Sean O’Malley has opened up about turning down an invite from Ramzan Kadyrov to visit Chechnya.
Kadyrov has an eerie presence in the MMA world. The Head of the Chechen Republic in Russia has publicly been associated with a handful of UFC fighters, including Khamzat Chimaev, despite being sanctioned by the United States for several human rights violations, including mass murder and kidnapping.
During an episode of the BrOMalley podcast, ‘Sugar’ revealed that he was invited to Chechnya by Kadyrov but declined the offer. He had this to say.
“The reason we never really ended up going is because we were saying like, who is this for? And then we didn’t really get an answer. So, I’m like, ‘F**k that!’ Imran [Jawaid], you know, I listen to Imran’s advice and Imran was like, ‘Hey, I don’t have a good feeling about this. Let’s not move forward with that.’”
Kadyrov has been back in the MMA headlines after posting a video featuring Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, and Justin Gaethje firing guns in Russia. The three UFC superstars have received heavy backlash for participating.
Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video of former UFC champs Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo firing grenade launchers and assault rifles at a special forces facility in Chechnya—a facility that trains Russian soldiers for the country's invasion of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/BxioliBXp4
— Karim Zidan 🕊️ (@ZidanSports) November 27, 2022
Sean O’Malley revealed he was invited to the same event as Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, and Justin Gaethje
Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, and Justin Gaethje upset a lot of MMA fans by visiting Russia, which had ties to Ramzan Kadyrov. Gaethje defended his actions on Twitter, claiming the event to be a birthday party for the Russian dictator’s son, but Usman and Cejudo have not commented publicly.
During the same podcast episode, Sean O’Malley said he was invited to the same event as the other UFC fighters. ‘Sugar’ broke down his point-of-view by saying:
“They went over to Chechnya. And the guy is a murderer, basically. The top dog. Like, best friends with [Vladimir] Putin. He’s not a good person, and that’s who they went there, to his kid’s birthday party. And, that’s where I got invited to go. And, yeah, I’ve heard that they’re getting some backlash for going.”
The motive for Cejudo, Usman, and Gaethje was likely money. Although ‘The Highlight’ claims he wasn’t hanging out with Kadyrov, being associated with someone like the head of Chechnya is a bad look for the fighters and the UFC.
With Russian fighters continuing to find worldwide success in MMA, it’s unlikely that Kadyrov will be going away anytime soon.
Come on guy, you won’t show me one picture or video of me with the guy you talking about. I was there.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 12, 2022
Never met the guy. Go Fuck yourself
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 12, 2022
Watch Sean O’Malley discuss the offer from Ramzan Kadyrov below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQwryvRDHKU
