Thread by @ZidanSports

Ramzan Kadyrov has long used sports as a tool to enhance his image, inviting countless elite athletes to Chechnya for photo-ops & to help distract from the atrocities taking place within his borders.

A🧵 on the foreign stars who've rubbed shoulders with the tyrant

In 2005, Mike Tyson became the first athlete to visit Kadyrov when the warlord was still attempting to seize power. Kadyrov invited him to attend a boxing event & later paraded him in front of state TV. Tyson would visit again years later, long after Kadyrov consolidated power

In 2011, the Chechen leader flew in a group of aging Brazilian heroes (Bebeto, Cafu, Romario) to play a team captained by himself. Months later, he flew in another side led by the Argentine great, Diego Maradona.

In 2013, Steven Seagal became the latest international figure to befriend Kadyrov. He attended the dictator’s 37th bday party, which gave us this bizarre clip of the d-list actor dancing the lezginka.

In December 2014, Badr Hari posted a half-naked photo of himself in a solid gold bath & a gold platted AK47. The photo was taken in Kadyrov’s palace, where the Moroccan fighter was reportedly giving kickboxing lessons to Ramzan Kadyrov himself.

Former UFC champs Frank Mir, Chris Weidman & Fabricio Werdum were among the first UFC fighters to visit Kadyrov. They attended one of the dictator’s MMA events, danced the lezginka, and posed with rifles to Kadyrov’s delight

Werdum would go on to become an official representative for Kadyrov and an ambassador for his fight club, all while being UFC champ. He took Kadyrov’s blood money for years, even after the dictator began purging LGBTQ+ Chechens. UFC never cared either.

Since then, countless UFC fighters have visited the Chechen warlord, including UFC champs Frankie Edgar and former title contender Alexander Gustafsson.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather visited Kadyrov in 2017, spending time with the dictator as well as his henchmen like Adam Delimkhanov, who was wanted by Interpol on murder charges. Mayweather spoke fondly of Kadyrov on Russian state TV, as well.

In June 2017, Renzo Gracie took part in a BJJ seminar at the Akhmat MMA facility in Chechnya, owned by Kadyrov. Gracie met with Kadyrov himself and later appeared on Chechen state TV to promote his government.

Also in 2017, Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho played in a football match in Grozny, Chechnya, on Saturday night to honor the 65th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin

During the 2018 World Cup, Egyptian star Mo Salah was woken from sleep to pose for a photo-op with Kadyrov. Salah was reportedly unaware of Kadyrov’s intentions & was unhappy about being used as a political prop by Egypt & Kadyrov.

In Nov. 2020, UFC champ Kamaru Usman was pictured in Chechnya sparring with Kadyrov’s sons and posing in T-shirts emblazoned with the Akhmat MMA logo (Kadyrov’s personal fight club). The US would go on to sanction Kadyrov’s fight club the following month

It is worth noting that infamous MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz represents the vast majority of the Chechen & foreign fighters linked to Kadyrov through his sanctioned fight club.

He has also threatened journalists like myself for reporting on this. I have the receipts.

The UFC is not without fault here. Over the years, they have allowed Kadyrov to use their platform to bolster his image & regime. Here is Kadyrov’s right-hand man, Abuzayed Vismuradov, posing w/ UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.

Plenty of Kadyrov's fighters still on the UFC roster

I’ll end on this: one of the UFC’s breakout stars, Khamzat Chimaev, is Kadyrov’s favorite fighter right now. Chimaev represents Kadyrov’s regime & was present when Kadyrov threatened a teenager for speaking out in Chechnya. He is still allowed to fight for the UFC.