How a former UFC fighter became vice-premier of Chechnya

On Feb. 25, 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov‚—the brutal tyrant on the helm of the republic of Chechnya in Russia—stood earlier than a sea of Chechen troops gathered within the middle of Grozny to evaluate their fight readiness for deployment. Wearing a khaki inexperienced outfit with an identical tactical belt and a pair of Prada boots, a menacing smile crept throughout his bearded face as he gave a rousing speech in help of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The infamous Chechen warlord was flanked by three of his most loyal henchmen—certainly one of whom has been accused of torture and one other of plotting an assassination—in addition to three of his teenage sons, all of whom had been wearing navy apparel. Beside them stood Abdul-Kerim Edilov, a former blended martial arts fighter with the UFC who grew to become the vice premier of Chechnya.

Edilov, who was compiled a 17-4 skilled document, stood armed with a semi-automatic rifle, a tactical vest filled with additional ammunition, and a cranium cap with the phrase “Akhmat Sila” (actually ‘Akhmat Energy/Energy’), the battle cry utilized by Kadyrov loyalists and athletes in reference to Kadyrov’s late father, Akhmad.

He later posted a photo of himself on the gathering with the caption: “An honor to be on the staff. An honor to serve the concept. Proud to die on this path.”

Although Edilov himself was not deployed to Ukraine, his outstanding place alongside the Kadyrov household throughout the gathering underscores his rising affect inside the dictator’s repressive regime. His distinctive journey from MMA fighter to vice premier of Chechnya additionally sheds mild on how Kadyrov constructions his energy vertical round loyalty, bloodlines, and his internal circle.

Kadyrov’s MMA Soldier

When the UFC hosted its first present in Rotterdam in September 2017, few anticipated that the occasion would appeal to a number of of probably the most harmful males in Chechnya.

Led by Kadyrov’s right-hand man Abuzayed Vismuradov, an escort of a minimum of 14 Chechen males emerged from a fleet of Mercedes Benz automobiles and made their means into the Ahoy Rotterdam conference middle, the place they sat in attendance to help their fellow countryman Abdul-Kerim Edilov as he made his UFC debut that night. Some had been fellow fighters from Akhmat MMA—the health club funded by Kadyrov himself as an extension of his personal totalitarian regime—whereas others, like Vismuradov, had been among the many males personally implicated in Chechnya’s crackdown on sexual minorities in the republic.

Edilov’s debut befell on preliminary portion of the struggle card and noticed him defeat Serbia’s Bojan Mihajlovic in a lopsided beatdown. The Chechen light-heavyweight pounded away at his a lot smaller foe till Mihajlovic’s face was streaming with blood. After dominating everything of the bout, Edilov was awarded a technical knockout after the referee mercifully put an finish to the bout halfway via the second spherical.

Although his opposition was missing, Edilov’s victory was not insignificant. He was certainly one of Kadyrov’s favourite athletes and the primary fighter from Kadyrov’s Akhmat MMA struggle membership to signal with the UFC. Edilov’s win not solely showcased his athletic prowess, it additionally helped promote Kadyrov’s narrative of Chechen masculinity and dominance.

Picture by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photos

Based in 2015, the Akhmat MMA struggle membership consists of an MMA promotion and a number of other coaching amenities all through Chechnya and numerous different post-Soviet states. The struggle membership is sponsored by Kadyrov himself via his authorities’s price range and bears the identify of Kadyrov’s father, Akhmad Kadyrov. Fighters who’re signed to the struggle membership’s official roster are paid month-to-month stipends that cowl medical bills, coaching prices, and journey charges. Relying on the extent of success achieved, fighters are additionally gifted with costly automobiles and different ostentatious items.

Kadyrov’s resolution to advertise Edilov as certainly one of his new struggle membership’s main representatives was a gradual one. The sunshine-heavyweight fighter first gained a repute as a authentic prospect in Russia throughout a formidable run that noticed him compile a ten-fight win streak between 2013-15. He then joined Kadyrov’s newly-founded Akhmat MMA struggle membership in 2015 and have become one of many promotion’s key figures.

Edilov went on to compete within the inaugural Akhmat MMA occasion (recognized on the time as World Combating Championship of Akhmat 1) in March 2015, the place he defeated journeyman Tiago Monaco Tosato in lower than three minutes throughout the night’s primary occasion. He was rewarded with a hug from Kadyrov, who entered the ring in a tracksuit emblazoned with the Akhmat MMA emblem and accompanied by his kids and kickboxing nice Badr Hari.

Following a second win at WFCA 3, Edilov agreed to be represented by Dominance MMA’s Ali Abdelaziz— the one UFC supervisor with a working relationship with Kadyrov—and signed with the UFC in August 2015.

