Absolute Championship Akhmat
Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe.[1] To date, most events have been hosted in Grozny, Russia. ACA also hosted events in other Russian cities, as well as in Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
Founded | 2014 |
Founder | Mairbek Khasiev |
Headquarters | , |
Website | www.aca-mma.com/en |
History
The Beginning
ACB was founded by Mairbek Khasiev, he is one of the most respected citizens of Chechen Republic. Khasiev a sport activist and a decorated doctor with a lot of notable awards. Thanks to his efforts in 2009 the Berkut Fight Club was founded in Grozny help a lot young fighters get the opportunity to compete in the very highest level.
Several fighters who have been successful in ACB have signed on to more well known promotions such as the UFC. ACB has its own fight team, the Fight Club Berkut, which consists of some of the promotion's elite fighters, such as Beslan Isaev, Magomed Bibulatov, Musa Khamanaev and Aslambek Saidov. ACB co-operates with many other promotions in Europe by exchanging fighters, for example KSW and The Cage. ACB runs the majority of its shows live on a variety of TV networks (Match TV, Polsat Sport) throughout Europe. The promotion runs its shows live internationally on its Facebook page.
International Expansion
The 2017 campaign featured 27 events spanning across thirteen countries, including United States, Austria, Poland, England, Tajikistan, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Australia and Russia.
TECH-Krep FC purchase
On September 12, 2018, Mairbek Khasiev revealed that Absolute Championship Berkut had purchased TECH-Krep FC.[2] Khasiev went on to explain that TECH-Krep FC will cease operation and they canceled the October 26 event, and that former Tech-Krep FC head Alexey Yatsenko will become the president of the organization.
WFCA acquisition and integration
On November 28, 2018, the Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov announced that the Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB) and the World Fighting Championship Akhmat (WFCA) would merge to form a single promotion.[3]
US Sanctions
On December 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced sanctions against ACA and Akhmat MMA due to their ownership by Kadyrov. Due to this, no American citizen or company can do business with them, meaning all American fighters could face fines or jail time if they fight for the organization. [4] Brett Cooper was the first fighter to pull out of his fight at ACA 116: Froes vs Balaev due to the sanctions.[5]
List of events
Scheduled Event
ACA | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Event | Date | Venue | Location | |||
2 | ACA 118: Abdulaev vs. Vagaev 2 | February 26, 2021 | TBA | Russia | |||
1 | ACA 117: Bagov vs. Silvério | February 12, 2021 | WOW Arena | Krasnaya Polyana, Russia |
Current champions
Mixed martial arts
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | Tony Johnson | November 26, 2020 | 0 |
Light Heavyweight | Vacant | ||
Middleweight | Salamu Abdurakhmanov | April 27, 2019 | 1 |
Welterweight | Murad Abdulaev | September 5, 2020 | 0 |
Lightweight | Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov | September 19, 2020 | 0 |
Featherweight | Vacant | ||
Bantamweight | Daniel Oliveira | March 6, 2020 | 1 |
Flyweight | Azamat Kerefov | February 21, 2020 | 1 |
Kickboxing
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | Tsotne Rogava | April 20, 2018 | 0 |
Middleweight | Artem Levin | April 20, 2018 | 0 |
Welterweight | Parviz Abdullayev | April 20, 2018 | 0 |
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | Marcus Almeida | May 5, 2018 | 0 |
Light Heavyweight | Felipe Pena | April 14, 2018 | 0 |
