The UFC refuses to acknowledge its sketchy connection to Russian through...

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the best fighters in the world, but a lot of controversy surrounds him. For example, his manager reportedly has a sketchy past. He is also linked to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. Let’s look at Nurmagomedov’s sketchy connection with Kadyrov and who this man is.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC career and life in Russia

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Nurmagomedov was born in Dagestan, an autonomous republic in Russia. He grew up in the turbulent times after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Aside from being a devout Muslim, he had nothing to do as a child other than exercise and fight. It didn’t take long for the talented athlete to join the UFC.

Nurmagomedov was a dominant force in the octagon. After recovering from an injury, he ran for the easy title. At UFC 223, he beat Al Iaquinta to win the easy belt. In his next fight he dominated Conor McGregor in his first defense of the title. That fight was a huge hit for the UFC. And Nurmagomedov became one of his biggest stars.

At the same time, however, it also connected him to some sketchy people. Al Araby reported that those sketchy people include Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, another autonomous republic in Russia.

A look at Ramzan Kadyrov

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Like Dagestan, Chechnya is predominantly Muslim. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Chechnya tried to gain independence from Russia. This led to two bloody and brutal wars, and Russia needed someone to keep the peace in Chechnya. That someone was Kadyrov, the leader of a militia. He became the leader of Chechnya in 2007 and he is a controversial figure.

The Guardian reported that there are “Chechen death squads” in Europe killing people. The Guardian also reported that in Chechnya people are being arrested for various reasons and some are human rights violations. According to The Guardian, having a false beard, suspicion of being gay or criticizing the government can lead to arrest in Chechnya.

In addition, The Guardian said in a previous report that Kadyrov televised MMA fights between children. His three sons, who were eight, nine and ten years old at the time, all took part in this MMA tournament. Actual MMA fighters like Fedor Emelianenko even criticized this, but this incident is a sign of how much Kadyrov loves MMA.

Kadyrovs MMA-Interessen

Kadyrov loves MMA so much that he started his own organization, WFCA. It has since merged with the ACA or the Absolute Championship Akhmat. The ACA is very popular in Russia. Many UFC fighters from Russia have proven themselves by fighting there. In addition, Kadyrov has invited many of the UFC’s biggest stars to his events and home.

Nurmagomedov has interacted with Kadyrov in the past, but he is not alone. Many famous UFC stars, as well as boxing stars, have visited Kadyrov, according to Bloody Elbow. For example, Bloody Elbow wrote that former champions Chris Weidman, Frank Mir and Mike Tyson have visited Kadyrov in the past, among others. Usually Kadyrov gave gifts to these fighters, and sometimes they just show off some of his MMA events.

So far, the UFC has simply ignored these interactions and connections with Kadyrov, as has Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov usually prefers to focus on fighting than politics, and so does the UFC in general.