The 1936 Olympics were a source of fierce debate around the world and within our own country. Berlin had been chosen as the hosting city before Hitler rose to power, which put the rest of the world in a difficult situation. Interestingly, Hitler was uninterested in hosting the Olympics until his “Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda,” Joseph Goebbels, convinced him it would be a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the superiority of the German “master race.” Despite a Black American track star, Jesse Owens, sticking a symbolic middle finger in the face of the Nazis with his historic performance, the Regime was largely successful in masking the atrocities occurring just beyond the stadiums. No countries boycotted the Games, choosing to turn a blind eye to the Nazis’ transgressions for the sake of sport. As Helen Stephens, the women’s 100m gold medalist, famously said, “I was there to run. Whatever else was going on, that wasn’t my business.”
Fast forward to earlier this month. Jon Jones traveled to Chechnya, where he palled around with alleged warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, a man who has been accused of human rights violations–including kidnapping, torturing and killing–by the United States and at least 33 other countries. When asked about it, Jones offered a response similar to Stephens’: “I don’t know anything, I don’t see anything. All I know is [Kadyrov] is a great host.” But unlike Stephens, Jones was neither representing his country nor competing—he was being paid for an appearance. And he is far from the only UFC fighter to do so.
Kadyrov is an MMA aficionado and maintains close relationships with Khamzat Chimaev and other high profile Russian fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. There is abundant footage of these athletes training and sparring alongside Kadyrov’s sons in his heavily sanctioned “Fight Club Akhmat” gym. Kadyrov even participates at times, with the fighters humoring him in the same way I let my 4-year-old think he’s beaten me in a wrestling match. To be fair, if Kadyrov is as dangerous as everyone says, someone with family in the region might have little choice but to comply. For that, I give the Russian fighters the benefit of the doubt; particularly, Khamzat gets a pass. But the fact that American fighters are participating in this obvious sportswashing is truly disappointing. Everyone has a price, I get it. I won’t pretend I wouldn’t compromise my morals if I were offered life-changing money. But Jon Jones, who fights in a cage for a living, recently turned down a reported 30 million dollars to fight in a cage, claiming he cares about legacy and not money. It’s hard to believe Kadyrov made an offer Jones couldn’t refuse.
The last time Kadyrov drew attention for hosting high-profile fighters was when renowned manager and all-around shady figure Ali Abdelaziz organized a trip and accompanied former American champions Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Henry Cejudo to Chechyna in 2022 (Usman’s third trip in a two year period). Amid social media backlash, Usman and Cejudo stayed silent, while Gaethje got defensive and claimed he never actually met Kadyrov–only attended his son’s birthday party and shot guns with Russian Special Forces. The trip even elicited an official response from the US State Department: “We reiterate that U.S. citizens should not travel to Russia and those in Russia should depart immediately.” Notably, Sean O’Malley was invited on the same trip, but immediately saw red flags when he couldn’t get straight answers about the details. “[Usman, Gaethje, and Cejudo] went over to Chechnya, and [Kadyrov] is a murderer, basically. The top dog. Like, best friends with Putin. He’s not a good person, and that’s who they went there to see.” Only a few other fighters have spoken out, such as former UFC fighter and Bronze Star Veteran Tim Kennedy, who said, “… the UFC controls what a fighter wears on his shorts, whether or not they train with [disgraced American coach] James Kraus, or what they do on their social media, but it’s totally fine for them to train with a terrorist.”
Personally, Cejudo’s involvement bothers me the most. While I’m not a huge fan of his King of Cring persona, I have an immense respect for him as an Olympian. I view representing our country in competition against other nations as the ultimate honor for any athlete, and what he achieved on behalf of the USA is amazing, particularly in a combat sport. So, when I see him being used as a pawn by some foreign dictator, it hurts the America-loving Eagle Scout part of my psyche.
Kadyrov’s mentor, Vladimir Putin, is also a combat sports enthusiast. He received his 6th dan in Judo, off of actual skill and merit, by all accounts, and even co-authored the book Judo: History, Theory, Practice. (available on Amazon). Like Kadyrov, Putin also enjoys close relationships with various fighters. Dana White stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov “didn’t even make it back to his dressing room after the [Conor McGregor] fight, and Putin was on the phone. Putin gave him and his father, like, $20 million worth of property in Russia. Then he went into the Muslim territories where these guys are like, cars, money, gyms, whatever he wanted.”