Middleweight | Leandro Lo | May 5, 2018 | 0 |
Welterweight | Lucas Lepri | June 30, 2018 | 0 |
Lightweight | Paulo Miyao | September 8, 2018 | 1 |
Featherweight | João Miyao | April 14, 2018 | 1 |
Rankings
The rankings for the ACA's fighters are both recorded and updated when information has been obtained from the ACA's website.[6]
ACA Rankings | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight | Middleweight | Welterweight | |||
C | Tony Johnson Jr. | Salamu Abdurahmanov | Murad Abdulaev | ||||
1 | Daniel Omielańczuk | Muslim Magomedov | Magomed Ismailov | Abubakar Vagaev | |||
2 | Dmitry Poberezhets 3 | Aleksei Butorin | Nikola Dipchikov 1 | Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov | |||
3 | Mukhamad Vakhaev 1 | Evgeniy Egemberdiev 1 | Magomedrasul Gasanov 6 | Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov | |||
4 | Ruslan Magomedov 1 | Asylzhan Bakhytzhanuly 1 | Artem Frolov 2 | Elias Silverio | |||
5 | Denis Smoldarev 1 | Ilya Shcheglov | Rafał Haratyk 1 | Beslan Ushukov | |||
6 | Daniel James | Grigor Matevosyan 2 | Piotr Strus 1 | Ali Bagov | |||
7 | Salimgirey Rasulov (NR) | Carlos Eduardo 1 | Ibragim Magomedov 1 | Vitaliy Slipenko | |||
8 | Ioannis Arzoumanidis | Cory Hendricks 1 | Abdul-Rahman Dzhanaev 1 | Khuseyn Khaliev (NR) | |||
9 | Mateusz Lazowski | Artur Astakhov | Valery Myasnikov 3 | Alexander Butenko | |||
10 | Roggers Souza | Karol Celinski | Alexey Efremov | Andrei Koshkin | |||
Rank | Lightweight | Featherweight | Bantamweight | Flyweight | |||
C | Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov | Deivi Daniel Oliveira de Almeida | Azamat Kerefov | ||||
1 | Artem Reznikov | Felipe Froes | Magomed Bibulatov | Murad Zeynulabidov | |||
2 | Yusuf Raisov | Magomedrasul Khasbulaev 1 | Francisco de Lima Maciel | Kurban Gadzhiev | |||
3 | Amirkhan Adaev 1 | Salman Zhamaldaev 1 | Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev | Rasul Albaskhanov | |||
4 | Alexander Sarnavskiy 1 | Marat Balaev 1 | Shamil Shakhbulatov | Azamat Pshukov | |||
5 | Aurel Pîrtea 1 | Apti Bimarzaev 1 | Islam Meshev | Imran Bukuev | |||
6 | Hacran Dias 1 | Tural Ragimov 1 | Khusein Sheikhaev 1 | Charles Henrique | |||
7 | Rashid Magomedov 1 | Andrey Goncharov | Rodrigo Praia 1 | Murad Magomedov | |||
8 | Mukhamed Kokov 2 | Bibert Tumenov 1 | Igor Zhirkov | Azam Gaforov | |||
9 | Levan Makashvili | Askhab Zulaev 1 | Oleg Borisov | Mansur Khatuev | |||
10 | Vener Galiev (NR) | Ramazan Kishev | Cleverson Silva | Aren Akopyan (NR) |
Championship history
Heavyweight Championship
- 120 kg (265 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Tony Johnson def. Daniel Omielańczuk |
ACA 114 Łódź, Poland |
November 26, 2020 | |
Mukhamad Vakhaev vacated the title in March 2020 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA . | ||||
6 | Mukhamad Vakhaev def. Evgeny Goncharov |
ACA 104 Krasnodar, Russia |
February 21, 2020 | |
5 | Evgeny Goncharov def. Tony Johnson |
ACA 97 Krasnodar, Russia |
August 31, 2019 | |
Evgeny Goncharov and Tony Johnson fought to a no contest at ACA 96, leaving the belt vacated.[7] | ||||
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
4 | Mukhomad Vakhaev def. Denis Goltsov |
ACB 67 Grozny, Russia |
August 19, 2017 |
1. def. Sergey Bilostenniy at ACB 90 on Nov. 10, 2018 in Moscow, Russia |
3 | Denis Goltsov def. Selimgerey Rasulov |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
December 18, 2016 | |
2 | Salimgerey Rasulov def. Zelimkhan Umiev |
ACB 29 Warsaw, Poland |
February 6, 2016 | |
1 | Zelimkhan Umiev def. Israfil Makhashev |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
June 22, 2014 |
Light Heavyweight Championship
- 93 kg (205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov vacated the title when he signed for the Bellator MMA. | ||||
