Due to his friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov, the tyrannical leader of Chechnya, Khamzat Chimaev continues to come under public attention. ‘Borz’ has been seen working out with Kadyrov, who is accused of egregious human rights crimes.
In order to support Kadyrov’s sons in their MMA endeavours, Chimaev also appears to have taken them under his wing. He was recently seen practising at the Tiger Muay Thai facility in Thailand alongside Ali Kadyrov, 15, and his group.
Ramzan Kadyrov has arranged for a number of UFC fighters, including Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Henry Cejudo, to travel to Chechnya in the past. Chimaev in particular has drawn criticism for his close relationship with the Chechen leader, who is charged with a number of wrongdoings such as the torturing of opponents and the persecution of gays.
Former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy, who participated from 2013 to 2016, questioned why it’s appropriate for athletes like Khamzat Chimaev to train with such a polarising person as Kadyrov. Kennedy argued that the UFC’s decision to forbid fighters from working out with James Krause while an investigation into the betting scandal was continuing but permit them to work out with Kadyrov was hypocritical. On Twitter, he stated:
“Please let me get this right. The UFC has the right to regulate a fighter’s shorts, whether or not they train with James Kraus, and what they post on social media, but it is perfectly acceptable for them to train with terrorists.”
When Ramzan Kadyrov helped settle the dispute between Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s brother
The sons of Khamzat Chimaev and Ramzan Kadyrov watched Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira compete for the UFC 280 lightweight championship. After the main bout, “Borz” notoriously got into a fight with Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s brother.
Although the two have had a contentious relationship online, the battle seems to have started in 2021. As they crossed paths, the situation turned violent, necessitating the intervention of venue and UFC security to separate the fighters.
Soon after the incident, a video of Khabib Nurmagomedov mediating the long-running dispute surfaced online. Ramzan Kadyrov, however, was instrumental in bringing about the cease-fire, as seen by a screenshot of a video call he shared on Instagram. The post’s caption read:
“I personally verified that Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakr Nurmagomedov have no beef, and I’m passing this information along to the naysayers. Do not exaggerate the severity of this issue or attempt to provoke or mock sportsmen or their supporters. This occurs, even amongst brothers. But the issue that was resolved was the misunderstanding. Inshallah, we were and will remain brothers.”
