Chimaev’s UFC 279 victory celebrated by Kaydrov’s ruling clique

In the wake of Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant submission victory against Kevin Holland in the UFC 279 co-main event, the Chechen fighter is being celebrated…

By: Karim Zidan | 9 months ago
Chimaev’s UFC 279 victory celebrated by Kaydrov’s ruling clique
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

In the wake of Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant submission victory against Kevin Holland in the UFC 279 co-main event, the Chechen fighter is being celebrated by some of the most dangerous and controversial men in Russia.

Among the first to congratulate Chimaev following his performance on Saturday night was Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen dictator accused of well-documented human rights abuses, including forced disappearances, torture, summary executions and an ongoing purge of Chechnya’s LGBTQ+ community.

The dictator posted a series of short videos from Chimaev’s fight along with the phrase “Akhmat Sila,” a battle cry popularized by Kadyrov that translates to Akhmat Power. It is also a phrase that has consistently been used by Chechen troops taking part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hours later, Kadyrov shared a second post on his official VKontakte account, adding that “Chimaev absolutely does not worry about his weight, but he does not stand on ceremony with other categories either. He just goes out, wins, dictates his conditions in the octagon and puts things in order.”

Kadyrov’s children, both of whom compete in unsanctioned youth MMA fights as part of Kadyrov’s dynastic propaganda displays, also shared congratulatory posts on Instagram.

Others who reveled in Chimaev’s success include Adam Delimkhanov, a Chechen politician and military commander who is currently involved in the Siege of Mariupol during Russia’s war on Ukraine. Delimkhanov posted highlights of Chimaev’s fight on Telegram along with a lengthy message congratulating his “dear brother” on his victory.

“Last night, Khamzat defeated Kevin Holland, an American opponent with lightning speed,” Delimkhanov said. “Now Borz’s record is 12 fights and 12 wins. Brilliant result! In the fight with Holland, Khamzat imposed his game from the first seconds, tied the opponent for two minutes, until he went to the choke. Of course, the entire Chechen Republic and Russia were rooting for our compatriot.”

Elsewhere, Akhmed Dudayev, the Chechen minister for national policy and foreign relations, posted a picture of himself standing beside Chimaev on Telegram and noted that the UFC fighter’s “main fan, the Head of the Chechen Republic, the Hero of Russia, my dear BROTHER Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov highly appreciates his human qualities and desire for victory!”

It is worth noting that while Kadyrov, Delimkhanov, and the Akhmat MMA fight club are currently facing U.S. Treasury sanctions, Chimaev continues to associate with these entities on a regular basis.

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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.

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