5 | Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Karol Celinski |
ACA 92 Warsaw, Poland |
February 16, 2019 |
1. def. Alexey Butorin at ACA 103 on December 14, 2019 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
4 | Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Batraz Agnaev |
ACB 86 Moscow, Russia |
May 5, 2018 | |
3 | Batraz Agnaev def. Thiago Silva |
ACB 65 Sheffield, England |
July 22, 2017 | |
2 | Thiago Silva def. Jared Ferguson |
ACB 51 Irvine, California United States |
January 13, 2017 | |
Gadzhimurad Antigulov vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | ||||
1 | Gadzhimurad Antigulov def. Ruslan Khaskhanov |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
June 22, 2014 |
1. def. Muslim Makhmudov at ACB 35 on May 6, 2016 in Tbilisi, Georgia |
Middleweight Championship
- 84 kg (185 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Salamu Abdurakhmanov def. Brett Cooper |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
April 27, 2019 |
1. def. Valery Myasnikov at ACA 102 on November 29, 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
2 | Albert Duraev def. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky |
ACB 77 Moscow, Russia |
December 23, 2017 |
1. def. Piotr Strus at ACB 89 on Sept. 8, 2018 in Krasnodar, Russia |
Anatoly Tokov vacated the title when he signed for M-1 Global. | ||||
1 | Anatoly Tokov def. Arbi Aguev |
ACB 38 Rostov-on-Don, Russia |
May 20, 2016 |
Welterweight Championship
- 77 kg (170 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Murad Abdulaev def. Ali Bagov |
ACA 110 Moscow, Russia |
September 5, 2020 | |
Albert Tumenov vacated the title in November 2019 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA . | ||||
5 | Albert Tumenov def. Murad Abdulaev |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
April 27, 2019 |
1. def. Beslan Ushukov at ACA 102 on November 29, 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
4 | Albert Tumenov def. Ciro Rodrigues |
ACB 89 Krasnodar, Russia |
September 8, 2018 | |
Mukhamed Berkhamov was stripped of the title after his refusal to accept 3 title defense match ups | ||||
3 | Mukhamed Berkhamov def. Brett Cooper |
ACB 67 Grozny, Russia |
August 19, 2017 | |
2 | Brett Cooper def. Aslambek Saidov |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
December 18, 2016 | |
Albert Duraev was stripped of the title due to him missing weight and his eventual move up to Middleweight. | ||||
1 | Albert Duraev def. Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov |
ACB 22 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
September 12, 2015 |
1. def. Michail Tsarev at ACB 35 on May 6, 2016 in Tbilisi, Georgia |
Lightweight Championship
- 70 kg (155 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov def. Alexander Sarnavskiy |
ACA 111 Moscow, Russia |
September 19, 2020 | |
Title vacated after Bagov moved up to welterweight. | ||||
3 | Ali Bagov def. Khuseyn Khaliev |
ACA 99 Moscow, Russia |
September 27, 2019 | |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
2 | Ali Bagov def. Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov |
ACB 89 Krasnodar, Russia |
September 8, 2018 | |
Interim | Eduard Vartanyan def. Andrey Koshkin for interim title |
ACB 71 Moscow, Russia |
September 30, 2017 | |
1 | Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov def. Ali Bagov |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
June 22, 2014 |
1. def. Eduard Vartanyan at ACB 32 on March 26, 2016 in Moscow, Russia |
Featherweight Championship
- 66 kg (145 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Felipe Froes was stripped of the title after he missed weight | ||||
5 | Felipe Froes def. Salman Zhamaldaev |
