In 2015, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum signed a lucrative deal to become an ambassador for a mixed martial arts fight club headed by Ramzan Kadyrov.
The incident marked the first time that a UFC fighter had established a relationship the Chechen dictator accused of well-documented human rights abuses, including forced disappearances, torture, summary executions and an ongoing purge of Chechnya’s LGBTQ+ community.
As the official representative of the so-called Akhmat MMA fight club, Werdum’s responsibilities included regular visits to Chechnya, training the dictator’s chosen fighters, and promoting the club on social media and at UFC events.