Chechnya and the UFC: A Dangerous Relationship

How Ramzan Kadyrov is using MMA to increase his power

Chechnya is a semi-autonomous republic of the Russian Federation.
Ramzan Kadyrov is the President of this entity.
Putin's trusted man. His puppet.

Ramzan Kadyrov has been in power since 2007, basically for two reasons.
Moscow's financial support and the Kadyrovtsy.
The latter are the Chechen leader's militias, through which he maintains internal control, implementing a repressive and violent regime.

Some of them train in Kadyrov's gyms.
The same gyms in which Chechen fighters who have reached the world's most famous octagon trained—and still train.
That of the UFC.

Source: Musa Sadulayev/Copyright 2022 The AP.

Chechnya and the Chechens

Before plumbing the sports part of this story, it is necessary to have a clear picture of Chechnya and its people: the Chechens.
The Chechens are an indigenous people of the North Caucasus and represent the third largest ethnic group in Russia, according to the 2021 census.

They profess the Islamic religion and belong to the Sunni branch. Their language belongs to the Nakh branch of the Caucasian language family. Thanks to their organization into clans, they have managed over the years to keep their cultural identity intact. A remarkable achievement, considering the complicated relationship they have always had with Russia.

Chechnya's resistance to Russian conquest dates back to the 19th century. Under the leadership of leader Imam Shāmil, the Chechens-along with other Caucasian peoples-opposed a long resistance to tsarist forces. Despite initial successes, Shāmil's capture in 1859 marked a major decline in Chechen autonomy.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013.

Fighting between the Russians and Chechens continued for years. With the Russians no longer knowing what tactics to use to take control of that region, they offered Chechens and Ingush to join the Ottoman Empire. The vast majority agreed.

After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the establishment of Soviet rule met with strong resistance in Chechnya. With some areas remaining insubordinate until the 1920s. In 1922, the Chechens were granted an autonomous oblast and later joined with Ingushetia to form the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1936.

Then came World War II, which represented a real collective trauma for the Chechen population. Accused by Stalin of collaborating with Nazi Germany - they were the victims of mass deportations along with the Ingush - to Central Asia. As a result, the Chechen-Ingush Republic ceased to exist.

Thousands of Chechens and Ingush were forced to leave their lands and move to Central Asia. Many died during the journey or in the first years of exile because of the harsh living conditions. The return, allowed by Khrushchev only in 1957, did not help them to get back to their normality.

Their lands had been occupied by settlers, and distrust of the Soviet state only increased. The effect of deportation was to destroy several communities, fueling feelings of injustice that would influence Chechen politics for generations. Chechens felt marginalized, due to decades of Russian immigration and rule.

Knowing the history of Chechnya is crucial because it allows us to understand how it serves as a microcosm of what Vladimir Putin is trying to enact in Ukraine.

Chechnya has always been a turbulent part of the Russian and then Soviet empires. Only with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991- described by Putin as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century - was it able to taste a glimmer of independence.

It was Dzhokhar Dudayev, a former Soviet Air Force general, who declared Chechnya's independence, declaring the birth of a de facto independent state. This decision escalated the tensions with Moscow.

Shortly thereafter, Moscow tried to restore its control over the fledgling state. In December 1994, it launched a full-scale invasion, marking the beginning of the first Chechen war. However, the conflict turned out to be a humiliating failure for Moscow. The Chechen fighters, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, won a surprising victory and forced a Russian withdrawal. Put on black and white with the cease-fire signed in 1996.

The fragile peace came to an end in 1999, when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused Chechen militants of being responsible for terrorist attacks in Russia, although there was no evidence of this.

This motivation allowed Moscow to start the second Chechen war. Russian forces retook Grozny in 2000 after razing the city, but Chechen fighters continued a guerrilla war from the mountains.

The conflict drew the rest of the world's attention primarily to two events. The hostage crisis at Moscow's Dubrovka Theater in 2002 and the Beslan school siege in 2004, resulted in hundreds of deaths and global condemnation of Chechen militants.

Western powers merely condemned human rights violations without intervening directly. This was partly due to the perception of Chechnya as an internal Russian issue, but also because the Chechens did not have as strong international support as other independence movements.

After September 11, 2001, Russia cleverly linked the Chechen independence movement to global Islamic radicalism, using the “war on terror” to justify its actions in Chechnya.