ACA 100 Grozny, Russia |
October 4, 2019 | |
4 | Salman Zhamaldaev def. Marat Balaev |
ACA 93 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
March 16, 2019 | |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
3 | Yusuf Raisov def. Marat Balaev for unified title |
ACB 86 Moscow, Russia |
May 5, 2018 | |
Interim | Yusuf Raisov def. Alexander Peduson for interim title |
ACB 77 Moscow, Russia |
December 23, 2017 | |
2 | Marat Balayev def. Yusuf Raisov |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
December 18, 2016 |
1. def. Adlan Bataev at ACB 61 on May 20, 2017 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Zabit Magomedsharipov vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | ||||
1 | Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Sheikh-Magomed Arapkhanov |
ACB 31 Grozny, Russia |
March 29, 2016 |
1. def. Valdines Silva at ACB 45 on September 17, 2016 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Bantamweight Championship
- 61 kg (135 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Daniel Oliveira def. Shamil Shakhbulatov |
ACA 105 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
March 6, 2020 |
1. def. Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev at ACA 112 on October 4, 2020 in Grozny, Russia |
Rustam Kerimov vacated the title in December 2019 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA . | ||||
4 | Rustam Kerimov def. Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev |
ACA 93 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
March 16, 2019 |
1. def. Francisco Maciel at ACA 103 on December 14, 2019 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
3 | Rustam Kerimov def. Oleg Borisov |
ACB 83 Baku, Azerbaijan |
March 24, 2018 | |
Petr Yan vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | ||||
2 | Petr Yan def. Magomed Magomedov |
ACB 57 Moscow, Russia |
April 15, 2017 |
1. def. Matheus Mattos at ACB 71 on September 30, 2017 in Moscow, Russia |
1 | Magomed Magomedov def. Petr Yan |
ACB 32 Moscow, Russia |
March 26, 2016 |
1. def. Oleg Borisov at ACB 50 on December 18, 2016 in Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Flyweight Championship
- 57 kg (125 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Azamat Kerefov def. Mansur Khatuev |
ACA 104 Krasnodar, Russia |
February 21, 2020 |
1. def. Kurban Gadzhiev at ACA 113 on November 6, 2020 in Moscow, Russia |
Yunus Evloev vacated the title in December 2019 for health reasons. | ||||
2 | Yunus Evloev def. Josiel Silva |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
April 27, 2019 |
1. def. Azam Gaforov at ACA 99 on September 27, 2019 in Moscow, Russia |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
1 | Askar Askarov def. José Maria Tomé |
ACB 48 Moscow, Russia |
October 22, 2016 |
1. def. Anthony Leone at ACB 58 on April 22, 2017 in Khasavyurt, Russia |
Heavyweight Championship
- 120 kg (265 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Tsotne Rogava | ACB KB 15 Moscow, Russia |
April 20, 2018 | |
1 | Jhonata Diniz def. Kirk Krouba |
ACB KB 6 Brussels, Belgium |
June 5, 2016 |
Middleweight Championship
- 85 kg (187 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Artem Levin def. Igor Bugaenko |
ACB KB 15 Moscow, Russia |
April 20, 2018 |
Welterweight Championship
- 77 kg (170 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Perviz Abdullayev def. Islam Baibatyrov |
ACB KB 15 Moscow, Russia |
April 20, 2018 |
GI Heavyweight Championship
- 120 kg (265 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Marcus Almeida | ACB JJ 13 Long Beach, United States |
May 5, 2018 | |
2 | João Gabriel Rocha | ACB JJ 10 São Paulo, Brazil |
January 26, 2018 | |
1 | Luiz Panza def. Alexander Trans |
ACB JJ 5 Warsaw, Poland |
