can we now admit what we missed out on as fans? (Khamzat)

[SuperAlly]

I've been with Khamzat since the beginning. When 95% of sherdog turned on him I was still with him, like "WTF are you people doing??" You basically said everything I was thinking.

UFC has absolutely fucked Khamzat's prime and robbed us of YEARS of him being champion. Who knows how many prime years he has left.

The era of zero accountability is upon us

 

[Eric Silva 2.0]

No one here has offered any rationale for why he should have been banned from competing globally for 2.5 years. Can you? Or just saying it is his fault that the State Department banned him without giving any reason for why that ban was implemented?

Did this happen in the 70s? How many boxing fans said Ali was at fault for not competing? At least that way if you were a die-hard supporter of the Vietnam war you could rationalize it... saying HE made the choice to not go and therefore deserved the US stopping him from competing.

But we don't even have that logic here. Khamzat did nothing other than be born in the wrong place. Which is why I keep asking people in this thread their rationale for WHY he was banned and so far I've gotten nothing.

Using Ali is a bad example. Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison.

 

[World eater]

Mark my words Khamzat will fight 4 times in 2026 and 3 times in 2027 and once or twice in 2028 to retire early.

This needs to be marked! In the unlikely scenario you are right, I will be the first to congratulate you on your next level Nostradamus clairvoyancy.
Because this sounds like a joke right now. Any champion fighting four times in 2026 is science fiction.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Read #3. His visa troubles were the direct result of the US state department. I'm not ignoring it, I'm blaming that bullshit for us missing out on MMA history.

#1 is historically verifiable. He beat Gilbert for the #1 contender spot.
#3 has been confirmed by UFC and Khamzat. Trump lifted the ban on him competing.

#2 is the only one that you can argue. I provided my evidence as to why I think they scripted it. You gave absolutely nothing in response other than to be lazy and dismiss that evidence with the phrase "conspiracy theory"... but I guess you don't have any counter-point to say so that's all you can say.

What is the exact mistake he made for being banned from competing in the Western Hemisphere by the State Department for 2.5 years?

He chose the wrong ethnicity / birth country prior to being born? Or he committed the crime of taking a picture with the wrong person?

I do remember the Nate fight cancellation being fishy AF and I think I even made a thread about it. However I don t see what‘s in the interest of the UFC of pulling such shenanigans.

Now on Trump intervening as per his executive powers with the State Department to lift his ban, is this confirmed or just speculation? Sounds hard to believe.

Lastly, don‘t expect a reasonable discussion here. Most guys here think Khamzat should go to jail just for being buddy with Kadyrov, while not giving a shit that they their country is financing and arming Israel and Saudi Arabia.

 

[CroCopsLHK]

He has been a giant pain in the ass. Got Covid and hurt badly by it, ok. But then he blows it against Diaz. Stupid fucking fight to make i agree. This was a giant opportunity though. And he misses weight like that? Thats not his fault?

Then he has the Holland fight, giant fucking mismatch. (Fake glove touch?) Great performance but quantity and frequency matters. Classic Khamzat vs Jingliang and WW is gone

Whos fault is it he's friends with bad leaders and "cant get a visa"?

Hell even the first Whitaker booking was a big disappointment

But yeah he's came into his own spectacularly with his last two fights. Im just apprehensive as hell with him. "ILl kIlL eVeRyBoDy!!!!" - 1 to 2 fights a year at very best nowadays

Still I view him as having a Jon Jones trajectory- As far as his record and dominance shows when he DOES show up. And i have a hard time seeing him lose. But I also have a hard time seeing him show up consistently based off history

So no I dont think we "missed out" on what never was, but Khamzats career has actually been disappointing

 

[don't ask]

If I'm missing some smoking gun let me know, I'm not trying to mischaracterize it. So far the worst thing is you mentioned gifts/money. A few times now you keep mentioning that he interacted with his kids but I'm not following why that is a particularly big deal.

Yes though, if I had to bet on it I am betting the two things that made TKO Holdings the most nervous was A) the Russian portion of his victory speech over Kamaru and B) him giving the belt to Kadyrov recently. If you think something else is worse though clue me in. But don't act like there is some massive smoking gun that *I* am ignoring when no one in this thread has bothered to say what it is that justifies a government policy of banning athletes based on guilt by association rather than actual crimes or even comments.

You do understand how this can be dangerous right? That maybe not every government official may hold your exact geopolitical opinions? Is this really a blank check power you want to bestow to bureaucrats in order to regulate which people can compete in cage fighting based on their politics?

