Chechnya’s strongman ruler Ramzan Kadyrov hosted the latest World Fight Championships of Akhmat (WFCA) event on October 4, a show that featured WSOF flyweight champion Magmoed Bibulatov, former Bellator fighter Magomedrasul ‘Frodo’ Khasbulaev and others. However, in a baffling decision, the unsavory ruler placed his own children in MMA fights on the professional show.
The oldest of Kadyrov’s children, Akhmad, is 11 years old and weighs 30 kilograms. He eventually won his fight by KO. The other two sons, 10 and 9 years old, won unanimous decisions and were awarded miniaturized belts for their efforts while Kadyrov’s henchmen celebrated around them.
The video of the fight is available here.
The next day, the President of the Russian MMA Union, Fedor Emelianenko, criticized Kadyrov’s promotion for hosting child fights.
“What happened at the tournament in Grozny is unacceptable and, moreover, cannot be justified,” he wrote on his social media account. “Needless to say that kids under age of 12 cannot even attend MMA fights (in Russia) as spectators, but here we had little ones as young as eight beating each other up in front of happy adults.
“I am outraged by the fact that the head of Chechnya was watching over it. Didn’t [the Chechen] sports minister tell him about the fact that children under 12 cannot participate in MMA under any circumstances?”
Fedor’s criticism was met with public humiliation and threats from the Chechen people, mainly Kadyrov’s fighters and cronies. UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, WSOF flyweight champion Magomed Bibulatov, Akhmat MMA president Abuzayed Vismuradov, and others all had choice words for Fedor for his decision to stand against them.
One of Kadyrov’s closest allies, State Duma rep Adam Delimkhanov, even threatened that Fedor will be “held responsible for his words against Kadyrov’s children.”
It was later reported that the Russian Sports Ministry will launch an investigation into the matter.