Kadyrov turned his MMA fight club into a war machine—what happens after he dies?
Kadyrov's MMA empire is a farming system for his private militia, now fighting in Ukraine. Yet with reports of his failing health, what happens to this war machine once he's gone?
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On Friday, June 28, 2004, Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), a mixed martial arts organization operated by Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, hosted a fight card featuring 19 bouts in Sochi, Russia. Among the fighters was Sulim Baralov, a combatant fresh from the front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Batalov, an undefeated fighter who moonlights as an officer in Chechnya’s infamous Kadyrovtsy paramilitary group, was taking part in his seventh professional MMA fight, and went on to defeat Oleg Olenichev, a Russian competitor on a four-fight losing streak, by unanimous decision after battering the Russian journeyman for the better part of 15 minutes.
After disposing of his opponent, Batalov donned his military side cap and a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of Kadyrov’s MMA gym, Akhmat MMA, and the name of Batalov’s paramilitary division. He went on to dedicate his victory to Anzor Bisayev, the commander of the Chechen special purpose mobile unit (OMON) that Baralov represents.
Bisayev, whom Batalov claimed offered unwavering support and assistance to MMA fighters like himself, has been accused of torturing and kidnapping minors during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Batalov is far from the first Chechen soldier to dabble in MMA. Kadyrovr has gone out of his way to elevate athletes who moonlight as soldiers, starting with Beslan Ushukov, a former champion in Kadyrov’s organization who is also a member of the Special Chechen Forces unit. Ushukov has since emerged as a household name in Chechnya, primarily thanks to Kadyrov’s continued support for the fighter.
As someone who fights both inside the cage and on the battlefield, Ushukov is the embodiment of Kadyrov’s ideal Chechen man. In the wake of the Ukraine war, others, such as Batalov, have followed in his footsteps, underscoring the insidious links between soldiers and MMA fighters in Kadyrov’s Chechnya.
Kadyrov’s MMA-to-soldier pipeline is the result of his long-term efforts to consolidate power. But with renewed reports of the warlord’s failing health, what will become of the thousands of fighters who have passed through this system? And who will take control of his war machine once he’s gone?
Kadyrov’s Death Squad
Since assuming control of Chechnya in 2007 following a power struggle after his father’s assassination three years prior, Kadyrov has gone to considerable lengths to cultivate MMA’s popularity within his republic—a project of forcefully eroding longstanding traditions and replacing them with a form of hyper-masculinity rooted in prize-fighting and violent displays of strength and dominance.
By 2015, Kadyrov launched his own gym franchise and fight league, now known as Akhmat MMA. The fight club consists of an MMA organization and several training facilities throughout Chechnya. It is sponsored by Kadyrov himself through his government’s budget and is managed by Abuzayed “Patriot” Vismuradov, a decorated general and Kadyrov’s right-hand man, who was sanctioned by the United States government in 2019 for his role in Chechnya’s purge of sexual minorities (Kadyrov and Akhmat MMA are also facing US sanctions).
Through his fight club, Kadyrov has been able to establish relationships with a seemingly endless list of celebrities, including the likes of former martial artist turned D-list actor Steven Seagal and boxing legends like Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather. Kadyrov also invited more than a dozen past and current UFC champions to visit his Akhmat MMA facilities. These associations serve the dictator’s soft power strategy to enhance his public image as a benevolent patron of sports.
Most concerning, however, is how Kadyrov has utilized his fight club as a farming system for his private militia.
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