I have let you know and you keep avoiding it.

Fabricio Werdum is an example of an athlete who received money from Khadyrov in exchange for a brief employer/employee relationship. Fabricio Werdum was never hit by sanctions or travel restrictions.

Khamzat:
-has an ongoing financial relationship with Khadyrov in which he receives money and gifts
-has an ongoing personal relationship with Khadyrov and his sons, the to the point that his sons accompany him to fights and Khadyrov was the first person Khamzat showed the belt to
-has been present while Khadyrov was conducting business as a despot, threatening to murder a minor for criticiizing him

Werdum was simply an athlete who received money in exchange for services rendered. Khamzat is an associate of a brutal dictator and is exactly the kind of person sanctions and travel restrictions are designed to squeeze.

Yet you keep pretending Khamzat is simply in Werdum's position.

 

[don't ask]

America has no problem with any of those. Who cares as far as the UFC is concerned?

Now America doesn't.

 

[SuperAlly]

Khamzat is the champ
Khamzat is a phenomenal fighter who likely big brothers the entire division. He has Khabib levels of dominance over his division
Khamzat missed a few fights and chunks of his career due to covid, injuries and missing weight - none of which is in any way the UFCs fault.
Why are we pretending the current UFC champ is some kind of victim.

What a retarded thread this is

 

[Pequeño Corey]

There is something comical about a US Army vet who took part in the occupations of rthe Middle East calling anyone else a terrorist.

Brainwashed rat.

Hey buddy if you think Hamas and the US military are one and the same, I don’t really know what to tell you. I just know what side I’m on. I don’t ever recall intentional targeting of civilians, using kids as a shield, or hiding out in a school or hospital as a combatant. Different values I guess.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

America has no problem with any of those. Who cares as far as the UFC is concerned?

Sure. Sometimes you just need to acknowledge that one warlord is better than the other, so you put him in power and keep him there as long as he does what he’s told and doesn’t go off the reservation. Folks have short memories, but bolstering Saddam, for example, was better than the alternative. Arming the Taliban? Sure. Go give those Russkies hell, you cave dwelling fundamentalist. To couch US foreign policy as terrorism is obtuse. Non-interventionism sounds good and all, but the last thing you want is a nuke in the hands of someone who thinks that drawing his prophet is punishable by death.

 

[Dionysian]

Using Ali is a bad example. Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison.

It was the best I could come up with of an elite athlete's prime just vanishing into thin air due to them being prosecuted by a government, but you're right, it was at least based on a theoretical CRIME even if not everyone agreed about that crime. Khamzat's was not based on any CRIME, and no one even pretends that it was. But we have plenty of people in this thread defending that prosecution/him being banned from competing anywhere besides Abu Dhabi.

Wild dystopian shit when the serfs clamor to hand new ways they can be prosecuted to their overlords while celebrating it. "Yes of course he should have been banned from his livelihood due to politics. I would also love to be prosecuted for only me appearing in a photo with someone else! The crime of bad social media connections through CIA-controlled Facebook?? Yes please! No, the government doesn't need to state what I did wrong in a court of law or have ANY accountability or rationale for that prosecution! Being the wrong kind of politics as declared by an unaccountable faceless bureaucracy? Toss my habeas corpus in the trash please. All I ask is I be allowed to join in the persecution and virtue signal online when someone is prosecuted for the crime of appearing in a photo, and all I ask is that when I disappear anonymous posters online can also virtue signal about their righteousness due to my disappearance."

Funny part is this shadow prosecution happened under Biden, and now shadow prosecutions are happening under Trump. News alert folks... when you celebrate your rights evaporating it is very likely going to get used against you. Biden fans that used to cheer the faceless bureaucracy as a lovely "institution" all the sudden realizing faceless bureaucracy could be bad as people are disappearing after getting tossed into vans yet they STILL can't bring themselves to realize the institution sucks. Trump fans that still think everything is hunky dory... be aware that you can be tossed in a van without any retort (whether under this administration or a different one 10 years from now if you think your obedience is your refuge now) and maybe this isn't the best for you...

I have let you know and you keep avoiding it.

Fabricio Werdum is an example of an athlete who received money from Khadyrov in exchange for a brief employer/employee relationship. Fabricio Werdum was never hit by sanctions or travel restrictions.

