Abdul-Kerim Edilov, a close associate of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, dead under mysterious circumstances at age 31, reported Chechen opposition movements 1ADAT and Niyso.
Edilov’s last MMA appearance came inside the UFC Octagon, where he picked up a dominant victory over Bojan Mihajlovic back in September 2017. However, prior to this, the Chechen fighter served a lengthy 15-month suspension after he tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium. While he did make his UFC debut, Abdul-Kerim Edilov did not get another chance with the UFC banner, reasons for which remain unknown.
After his UFC debut, the fighter from Grozny, Chechnya stopped competing altogether. His MMA record at the time of his passing stands at 17 wins and just 4 losses. Adul-Kerim Edilov also holds a notable win over former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. Reports indicate Edilov sacrificed his MMA career to become a servant to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
What was Abdul-Kerim Edilov’s relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov?
Abdul-Kerim Edilov is described as a babysitter to Kadyrov’s kids. He helped them with their travel and chores and even taught them how to fight. Edilov was seen as a close ally of Kadyrov and was even promoted to the position of Vice Premier; a rank close to that of Deputy Prime Minister.
Both Edilov and Kadyrov hail from the same village Tsentoroi and are part of the same clan (teip). That’s not all, Abdul-Kerim Edilov’s elder brother is also a close confidante of Ramzan Kadyrov and was recently appointed to the position of Minister of Sports in June 2022. He has several siblings and cousins involved with the Chechen government.
Abdul Kerim Edilov has suddenly passed away today. He was a very close ally of KAFIRov but apparently towards the end, he fell out with him, so there are reports that he was murdered. He had a great career and even one fight in the UFC, but sadly got too close to the tyrant. https://t.co/bLHy4aQEqU pic.twitter.com/zYT9TIWySW
— Borz ⛰ 🐺 (@Borz4562) December 29, 2022
Edilov headlined the first-ever Fight Club Akhmat MMA event, WFCA 1 in April 2015. Since then, Kerim became a regular feature in MMA events in Russia. Additionally, with multiple appearances alongside Kadyrov on his Instagram page, the Chechen fighter became a household name and one of the most feared fighters in Chechnya.
The fallout with Ramzan Kadyrov
If reports are to be believed, Andul-Kerim Edilov fell out of Ramzan Kadyrov’s inner circle over the course of the past few months. He even stepped down from the position of vice premier and was no longer a part of Kadyrov’s infamous video montages. Moreover, Kadyrov’s kids seem to have found Khamzat Chimaev as their “new” training partner.
Ramzan Kadyrov’s henchmen are posting videos of Chechen troops being deployed to Ukraine.
This one, posted by former UFC fighter turned government official Abdelkerim Edilov, carried the caption: “We are prepared to live and ready to die by the way of Kadyrov” pic.twitter.com/lDb9QDFqN5
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) February 25, 2022
Edilov’s last post on Instagram was captioned, “We are prepared to live and ready to die by the way of Kadyrov.” The page has since been deleted. Needless to say, it’s quite upsetting and equally suspicious that Ramzan Kadyrov has not released any statement.