Kadyrov ally Khamzat Chimaev disapproves of mixing sports and politics

Khamzat Chimaev does not approve of athletes being held accountable for their political leanings. The UFC welterweight standout, who was born in the occupied…

By: Karim Zidan | 10 months ago
Kadyrov ally Khamzat Chimaev disapproves of mixing sports and politics
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Khamzat Chimaev does not approve of athletes being held accountable for their political leanings.

The UFC welterweight standout, who was born in the occupied republic of Chechnya within the Russian Federation but primarily resides in Sweden, published a recent Instagram post voicing support for his “Motherland.” Chimaev also spoke out against the general politicization of athletes, especially in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We are athletes, each of us is a patriot of our Motherland,” Chimaev said in an Instagram post accompanied by a training montage from the lead-up to his fight with Gilbert Burns. “Lately everyone has interfered with sports with politics. We stand for the country where we live. I am proud of my Motherland and I know that my Motherland is proud of me and supports me.”

While Chimaev’s post could be interpreted as an emotional display of patriotism, it is worth noting that the UFC star is a longstanding ally of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen dictator currently facing U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses including forced disappearances, torture, summary executions and an ongoing purge of Chechnya’s LGBTQ+ community.

Since emerging as a breakout star, Chimaev has risen to become Kadyrov’s favorite fighter. The dictator gifted Chimaev a luxury Mercedes Benz (which Chimaev promptly crashed) and reportedly convinced Chimaev not to retire despite suffering from health complications from a bout with COVID-19.

Chimaev has regularly visited the Akhmat MMA facilities, where he hosted training seminars for children, participated in interviews that later aired on Chechen state TV, and took part in photo-ops with Kadyrov. Most recently, Chimaev was posted footage of himself sparring with Kadyrov, whom he allowed to wrestle him to the ground. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Chimaev is opposed to the politicization of athletes given his ties to Kadyrov.

Share this story

About the author
Karim Zidan
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.

More from the author

Related Stories