Khamzat:
-has an ongoing financial relationship with Khadyrov in which he receives money and gifts
-has an ongoing personal relationship with Khadyrov and his sons, the to the point that his sons accompany him to fights and Khadyrov was the first person Khamzat showed the belt to
-has been present while Khadyrov was conducting business as a despot, threatening to murder a minor for criticiizing him

Werdum was simply an athlete who received money in exchange for services rendered. Khamzat is an associate of a brutal dictator and is exactly the kind of person sanctions and travel restrictions are designed to squeeze.

Yet you keep pretending Khamzat is simply in Werdum's position.

I'm pretending he hasn't committed a crime. Because he hasn't. As evidenced by the fact that in all our conversation you never even tried to propose a crime. And in my view (rule of law > all), people should not be prosecuted unless they do something illegal. Never guilt by "being present"

Kadyrov is a criminal.
But getting money from a criminal isn't a crime.
But hanging out with the son of a criminal isn't a crime.
But being present while a criminal "conducts business" isn't a crime.

If getting paid by criminals was a crime then every US service member would be jailed.
If hanging out with sons of criminals was a crime then all kids in DC would be jailed.
If being present while a criminal "conducts business" was a crime then you likely would be in jail.

Let's drop the totalitarian hellhole mentality and demand that punishment depends on identifying actual transgressions based on the law, and that the transgression be proven by a legally-recognized body, and that process at least attempts to be somewhat transparent/accountable.

You don't see ANY problem with any of this "faceless government bureaucracy decides which athletes compete in the UFC based on politics" mentality? You seriously think this blank check won't EVER be used against you? LITERALLY at a time when people are getting tossed into vans and disappearing?

I do remember the Nate fight cancellation being fishy AF and I think I even made a thread about it. However I don t see what‘s in the interest of the UFC of pulling such shenanigans.

Now on Trump intervening as per his executive powers with the State Department to lift his ban, is this confirmed or just speculation? Sounds hard to believe.

Lastly, don‘t expect a reasonable discussion here. Most guys here think Khamzat should go to jail just for being buddy with Kadyrov, while not giving a shit that they their country is financing and arming Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Their interest in cancelling Nate/Khamzat was because the media and fanbase clearly turned against them and made the guy they wanted to punish (Nate) into a hero/sacrifical lamb. So at that point the UFC could go on with the fight and play directly into that "Nate is being sacrificed" narrative and have a huge PR black eye or they could cancel the fight.

I assume that they determined to cancel the fight but didn't want it to be known that they cancelled the fight for that exact reason. Hence the UFC doctor telling him to drink water, then the UFC weighing him right after rehydrating knowing he'd be over, then the UFC cancelling the fight, then inexplicably having weight classes set up for 6 separate fighters prior to Khamzat "missing weight" (Tony, Nate, Hernandez, Kevin, Li, Khamzat) complete with a 180 pound bout scheduled way in advance (Kevin vs Hernandez) which has never been done since, then a clearly imaginary brawl storyline to promote coincidentally-180 pound Kevin to fight totally coincidentally-180-pound Khamzat, and none of the fighters getting pulled.

In terms of Trump intervening, yeah it was confirmed / Khamzat thanked him for it:

Trump Could Hand Kadyrov His First UFC Champion

Khamzat Chimaev—UFC superstar and Kadyrov’s favorite fighter—credits Trump for his U.S. return. Now, he’s on the verge of becoming champion.

www.sportspolitika.news

Yeah I didn't expect much positive discussion. Funny how people actively supporting an ongoing, well-documented genocide tend to get real preachy when it comes to judging others. That's why I keep trying to reframe it as "hey this is in your self-interest, realizing that political persecutions for non-crimes may not be such a great thing" but you know how oppression works... the people being oppressed are the ones most programmed to cheerlead their own oppression. Sadly fans are now cheering the State Department to determine which athletes compete across the globe in the UFC for things totally unrelated to fighting.

 

[Dionysian]

but the last thing you want is a nuke in the hands of someone who thinks that drawing his profit is punishable by death.

You misspelling prophet as profit is too beautiful of a Freudian slip.

If you did it on purpose, bravo.
If you didn't do it on purpose... the universe is trying to acknowledge the truth through you haha.
No we don't want the nukes in the hands of those who think that drawing away from their profits is punishable by death.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

It was the best I could come up with of an elite athlete's prime just vanishing into thin air due to them being prosecuted by a government, but you're right, it was at least based on a theoretical CRIME even if not everyone agreed about that crime. Khamzat's was not based on any CRIME, and no one even pretends that it was. But we have plenty of people in this thread defending that prosecution/him being banned from competing anywhere besides Abu Dhabi.

