The involvement of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, with professional fighters became a controversial topic in the MMA world after his remarks against homosexuals, but some fighters don’t link both worlds.
UFC veteran Thiago Silva, who scored a second-round knockout win under the ACB banner in Austria earlier this month, and is scheduled to make his kickboxing debut against John King at Friday’s Glory 48 in New York, has ties with Kadyrov’s fighting promotion Akhmat Fight Show, and frequently travels to Chechnya to train.
“The Chechnya people are amazing, they always welcome me greatly there,” Silva told MMA Fighting.