The champion’s travels following his win over Conor McGregor show tyrants and despots are keen to use fighters for their own ends

It has been almost a month since Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor at UFC 229 to retain his lightweight title. And while the event was overshadowed by the post-fight brawl that took place between the fighters and their respective teams, the melee did not hinder Nurmagomedov’s soaring popularity – or stop him from meeting with a number of controversial world leaders.

Over the past few weeks, Nurmagomedov has embarked on an unofficial victory tour across several continents to celebrate his victory. His journey included stops within the Russian Federation before continuing on to the Middle East. During that time, he met the likes of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, members of the United Arab Emirates royal family, and Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Each of those leaders posed with the UFC champion and congratulated him on his victory. It was surreal to behold, as it is rare for a mixed martial arts fighter to receive such attention from world leaders.

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While Nurmagomedov’s popularity among such prominent figures signals the growing acceptance of MMA as a legitimate sport on the world stage, it also emphasizes how politicians continue to use athletes as propaganda tools.

Nurmagomedov’s victory tour began upon his return to his native republic of Dagestan. Much of it was no different from any other champion returning home, but some of the quotes from local leaders held a troublingly aggressive note. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal–Democratic Party of Russia, posted a picture of himself in a papakha hat similar to the one Nurmagomedov wears ahead of fights with the caption: “We will choke all enemies of Russia as Khabib choked McGregor.” As politicians continued to commemorate Nurmagomedov’s victory, the celebrations quickly became politicized.

Within a matter of days, Nurmagomedov was invited to attend a sports forum in Ulyanovsk, where he and his father, Abdulmanap, met with Putin, an event which was later broadcast on national television. The Russian president congratulated Nurmagomedov on his victory before moving on to discuss the post-fight brawl. When Nurmagomedov explained that McGregor’s team had “provoked” him, Putin saw an opportunity for political symbolism. He condemned Nurmagomedov’s actions before explaining that Russia is a “big and diverse family” and that “if we are attacked from the outside… there could be hell to pay.” It was a subtle albeit effective bit of propaganda.

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Shortly thereafter, Nurmagomedov flew to Chechnya where he met with Kadyrov. He attended a celebratory dinner with the dictator before being made an honorary citizen of Chechnya, the same political stunt that Kadyrov had used on Liverpool and Egypt superstar Mohamed Salah during this year’s World Cup (Salah later appeared to suggest the meeting had been forced upon him by the Egyptian FA). The warlord also gifted Nurmagomedov a brand new Mercedes to celebrate his win against McGregor. Kadyrov, who reportedly conducted a purge of Chechnya’s LGBTQ community in 2017, later took to social media to gush about Nurmagomedov’s performance: “[McGregor] realized that Khabib is a brilliant artist who can turn his face into a picture painted with red oil paint.”

Following his pitstop in Chechnya, Nurmagomedov flew to Dubai and met members of the United Arab Emirates royal family. While the details of Nurmagomedov’s trip the Middle East remain scarce, he posted a picture of himself posing alongside Sheikh Diab Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of a Dubai investment fund. Sheikh Diab is also a representative of a royal family that has played a significant role in the Saudi-led coalition on Yemen, cracked down on human rights such as freedom of expression, and the mistreatment of migrant workers. However, Sheikh Diab has not been accused of any crimes – unlike another person met in Dubai, Sagid Murtazaliev, a Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling who was accused of financing terrorism and is a suspect in several murders. He fled Russia and is currently wanted by the government.

The Middle Eastern leg of Nurmagomedov’s tour also took him to Turkey, where he was invited to attend the soft opening of the new Istanbul international airport. During the opening, he met with the president of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, as well as Erdoğan, a leader accused of a variety of human rights abuses. The two were pictured shaking hands amidst a crowd of smiling onlookers.

These photo-ops and PR stunts enhance the leaders’ popularity and help them present a fabricated image of benevolence and big-heartedness. This form of sports diplomacy is referred to as “sportswashing” and is a useful tool to distract from human rights abuses and other controversial actions committed by the leaders in question.

As a global star and a representative for Muslims around the world, Nurmagomedov missed an opportunity to correct misleading stereotypes about Muslims that exist in countries like the United States. Instead of meeting with moderate Arab and Muslim leaders such as Tunisia’s Beji Caid Essebsi or Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman, Nurmagomedov ventured to places like Turkey, the world leader in jailing journalists.

Nurmagomedov is far from the first UFC fighter to have met with leaders with uneasy pasts. Former champions, including Frank Mir, Chris Weidman, Fabricio Werdum, and Frankie Edgar, have visited Kadyrov in Grozny to attend the dictator’s MMA events. Other UFC fighters who have visited Kadyrov include title challenger Alexander Gustafsson, who is scheduled to face former champion Jon Jones in a light-heavyweight title fight at UFC 232.

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In the United States, UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Covington was accompanied by UFC president Dana White, a vocal Trump supporter who spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention to endorse Trump’s campaign for the presidency. Most recently, several UFC fighters endorsed Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro during his campaign, including former UFC champions Jose Aldo, Anderson Silva, and Rafael dos Anjos, as well as MMA legends Royce and Renzo Gracie, and Wanderlei Silva.

When the Guardian asked about Nurmagomedov’s decision to meet with several controversial world leaders and tyrants, the UFC did not provide any comments. Regardless, it remains evidently clear that many UFC fighters and champions are willing to be used as political puppets, and as a means to an end for tyrants and despots.