Wild dystopian shit when the serfs clamor to hand new ways they can be prosecuted to their overlords while celebrating it. "Yes of course he should have been banned from his livelihood due to politics. I would also love to be prosecuted for only me appearing in a photo with someone else! The crime of bad social media connections through CIA-controlled Facebook?? Yes please! No, the government doesn't need to state what I did wrong in a court of law or have ANY accountability or rationale for that prosecution! Being the wrong kind of politics as declared by an unaccountable faceless bureaucracy? Toss my habeas corpus in the trash please. All I ask is I be allowed to join in the persecution and virtue signal online when someone is prosecuted for the crime of appearing in a photo, and all I ask is that when I disappear anonymous posters online can also virtue signal about their righteousness due to my disappearance."

Funny part is this shadow prosecution happened under Biden, and now shadow prosecutions are happening under Trump. News alert folks... when you celebrate your rights evaporating it is very likely going to get used against you. Biden fans that used to cheer the faceless bureaucracy as a lovely "institution" all the sudden realizing faceless bureaucracy could be bad as people are disappearing after getting tossed into vans yet they STILL can't bring themselves to realize the institution sucks. Trump fans that still think everything is hunky dory... be aware that you can be tossed in a van without any retort (whether under this administration or a different one 10 years from now if you think your obedience is your refuge now) and maybe this isn't the best for you...

I'm pretending he hasn't committed a crime. Because he hasn't. As evidenced by the fact that in all our conversation you never even tried to propose a crime. And in my view (rule of law > all), people should not be prosecuted unless they do something illegal. Never guilt by "being present"

Kadyrov is a criminal.
But getting money from a criminal isn't a crime.
But hanging out with the son of a criminal isn't a crime.
But being present while a criminal "conducts business" isn't a crime.

If getting paid by criminals was a crime then every US service member would be jailed.
If hanging out with sons of criminals was a crime then all kids in DC would be jailed.
If being present while a criminal "conducts business" was a crime then you likely would be in jail.

Let's drop the totalitarian hellhole mentality and demand that punishment depends on identifying actual transgressions based on the law, and that the transgression be proven by a legally-recognized body, and that process at least attempts to be somewhat transparent/accountable.

You don't see ANY problem with any of this "faceless government bureaucracy decides which athletes compete in the UFC based on politics" mentality? You seriously think this blank check won't EVER be used against you? LITERALLY at a time when people are getting tossed into vans and disappearing?

Their interest in cancelling Nate/Khamzat was because the media and fanbase clearly turned against them and made the guy they wanted to punish (Nate) into a hero/sacrifical lamb. So at that point the UFC could go on with the fight and play directly into that "Nate is being sacrificed" narrative and have a huge PR black eye or they could cancel the fight.

I assume that they determined to cancel the fight but didn't want it to be known that they cancelled the fight for that exact reason. Hence the UFC doctor telling him to drink water, then the UFC weighing him right after rehydrating knowing he'd be over, then the UFC cancelling the fight, then inexplicably having weight classes set up for 6 separate fighters prior to Khamzat "missing weight" (Tony, Nate, Hernandez, Kevin, Li, Khamzat) complete with a 180 pound bout scheduled way in advance (Kevin vs Hernandez) which has never been done since, then a clearly imaginary brawl storyline to promote coincidentally-180 pound Kevin to fight totally coincidentally-180-pound Khamzat, and none of the fighters getting pulled.

In terms of Trump intervening, yeah it was confirmed / Khamzat thanked him for it:

Trump Could Hand Kadyrov His First UFC Champion

Khamzat Chimaev—UFC superstar and Kadyrov’s favorite fighter—credits Trump for his U.S. return. Now, he’s on the verge of becoming champion.

www.sportspolitika.news

Yeah I didn't expect much positive discussion. Funny how people actively supporting an ongoing, well-documented genocide tend to get real preachy when it comes to judging others. That's why I keep trying to reframe it as "hey this is in your self-interest, realizing that political persecutions for non-crimes may not be such a great thing" but you know how oppression works... the people being oppressed are the ones most programmed to cheerlead their own oppression. Sadly fans are now cheering the State Department to determine which athletes compete across the globe in the UFC for things totally unrelated to fighting.

