VIDEO: Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Henry Cejudo test out firearms at Chechen training facility during time away from the UFC
Three UFC fighters, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Henry Cejudo, were spotted in Chechnya a couple of days ago upon an invitation from the nation's head Ramzan Kadyrov.
The news was reported by investigative journalist Karim Zidan, who also shared pictures of the UFC fighters testing out a few firearms at a special forces facility.
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. https://t.co/lJIm8kBHRS
Following up on the story, Zidan shared a video of the fighters that Kadyrov shared on his personal channels. In the video, Usman, Gaethje, and Cejudo are seen firing rocket launchers and assault rifles in an open field at the same facility in Gudermes, a Chechnyan town located on the Sunzha River, 36 kilometers east of Grozny, the republic's capital.
According to Zidan, the facility is used by Russian soldiers to train for the invasion of Ukraine. Kadyrov, on multiple occasions, has strongly voiced support for Russia's war on Ukraine:
"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"
Watch the video below:
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 https://t.co/BxioliBXp4
Zidan further added that this was Usman's third visit to Chechnya since 2020 and chided MMA media for not reporting on the former champion's association with a dictatorial leader.
When Ramzan Kadyrov helped settle a UFC beef
Ramzan Kadyrov has long shared close relationships with several fighters on the roster, including former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and rising superstar Khamzat Chimaev. In fact, he even intervened and helped bury the hatchet when a scuffle broke out between the two camps following the main event at UFC 280.
A cage-side altercation ensued between Chimaev and Khabib's cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov after Islam Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira to become the new lightweight champion.
In a social media post later that day, Kadyrov stated that he "personally" made sure there was no beef between the two:
"There is no quarrel between Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakr Nurmagomedov - I have made sure of it personally, and I pass this information on to the ill-wishers. Do not blow up this problem of a global scale and do not try to instigate and tease athletes and their fans. This happens, including among brothers. But it was the misunderstanding that was resolved. We were and will be brothers, Inshallah!"[Translated from Russian by Google]
The post is below: