Abdul-Kerim Edilov (25 November 1991 – 29 December 2022) was a Russian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division. Notably associated with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

, Edilov was also known for his close ties to Chechen leader

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician and current head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated with the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Chechen independence movement, through his father who was the ...

, having served as the Chechnya's Vice-Premier and Minister of Sports. Edilov died in December 2022, with the circumstances of his death attracting attention and discussion.

Early life

Edilov was born on November 25, 1991, in the

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, Russia.

Mixed Martial Arts

Edilov began his mixed martial arts career in the early 2010s. Initially scheduled to debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2016, Edilov faced a setback due to a 15-month suspension by the UFC after testing positive for

meldonium Meldonium (International Nonproprietary Name, INN; trade name Mildronate, among others) is a pharmaceutical developed in 1970 by Ivars Kalviņš at the USSR Latvia Institute of Organic Synthesis. It is now manufactured by the Latvian pharma ...

, a banned substance. Edilov made a successful UFC debut in 2017, defeating Bojan Mihajlovic by a second-round technical knockout (TKO). In 2018, Edilov left the UFC, reportedly requesting his release to join Absolute Championships Akhmat (ACA), a promotion formed from the merger of several organizations.

Relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov

Edilov was associated with

, the leader of Chechnya. In his political career, Edilov served as deputy prime minister of Chechnya. In September 2022, allegations of drug use surfaced, leading to speculation about Edilov's standing within Kadyrov's inner circle. Following these allegations, Edilov's public appearances and social media activity significantly diminished. On 23 November 2022, it was officially announced that Edilov had resigned from his position as deputy prime minister, a decision stated to be made "at his own initiative". The lack of clarity surrounding the circumstances of his resignation and subsequent reduction in public visibility contributed to rumors about a potential estrangement from Kadyrov.

Death

Edilov died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 31 in December 2022. His death was reported by Chechen opposition movements, leading to speculation about the cause and manner of his death.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Bojan Mihajlović , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Leonardo Gosling , TKO (leg kicks) , WFCA 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Tiago Mônaco Tosato , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WFCA 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Gilliard Alfredo Fagundes , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Cristhian Torres , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ACB 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Fernando Almeida , Decision (unanimous) , ACB 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Lahat Faye , TKO (punch and soccer kick) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Pavel Tretyakov , TKO (punches) , Fight Nights: Krepost Selection 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Michał Gutowski , TKO (punches) , Fight Nights: Battle on Terek , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Radjabov Sohib , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 ,

Jiří Procházka Jiří Procházka (; ; born October 14, 1992) is a Czech professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion a ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 , Charles Andrade , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Nicholas Boyarchuk , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Gadzhimurad Antigulov , TKO (punches) , Dictator FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Viktor Nemkov , Decision (unanimous) , League S-70: Russian Grand Prix 2011 (Stage 3) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Alexander Grebenkin , TKO (punches) , ProFC 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 ,

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Murad Kamilov , TKO (punches) , rowspan=2, ProFC 19: Cup of Russia 2010 Stage 1 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 , rowspan=2,

Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Dmitriy Surnev , Submission (triangle choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Abdurakhman Nurmagomedov , Technical Submission (triangle choke) , Golden Fist of Russia 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Igor Saveliev , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Round 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Stanislav Molodtsov , Submission (armbar) , Atrium Pankration Cup 2010 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, Russia ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edilov, Abdul-Kerim 1991 births 2022 deaths Russian politicians Russian male mixed martial artists