Now that i think about it, I remember thinking back then that a plausible reason for cancelling the fight was Nate‘s no so subtle hints that he was going to throw it. I e I think he went on record saying that he wasn‘t even going to try to win. I also think I saw a vid online of an MMA talking head (was it Shale of all people, lol), that this could cause an issue from a sanctioning body perspective. I mean if one guy would let himself get beaten into a pulp just to piss off daddy it‘s Nate. And we just saw Khamzat ragdoll DDP of all people for 5 rounds. Maybe Dana felt quite exposed here.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

You misspelling prophet as profit is too beautiful of a Freudian slip.

If you did it on purpose, bravo.
If you didn't do it on purpose... the universe is trying to acknowledge the truth through you haha.
No we don't want the nukes in the hands of those who think that drawing away from their profits is punishable by death.

Yea you got me there. I totally misspelled “prophet”. I assure you, I know the difference between profit and prophet. I also acknowledge that our foreign policy is directly influenced by “profit” in way of natural resources and defense contracting. I’m not blind to that. I never said that US interest in foreign affairs is purely altruistic, I just wouldn’t call it terrorism.

 

[don't ask]

I'm pretending he hasn't committed a crime. Because he hasn't. As evidenced by the fact that in all our conversation you never even tried to propose a crime. And in my view (rule of law > all), people should not be prosecuted unless they do something illegal. Never guilt by "being present"

Kadyrov is a criminal.
But getting money from a criminal isn't a crime.
But hanging out with the son of a criminal isn't a crime.
But being present while a criminal "conducts business" isn't a crime.

If getting paid by criminals was a crime then every US service member would be jailed.
If hanging out with sons of criminals was a crime then all kids in DC would be jailed.
If being present while a criminal "conducts business" was a crime then you likely would be in jail.

Let's drop the totalitarian hellhole mentality and demand that punishment depends on identifying actual transgressions based on the law, and that the transgression be proven by a legally-recognized body, and that process at least attempts to be somewhat transparent/accountable.

Why do you think the international world of illegal invasions and war crimes should fit into your corner-store concept of district attorney's and petty crimes?

Oh, I know why, because if you acknowledge reality then you'll realize how asinine your argument is.

Khamzat is an associate of Khadyrov's with a personal relationship and financial benefits from his horrific empire. Sanctions and travel restrictions levied against hostile nations conducting illegal invasions are a perfectly fine, non-violent way for countries to exert pressure towards peace. To huff in an outrage because your favorite wrestle-puncher should be above them is buffoonish.

Basically, knock off your simple-minded bullshit. We both know you're not a simple-minded cretin, but your position requires you to be one.

You don't see ANY problem with any of this "faceless government bureaucracy decides which athletes compete in the UFC based on politics" mentality? You seriously think this blank check won't EVER be used against you? LITERALLY at a time when people are getting tossed into vans and disappearing?

It's obvious you're not reading what I'm writing because I answered this already.

 

[Tweak896]

We could've skipped the Leon era. Khamzat probably wouldn't have stayed long as champ though, but we'd probably not get back to back Usman rematches after a domination. It's very sad how long it took.

 

[jeff7b9]

The era of zero accountability is upon us

Accountability is racist bro.

 

[BoxingFan653]

I been on the Borz war wagon since pretty much day 1 (UFC day 1 to be fair). I am very happy to see him win...probably the first time my hype train guy won and was the real deal. I still to this day don't fully understand why he went missing for years and there is no official word. We all assume it's the visa or Biden admin or the dictator issue but its crazy there is no official explanation as to wtf happened.

He should have been double champ by now. I felt as though Usman and DDP were his two biggest threats. Now its wide open but who knows with MMA.

 

[Dionysian]

Now that i think about it, I remember thinking back then that a plausible reason for cancelling the fight was Nate‘s no so subtle hints that he was going to throw it. I e I think he went on record saying that he wasn‘t even going to try to win. I also think I saw a vid online of an MMA talking head (was it Shale of all people, lol), that this could cause an issue from a sanctioning body perspective. I mean if one guy would let himself get beaten into a pulp just to piss off daddy it‘s Nate. And we just saw Khamzat ragdoll DDP of all people for 5 rounds. Maybe Dana felt quite exposed here.

For sure. Even ESPN / Stephen Smith and people like that were publicly calling out the UFC. It was a clusterfuck for sure and they had every reason in the world to cancel the fight, with none of the leverage to do it without incriminating themselves.

Why do you think the international world of illegal invasions and war crimes should fit into your corner-store concept of district attorney's and petty crimes?

Oh, I know why, because if you acknowledge reality then you'll realize how asinine your argument is.

