifested in the (U.S.-sanctioned) Akhmat Fight Club becoming a pipeline into the Kadyrovtsy security forces,” Chambers explained.

Chimaev is not the only MMA fighter Kadyrov has tried to influence. After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired at the peak of his career with a 29-0 winning streak, including 13-0 in the UFC, he began to visibly distance himself from Kadyrov. Previously, following victorious matches, Khabib had accepted invitations to meet publicly not only with the Chechen dictator but also with Putin himself.

Nurmagomedov remains a hugely influential sports figure in Russia, especially in the Caucuses, and while he has not publicly condemned the full-scale war against Ukraine — where his MMA career began — he has also faced little backlash for not openly supporting it like many other prominent figures in Russia.

“Khabib is an exceptional case due to his authoritative standing as a fighting legend and continuing role model around the entire region. That he is retired from fighting also helps him evade the authorities’ attempts to pressure him,” Chambers said.

In 2024, however, reports emerged that Nurmagomedov was facing legal issues in Russia, including allegations of tax evasion and property seizures, which some speculated were linked to his refusal to become a pro-war symbol.

Another MMA fighter with ties to Kadyrov faced a much darker fate. Abdul-Kerim Edilov, once described as one of Kadyrov’s “favorite” fighters, briefly competed in the UFC before devoting himself to training Kadyrov’s sons — as Chimaev does now — and even serving in Kadyrov’s government.

But in 2022, Edilov was reported dead under mysterious circumstances, with some speculating that a falling out with Kadyrov, possibly related to Edilov’s drug use, had led to his death.

Chimaev’s journey from poverty and turmoil in a war-torn country to global stardom could have been a story of hope and perseverance. If there’s any tragedy to be found in Chimaev’s life story, Chambers says, it may be that given every opportunity to chart a different course, Chimaev still chose to align himself with those that brought so much suffering to him and his fellow countrymen.

“Chimaev managed to get out (of Chechnya) and still chose to serve Kadyrov and the Kremlin. He chose the life that has had him babysitting (Kadyrov’s son) Adam in Dubai. The tragedy in Chimaev’s story is that he lived through the war and rise of Kadyrov, left, and still chose to serve Kadyrov unnecessarily.”