Justin Gaethje is facing some online backlash following a recent trip to Chechnya at the behest of the republic’s dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
It began when the former UFC interim lightweight champion found himself in a back-and-forth with Dave Portnoy, the founder of sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports. Gaethje accused Barstool of “bending over” for Paddy Pimblett, a Barstool-sponsored fighter who was victorious in the controversial UFC 282 co-main event on Saturday. Portnoy then responded by claiming that Gaethje “supports a warlord.”
As reported by BloodyElbow, Gaethje, along with former UFC champs Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo were pictured testing firearms at the Russian Special Forces University in Chechnya last month.