Video: Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov puts own children in MMA fights

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

One of the most deplorable incidents in Russian MMA history took place in Grozny, Chechnya on Tuesday afternoon.

Chechnya’s strongman ruler Ramzan Kadyrov hosted the latest World Fight Championships of Akhmat (WFCA) event on October 4, a show that featured WSOF flyweight champion Magmoed Bibulatov, former Bellator fighter Magomedrasul ‘Frodo’ Khasbulaev and others. However, in a baffling decision, the unsavory ruler placed his own children in MMA fights on the professional show.

The oldest of Kadyrov’s children, Akhmad, is 11 years old and weighs 30 kilograms. He eventually won his fight by KO. The other two sons, 10 and 9 years old, won unanimous decisions and were awarded miniaturized belts for their efforts while Kadyrov’s henchmen celebrated around them.

The video of the fight is available here.

The entire incident is a reminder of how Kadyrov controls Chechnya like his own personal fiefdom. While children fighting on professional shows is unlikely to be regulated by the Russian MMA Union, Kadyrov does not need such formalities to impose his will. His latest WFCA show came shortly after an alleged assassination attempt on his life.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.