Chechen Leader Has More Interactions With UFC Fighters Amid US Sanctions The U.S. State Department says it knows of apparent ties between Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen strongman, and mixed martial arts fighters.
Some U.F.C. Fighters Have Ties to a Chechen Leader Loyal to Putin Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, is facing U.S. sanctions and accused of brutal abuses. Yet some fighters and others who work with the U.F.C. have kept ties with him.