Nonetheless, Edilov UFC debut was sidetracked when the light-heavyweight was suspended for an anti-doping violation earlier than ever making his debut. The Chechen fighter was handed a 15-month suspension by the US Anti-Doping Company (USADA) after he examined constructive for meldonium, a prohibited substance, in an out-of-competition drug check in January 2016. USADA granted Edilov a lowered suspension after investigating his declare that the substance was getting used for medical functions.

Edilov’s suspension didn’t cease Kadyrov from persevering with to advertise him as a star in Chechnya. Within the months main as much as Edilov’s UFC debut, Kadyrov staged quite a few public coaching periods and photo-ops with Edilov and could possibly be seen in footage providing recommendation to the skilled fighter. Such occasions had been broadcast on state TV in Chechnya.

Picture by Valery SharifulinTASS by way of Getty Photos

Edilov ultimately made his promotional debut at UFC: Rotterdam, the place he defeated Mihajlovic by TKO. Regardless of the spectacular win, nevertheless, Edilov didn’t compete for the UFC once more. As an alternative, he targeted on turning into a trustworthy servant of the Chechen president’s household.

Kadyrov’s Vice Premier

Throughout their first go to to Grozny in Might 2017, the HBO Actual Sports activities staff had been having lunch at an outside café in downtown Grozny after they observed a motorcade pull up close by. Kadyrov’s three sons emerged from the car with Edilov vigilantly by their facet.

Whereas the HBO cameras weren’t rolling footage on the time, correspondent David Scott determined to movie the hardly ever captured scene utilizing his iPhone. Edilov observed Scott filming the Kadyrov kids and bull-rushed the journalist, demanding that he delete the footage. Fearing for his security, Scott obliged.

“This was probably the most intimidating place I’ve ever been,” Scott instructed Business Insider. “Each man and boy between the ages of 11 to 75 appears to be like like they’re about to kick your a—.”

Edilov’s response to Scott’s filming on his telephone was as a result of fighter’s newfound function as a glorified babysitter to Kadyrov’s kids, primarily his three eldest sons. The fighter was successfully liable for defending the three boys and spending the overwhelming majority of his day of their firm.

Instagram

This transformation from full-time fighter to surrogate brother started in 2016, when Edilov was nonetheless serving a suspension for a USADA anti-doping violation. His Instagram account, as soon as full of coaching movies and struggle footage, was now primarily devoted to numerous footage and movies of the fighter caring for Kadyrov’s three younger sons. Clips on Instagram present Edilov attending Quran recitation courses with the princelings, instructing them numerous martial arts strategies within the health club, and even cruising in automobiles emblazoned with the late Akhmad Kadyrov’s face.

Edilov’s dedication to Kadyrov’s kids earned him favor with the Chechen chief, who gifted him with a Porsche Panamera valued at over $120,000 USD for his twenty fifth birthday in 2016. Edilov posted a picture of himself and Kadyrov’s kids standing beside the automotive, together with the caption: “”I do know that I don’t deserve this in any means. The presence of Ahmad, Eli and Adam in my life is already the best reward! I can not discover the phrases to precise my gratitude to them! I promise to at all times be round, get up for them, and be a brother.”

Over the course of the following few years, Edilov continued to curry favor from Kadyrov. He skilled Kadyrov’s kids in boxing and MMA and coached them via beginner fights placed on by their father’s Akhmat struggle membership. All of the aforementioned bouts have been criticized as mounted fights with predetermined outcomes.

Picture by Valery SharifulinTASS by way of Getty Photos

By November 2021, Edilov was elevated to his first official authorities function when he grew to become Kadyrov’s chief of workers—a place he gained via his dedication to Kadyrov and his household, in addition to his family’s generational ties to the dictator.

Edilov is a local of Tsentoroi, the identical village that Kadyrov hails from, which makes them a part of the identical clan (teip). He has a number of cousins concerned in Chechen authorities, together with police chief Main Amrudi Edilov, who additionally authored a hagiography on Akhmad Kadyrov that grew to become required studying for highschool college students in Chechnya.

Different Edilov relations include a deputy within the Chechen parliament, a traffic-police lieutenant colonel, a deputy well being minister, and a senior staffer on the Chechen Safety Council, and the pinnacle of the Chechen Boxing Federation.

Three months after being appointed chief of workers, Edilov was promoted to vice-premier of Chechnya in February 2022, additional increasing his sphere of affect.

Edilov’s meteoric rise via the ranks of Chechen authorities emphasizes Kadyrov’s willpower to fill essential roles with loyalists and relations, thereby consolidating his energy and cementing his authority in Chechnya. It additionally sheds mild on the elevated standing of profitable fight sports activities athletes in Kadyrov’s Chechnya, whereby gifted fighters are elevated to celeb standing and influential authorities positions.