This shift in narrative caused the Chechens to lose much of the international sympathy they had initially received, portraying the conflict as a struggle against terrorism rather than a legitimate movement for self-determination.

The first step in achieving peace was the implementation of a Chechenization process. Vladimir Putin decided to entrust the management of the conflict to those Chechens who were loyal to Moscow. Akhmat Kadyrov cleverly decided to switch sides and became the leader of this new alliance.

The goal of this process, according to sociologists Le Huérou and Merlin, was to: “ensure the reintegration and anchoring of the Republic in the Russian Federation after two wars of extreme violence.”

In 2004, pro-Russian Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov was assassinated. An event that threatened to destabilize the precarious balance in the region. But Putin ran for cover and three years later put Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmad's son, in the presidency of Chechnya.

Over the years, Kadyrov consolidated power through authoritarian measures and brutal suppression of dissent, ensuring Chechnya's loyalty to Moscow. Today, Chechnya is symbolic of unresolved tensions between its people's aspirations for autonomy and the Russian Federation's insistence on maintaining control.

And in addition to repression and authoritarian measures, Ramzan Kadyrov is using another method to achieve his goals: sports.

Fight Club Akhmat

Since coming to power, Ramzan Kadyrov has shaped Chechen society. Kicking off a process of exalting athletic prowess and military might as hallmarks of Chechen men.

Thanks to the substantial budget made available to him by Moscow, among his most important investments have been sports. Kadyrov owns a Russian Premier League soccer team and an award-winning horse stable in the United Arab Emirates.

But the centrepiece of his sports propaganda strategy is combat sports. In 2014 he founded the Akhmat Sports Club. Named in memory of his father. The club initially focused exclusively on boxing.

Later, mixed martial arts (MMA) was also added. This enabled the club to become one of the most important and well-known in all of Russia. But Kadyrov would not stop. The next step was to launch a chain of gyms. Also named in memory of his father, Akhmat MMA.

In these gyms, Kadyrov allows young Chechens to train. The best ones, go on to the next level and are paid by him to train and become professional fighters; to represent the country in international competitions. This goal has already been achieved.

Several of the boys who started from Akhmat MMA gyms have managed to reach the highest point of mixed martial arts, the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The UFC is the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Founded in 1993 in the United States, it organizes events in which athletes from different disciplines (such as boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing, karate, etc.) compete in an octagon (an octagonal cage).

UFC rules allow for a combination of striking techniques (kicks, punches, elbows) and wrestling (projections, submissions). Matches are divided into weight categories and last three to five rounds, each lasting five minutes.

In the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene, several fighters of Chechen origin have reached the UFC. Among them, Khamzat Chimaev is undoubtedly the most famous one.
Other Chechen talents who fought in the UFC are Islam Dulatov, Adlan Amagov, Mamed Khalidov, Zubaira Tukhugov, Zelim Imadaev, and Magomed Bibulatov.

Ramzan Kadyrov and Khamzat Chimaev. Source: Khamzat Chimaev Instagram profile

These fighters, in addition to achieving a significant career milestone, also put Chechnya on the mixed martial arts map. Strengthening the region's image in the global combat sports scene.

All of this helped cement Kadyrov's image as the patron of the sport. By coming to be associated with MMA, even the allegations against him for human rights violations have faded into the background.

The presence of Chechen fighters in the UFC offered Kadyrov a platform of global resonance to promote his political agenda. However, the strong closeness between these fighters and Chechnya's ruler has raised international concerns.

The U.S. State Department has stated that it is aware of the ties between Kadyrov and some UFC athletes, stressing the ethical and political implications of such relationships. And it has introduced sanctions against him, even affecting his martial arts-related activities. Trying to make it impossible for anyone to do business with him.

Despite these actions, Chechen athletes continued to appear in the UFC octagon as if nothing had happened. The UFC has stated that it has no contractual or business relationship with Kadyrov. And that the athletes are independent contractors.

Sports and war

Sports and war are intertwined as perhaps never before in this story.

Kadyrov has been one of the strongest supporters of the Russian war on Ukraine. He immediately became willing to provide his militias, the so-called Kadyrovtsy to support Russian forces. Militias that already existed in his father’s time, but which Ramzan - thanks to the money that came in from Moscow - transformed into full-fledged paramilitary units. Used to kill, and torture citizens, homosexuals, journalists and dissidents living abroad.

