Another former UFC champion has aligned himself with that of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. Recently, ex-UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was photographed with Khamzat Chimaev and Kadyrov’s son, Ali, in Dubai. Ali shared the photos on his social media, posting Garbrandt with the caption, “another champion arrives to camp.”
Cody Garbrandt is the latest of several UFC stars who has been reported to be linked to Ramzan Kadyrov’s family. Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic, has faced accusations of human rights abuses such as assassination, torture, and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community.
UFC Champions And Their History With Ramzan Kadyrov
Last month the likes of former UFC title holders Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Justin Gaethje all attended the birthday party for one of Kadyrov’s other teenage sons. Later, the trio were pictured shooting firearms outside the Russian Special Forces University in Chechnya. As for Chimaev, he is a Chechen-born Swedish resident who has regularly been seen with Kadyrov and his sons, training with them.
In fact, he recently took Kadyrov’s sons with him to train in Dubai with his Allstar team. It should be noted that The U.S. Department of the Treasury has prohibited those doing business in the United States from interacting with several of Kadyrov’s businesses.
The U.S. Department of State has also made it known to the New York Times that they are aware of the relationship between Kadyrov and several UFC fighters.
