UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is one of the most popular fighters on the roster. Recently, ‘Sugar’ claimed that he got an invitation from Ramzan Kadyrov, a warlord of the Chechen Republic who has been branded as a dictator.
In an episode of the podcast Bromalley, O’Malley, and his brother discussed his recent invitation to Russia. ‘Sugar’ said that he rejected the invitation from Kadyrov for his son‘s birthday and explained why he did that. O’Malley said:
“The reason we never really ended up going [to Chechnya] is that we were saying like, who is this for? And then we didn’t really get an answer. So, I’m like, ‘F*** that!’ Imran [Jawaid], you know, I listen to Imran’s advice and Imran was like, ‘Hey, I don’t have a good feeling about this. Let’s not move forward with that.’”
View this post on Instagram
O’Malley added that Kadyrov also invited fellow UFC stars Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Justin Gaethje. They attended the party and were seen hanging out in the controversial warlord’s compound.
“They went over to Chechnya? And the guy [Kadyrov] is like a murderer, basically. The top dog. Like, best friends with [Vladimir] Putin. He’s not a good person, and that’s who they went there [for] to his kid’s birthday party. And, that’s where I got invited to go. And, yeah, I’ve heard that they’re getting some backlash for going,” O’Malley added.
While Gaethje, Usman, and Cejudo were criticized for accepting Kadyrov’s invitation, the fans were happy that O’Malley rejected the invitation and showed his moral virtue. ‘Sugar’ further added that Cejudo accepted the invitation as he needed the money.
UFC fans criticize Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo for attending Ramzan Kadyrov’s party
Ramzan Kadyrov is a very controversial figure and was sanctioned by the governments of the United States and Europe for his barbaric actions. However, recently fans have seen Kadyrov’s influence over the UFC. Khamzat Chimaev can often be seen hanging out with the warlord and his son.
View this post on Instagram
Apart from Chimaev, other UFC personalities like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Ali Abdelaziz are also seen with Kadyrov. Recently Gaethje, Usman, and Cejudo came under fire for attending the dictator’s son’s birthday party.
A recent clip from that visit showed the trio shooting guns at the dictator’s compound facility. It was the same facility where Special Forces were being trained for the Russia-Ukraine war. Check out some of the tweets below:
Former UFC champs Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, along with Justin Gaethje, are all currently in Chechnya at the invitation of the republic’s warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.
Here they are testing out guns at a special forces facility in Gudermes. pic.twitter.com/lJIm8kBHRS
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) November 25, 2022
Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video of former UFC champs Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo firing grenade launchers and assault rifles at a special forces facility in Chechnya—a facility that trains Russian soldiers for the country’s invasion of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/BxioliBXp4
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) November 27, 2022
Not that it matters but I just lost a lot of respect for Gaethje
— Josiah Matthews (@JosiahM53024444) December 13, 2022
Just don’t get how Justin says he would be a social worker but then hangs around people like this.
— poops (@ChicagoTomTom) November 25, 2022
Probably should’ve kept your mouth shut on this one mate. Massive L
— Darren Tucker (@DarrenTucker1) December 12, 2022
That’s just absolutely vile. I can tolerate Chimaev’s relationship with Kadyrov because he appears to be in a hole he can’t get out of. But for American athletes to embrace this is a disgrace.
— Darren Ryding (@rydingbicycles) November 25, 2022
it is called being managed by Ali. meanwhile they are told not to do interviews with @arielhelwani
— DrKneevil (@Dr_Kneevil) November 25, 2022
They are all managed by Ali Abdelaziz and the fans are blaming him. Moreover, the fans stated that they won’t be supporting Gaethje, Usman, or Cejudo from now on anymore.
Justin Gaethje responds to backlash over his Chechnya visit
After facing severe backlash and criticism, Justin Gaethje responded and tried to defend himself from the accusations by saying he didn’t even meet Ramzan Kadyrov. Gaethje engaged in a series of tweet wars with Barstool founder, Dave Portnoy over this.
People are telling me @Justin_Gaethje was recently seen hanging out with a warlord accused of brutal crimes against humanity so its hypocritical for him to say we look bad for supporting Paddy when he supports a warlord. I’m gonna take high road + not mention it. #daveyhighroad https://t.co/TiuBhAnnrp
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 11, 2022
When Gaethje called out Barstool for giving the performance award to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282, Portnoy responded by mentioning his recent visit to Chechnya and cozying up with the warlord. Here’s a post from the dictator’s son’s Instagram where Gaethje can be seen with him:
View this post on Instagram
‘The Highlight’ tried to defend himself and when someone mentioned that he has been seen shooting guns in a recent visit, Gaethje replied:
Never met the guy. Go Fuck yourself
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 12, 2022
Are you saying all Russians look alike? Went for the kids birthday party. I also like to shoot guns.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) December 12, 2022
Gaethje tried to defend himself by saying he likes guns and they went to the dictator’s son’s birthday party. Regardless, he has been strongly criticized for his actions. Let us know your take on Gaethje and others in the comment section.
Discussion about this post