Putin is no stranger to using Chechen militias on battlefields. The exercise was undertaken as early as 2010 when he employed them in both Ukraine and Syria. Since February 2022, Chechens have been among the key players in the Russian offensive. Participating in battles such as Mariupol and being blamed for the Bucha massacre.

Up to this point, this would all fit into a rather predictable scenario. Considering that Kadyrov is the president of Chechnya solely at Putin's behest. What one might not expect, however, is the connection that some of these Kadyrotsy have with MMA and the UFC.

Let us start with one name, Abuzayed Vismuradov. One of the leaders of the Kadyrovtsy, but who in parallel is the head of the Akhmat Fight Club. And he has been seen at UFC events outside the octagon.

Another important name is that of Abdul-Kerim Edilov. One of the fighters who started from Kadyrov's gyms and made it to the UFC. He later became minister of sports and youth in Chechnya. Although he was not among those who personally went to fight in Ukraine, he can be seen in the video shot immediately after the start of the conflict in Ukraine - in the main square of Grozny - with all of Kadyrov's troops ready to go to fight. Edilov was featured in a sudden and equally unexpected death.

And then there is Beslan Ushukov, UFC fighter and at the same time special forces soldier.

The cases of these three individuals, demonstrate the interconnection between sports and war in Chechnya. And they are no coincidence. Because if the main goal of the gym is to create fighters who can reach the level of the UFC, for all those who cannot make it, the doors of the Kadyrovtsy are opened.

In this way, the gym also serves as a tool to be able to enlarge Kadyrov’s army. By having larger and larger personal militias, Kadyrov ensures that he can stay in power: both because these defend him, and also because he can send them to do Putin's dirty work.

The war in Ukraine to understand Chechnya

However, the Kadyrovtsy are not the only Chechens present in Ukraine. On the other side of the front, anti-Russian Chechen units, composed largely of veterans of the First and Second Chechen Wars, are fighting with Ukraine and against the Kadyrov men. Among the most important units are the Sheikh Mansur Battalion and the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion.

The Russian victory in Chechnya has not stopped the Chechens' fight for freedom. After fighting in their homeland, many of them continued their resistance in Syria and later in Ukraine. It was in Ukraine that freedom-seeking Chechens clashed directly with troops loyal to the Kadyrov family.

This reality shows us a much clearer and more complex picture of Chechnya. If from an outside look, Kadyrov seems to have the reins of power in his hands and thanks to Putin's approval and money, he does not seem to be able to fall. Internally, he has a section of the population that does not want him and is ready to fight a war that is not its own to bring him down.

This internal division poses the greatest danger to Kadyrov. And the power of sports to try to reduce this division as much as possible, should not be underestimated.

Sport as a tool of soft and hard power

We can divide the goals of Kadyrov's use of sports into two categories: hard and soft power.

But first, it is fair to ask, why did he focus specifically on martial arts?

The Caucasus has an important culture for combat sports. So many of the best wrestling and MMA champions come from that region. The most famous name is that of Khabib Nurmagomedov, from Dagestan. Another Russian republic, bordering Chechnya.

In the category of hard power, falls the use of his gyms to train and educate boys who, if they fail to achieve major milestones in MMA, will still be ready to join militias.

Turning to soft power, here the goals are multiple.

First and foremost, there is Kadyrov's desire to build a Chechen national identity that fits his goals. The Chechen leader's idea is to create a prototype of the ideal Chechen male. A strong, valiant, brave, violent man. Ready to fight in any situation: whether in the octagon, in front of the world's cameras, or in Ukraine, on an actual battlefield.

MMA, synonymous with violence and masculinity, is the best sport for creating a new society and expanding its influence.

Through this identity-building process, Kadyrov aims to unify the state and its people around a new history and ideology. Thus developing a strong sense of national identity that will allow him to maintain political stability. By providing his gyms, paying young people to train, and supporting them so they can achieve their dream of making it to the UFC, Kadyrov also seeks to attract his opponents.

And all those athletes who have made it to the UFC are Kadyrov's best calling card. Both internally, but especially externally. On the one hand, they serve as role models for the youth of the country and the region. On the other, they allow him to improve his image both nationally and internationally.

At this rate, it will always be easier to associate Kadyrov's name with the MMA man in Chechnya than with the oppressive leader who tramples on human rights.