Khamzat is an associate of Khadyrov's with a personal relationship and financial benefits from his horrific empire. Sanctions and travel restrictions levied against hostile nations conducting illegal invasions are a perfectly fine, non-violent way for countries to exert pressure towards peace. To huff in an outrage because your favorite wrestle-puncher should be above them is buffoonish.

Basically, knock off your simple-minded bullshit. We both know you're not a simple-minded cretin, but your position requires you to be one.



It's obvious you're not reading what I'm writing because I answered this already.

The world of invasions and war crimes should most DEFINITELY fit into the concept of law and order. Without that we're just deferring to whichever authority (thug) has the most power.

Let's agree to disagree then. Where we agree:
1. Kadyrov is a criminal
2. It'd be nice if criminality was lessened the world over

Not being facetious there. Our end direction is in agreement at least.

Where we disagree:
1. Punishing Kadyrov can effectively be done by punishing UFC athletes
2. Punishing Khamzat in particular is justified to punish Kadyrov
3. The collateral damage of governments, without transparency or accountability, being able to target athletes for political reasons is acceptable if it exacts that punishment

With #1/#2 disagreement... sorry, the juice is simply not worth the squeeze. Whether Khamzat didn't compete in the Western world in 2023 or if they stripped the belt from him tomorrow... it won't save one life, stop any war, or detract from Kadyrov's personal bank account. If it does literally nothing of tangible value... what's the point?

The only true disagreement that I believe we won't get over is #3. I don't care if it is Kadyrov or Hitler reincarnated... I don't want to justify political targeting of athletes because I know that's a bridge to the political targeting of citizens, and I know encouraging governments that they have no need to be transparent or rationalize persecution abroad begets the notion that they won't have to be transparent / rationalize what they do to their citizens at home. My thoughts on Kadyrov are completely irrelevant. My concern is systemic integrity... and we're all better off if political targeting is not a thing in the UFC/society at large.

Accountability is racist bro.

Reported for racism

I been on the Borz war wagon since pretty much day 1 (UFC day 1 to be fair). I am very happy to see him win...probably the first time my hype train guy won and was the real deal. I still to this day don't fully understand why he went missing for years and there is no official word. We all assume it's the visa or Biden admin or the dictator issue but its crazy there is no official explanation as to wtf happened.

He should have been double champ by now. I felt as though Usman and DDP were his two biggest threats. Now its wide open but who knows with MMA.

Trump Could Hand Kadyrov His First UFC Champion

Khamzat Chimaev—UFC superstar and Kadyrov’s favorite fighter—credits Trump for his U.S. return. Now, he’s on the verge of becoming champion.

www.sportspolitika.news

It was explained / Khamzat thanked Trump for rescinding it

 

[don't ask]

The world of invasions and war crimes should most DEFINITELY fit into the concept of law and order. Without that we're just deferring to whichever authority (thug) has the most power.

Let's agree to disagree then. Where we agree:
1. Kadyrov is a criminal
2. It'd be nice if criminality was lessened the world over

Not being facetious there. Our end direction is in agreement at least.

Where we disagree:
1. Punishing Kadyrov can effectively be done by punishing UFC athletes
2. Punishing Khamzat in particular is justified to punish Kadyrov
3. The collateral damage of governments, without transparency or accountability, being able to target athletes for political reasons is acceptable if it exacts that punishment

Why do you think this is collateral damage and not travel restrictions / sanctions working exactly as intended on an associate of Khadyrov?

With #1/#2 disagreement... sorry, the juice is simply not worth the squeeze. Whether Khamzat didn't compete in the Western world in 2023 or if they stripped the belt from him tomorrow... it won't save one life, stop any war, or detract from Kadyrov's personal bank account. If it does literally nothing of tangible value... what's the point?

It sounds like you don't understand how travel restrictions and sanctions exert pressure and influence on the intended targets. Is this the case?

The only true disagreement that I believe we won't get over is #3. I don't care if it is Kadyrov or Hitler reincarnated... I don't want to justify political targeting of athletes because I know that's a bridge to the political targeting of citizens, and I know encouraging governments that they have no need to be transparent or rationalize persecution abroad begets the notion that they won't have to be transparent / rationalize what they do to their citizens at home. My thoughts on Kadyrov are completely irrelevant. My concern is systemic integrity... and we're all better off if political targeting is not a thing in the UFC/society at large.

Do you think athletes should ever be punished by international pressure for their profitable associations and relationships with dictators? Or do you think athletes should always be exempt?

If you think athletes should be punished provided they meet the right conditions, then what conditions (in your mind) have not been met with his association to Khadyrov?