Dictators showcasing athletes isn’t limited to MMA. Who can forget Dennis Rodman hooping it up with his “friend for life,” Kim Jong Un, in North Korea in 2013? But dictators (I understand that “dictator” is a nuanced term, but for the sake of simplicity, I’m going to paint with a broad stroke) are especially attracted to combat sports for what they represent: toughness, dominance, and masculinity. In other words, fighters embody the traits authoritarian leaders want to project. And at the same time, what better way to say, “no oppression happening around here,” than a bunch of photos and videos of American fighters driving fancy cars, shooting guns, and training in fancy MMA gyms. Killing two journalists birds with one stone.
Perhaps the most baffling example of sportswashing today can be seen through the involvement of Turki al-Sheik in combat sports. In fact, “involvement” may not be a strong enough term; Turki al-Sheik is essentially the face of combat sports at this point. He is the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and is responsible for recent events, including Fury vs. Ngannou, Usyk vs. Fury, PFL vs. Bellator, and Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, among others. Last year, he purchased America’s oldest and most distinguished boxing publication, The Ring (aka “The Bible of Boxing”). The Ring has maintained its own title fights since its inception in 1922, and the belt is generally held in the same regard as the four major sanctioning body belts (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO). Additionally, al-Sheik has partnered with Dana White to launch Zuffa Boxing in January of 2026, which will be broadcast on Paramount+ alongside the UFC. This new promotion, under the TKO umbrella, follows the UFC’s exclusivity model and aims to shake up the world of boxing.
Although he isn’t a warlord or dictator like the other leaders I’ve mentioned, al-Sheik is a powerful man with quite the list of alleged human-rights violations. As he continues to put on massive events and work with major networks, companies, and people from around the world, he’s constantly being accused by human-rights groups of detaining, torturing, and disappearing journalists and individuals who post critical opinions of him on social media. The most publicized example is his implication in the 2023 kidnapping and assault of an Egyptian teacher’s daughters. While none of these allegations have been proven, their volume and scope create an image problematic enough for entertainers to receive heavy backlash for participating in Riyadh Season (a yearly entertainment and cultural festival that al-Sheik organizes). Yet within the realm of combat sports, no one dares address the allegations.
I began with the example of the 1936 Olympics to provide a well-known instance of sportswashing and to establish the concept of athletes having to compartmentalize their morals and/or politics as a means to an end. But those athletes weren’t in Berlin for personal gain, other than perhaps a sense of pride. I can’t imagine the mental gymnastics needed for Americans to willingly associate with dictators, warlords, and other authoritarians –whether it be a close business relationship or taking a long flight for a glorified photo-op. My intention isn’t to question anyone’s morals–I’ve already admitted that, if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t be above compromising my own values for the right price. But I do wonder whether or not these people understand the potential consequences of their actions, or if they are simply choosing to ignore.
References
Colman, J. (2025, October 9). Manchester United: Who is Turki alalshikh amid takeover links? BBC Sport.
Mahjouri, S., Campbell, B., Silverstein, A., Wise, B., Brookhouse, B., Sullivan, T., Parrish, G., Salerno, C., & Wimbish, J. (2024, February 22). UFC News, rumors: Vladimir Putin gave Khabib Nurmagomedov $20 million in property after Conor McGregor Fight. CBS Sports.
Meshew, J. (2022, December 20). Sean O’Malley claims to have turned down Ramzan Kadyrov invite to Chechnya: “the guy is a murderer.” MMA Fighting: UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News
Morse, B. (2023, May 18). UFC maintains links with Russian fighters and others connected to sanctioned Chechen warlord despite Ukraine invasion. CNN.
Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). The 1936 Olympics. PBS.
Samano, S. (2022, December 13). U.S. State Department aware of UFC fighter ties to dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, discourages travel to Chechnya. USA Today.
SSN Headquarters. (2016, July 26). Russia’s judo team get Green Light to compete at Rio Olympics. Sky Sports.
Zidan, K., & Draper, K. (2022, December 13). Chechen leader has more interactions with U.F.C. fighters amid U.S. sanctions (published 2022). The New York Times.
The Casual Combatants 
Leave a comment