June 22, 2014 |
GI Light Heavyweight Championship
- 95 kg (209 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Felipe Pena def. Adam Wardziński |
ACB JJ 12 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
April 14, 2018 |
Middleweight Championship
- 85 kg (187 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Leandro Lo def. Gabriel Arges |
ACB JJ 13 Long Beach, United States |
May 5, 2018 |
GI Welterweight Championship
- 75 kg (165 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Lucas Lepri | ACB JJ 14 Moscow, Russia |
June 30, 2018 | |
1 | Davi Ramos def. Edwin Najmi |
ACB JJ 11 Badalona, Spain |
March 3, 2018 |
GI Lightweight Championship
- 65 kg (143 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Paulo Miyao def. Augusto Mendes |
ACB JJ 10 São Paulo, Brazil |
January 26, 2018 |
1. def. Osvaldo Moizinho at ACB JJ 12 on April 14, 2018 in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
GI Featherweight Championship
- 60 kg (132 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | João Miyao def. Samir Chantre |
ACB JJ 12 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
April 14, 2018 |
1. def. Ary Farias at ACB JJ 14 on June 30, 2018 in Moscow, Russia |
Grand Prix champions
Notable fighters
Mixed martial arts
- Amir Aliakbari
- Ben Alloway
- Saul Almeida
- Dylan Andrews
- Gadzhimurad Antigulov
- Scott Askham
- Niklas Bäckström
- Luke Barnatt
- Magomed Bibulatov
- E.J. Brooks
- Paul Buentello
- Nah-Shon Burrell
- Chris Camozzi
- Steve Carl
- Dan Charles
- Joachim Christensen
- Brett Cooper
- Carlos Eduardo
- Rob Emerson
- Efrain Escudero
- Gustavo Falciroli
- Christos Giagos
- Fernando Gonzalez
- Chase Gormley
- Sergej Grecicho
- Mike Grundy
- Piotr Hallmann
- Pat Healy
- Marcin Held
- Bubba Jenkins
- Georgi Karakhanyan
- Mamed Khalidov
- Magomedrasul Khasbulaev
- Mike Kyle
- Anthony Leone
- Artem Lobov
- Murad Machaev
- Reza Madadi
- Leonardo Mafra
- Vinny Magalhães
- Zabit Magomedsharipov
- John Maguire
- Zach Makovsky
- Nick Mamalis
- Alonzo Martinez
- Danny Martinez
- Rasul Mirzaev
- David Mitchell
- Takeya Mizugaki
- Luis Alberto Nogueira
- Daniel Omielańczuk
- Luis Palomino
- Norman Parke
- Nam Phan
- Jesse Ronson
- Donald Sanchez
- André Santos
- Daniel Sarafian
- Alexander Sarnavskiy
- Fábio Silva
- Leandro Silva
- Thiago Silva
- Dennis Siver
- Clifford Starks
- Akop Stepanyan
- Hans Stringer
- Michinori Tanaka
- Luis Tavares
- Thiago Tavares
- Jesse Taylor
- Michail Tsarev
- Albert Tumenov
- Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
- Rodolfo Vieira
- Marcos Vinicius
- Rodney Wallace
- Robert Whiteford
- Mike Wilkinson
- Andre Winner
- Petr Yan
Kickboxing
- Benjamin Adegbuyi
- Chingiz Allazov
- Dzhabar Askerov
- Jamal Ben Saddik
- Yuri Bessmertny
- Igor Bugaenko
- Redouan Cairo
- Mikhail Chalykh
- Sebastian Ciobanu
- Hicham El Gaoui
- Freddy Kemayo
- Enriko Kehl
- Albert Kraus
- Artem Levin
- Alka Matewa
- Tsotne Rogava
- Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong
- Alexander Stetsurenko
- Warren Stevelmans
- Sorin Tănăsie
- Luis Tavares
- Vlad Tuinov
See also
Notes
References
- Zidan, Karim (2014-12-22). "Ripe with ambition, ACB President Bekhan Khasiev confident his promotion will garner international recognition". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- "ACB purchases TECH-Krep FC". sports.ru. September 12, 2018.
- https://tass.ru/sport/5847959
- "The Dictator's Dilemma: How U.S. sanctions will impact Ramzan Kadyrov's MMA aspirations". bloodyelbow.com.
- "Американский боец отказался выступать в Absolute Championship Akhmat из-за санкций". tass.ru.
- "Rankings | UFC". www.aca-mma.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- "Tony Johnson: I want a rematch!". Absolute Championship Akhmat. June 13, 2019.