In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Absolute Championship Akhmat—a mixed martial arts organization owned and funded by Chechnya’s tyrannical leader Ramzan Kadyrov—has canceled all its international events in 2022.
Speaking to Tass.ru, ACA president Alexei Yatsenko revealed that the decision was taken in light of the ongoing “political situation.”
“We held a meeting and decided that we would not do any foreign events this year,” Yatsenko said. “We decided that we would work within the country until the end of the year. We will clarify the number of tournaments.”
While Yatsenko did not provide any added details, it is believed that ACA’s abrupt decision was due to the ongoing war, the boycotts against Russian sports organizations, and the sanctions levied against ACA and its founder Kadyrov.