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 has also held 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.
Current season, competition or edition:![]() | |
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Sport | Mixed martial arts |
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Founded | 2014 |
Founder | Mairbek Khasiev |
Country | Russia |
Headquarters | Grozny, Chechnya |
Official website | www.aca-mma.com/en |
History
Absolute Championship Berkut
ACB was founded by Mairbek Khasiev, a citizen of Chechnya. In 2009, he founded the Berkut Fight Club in Grozny which helped young fighters get the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
Several fighters who were successful in ACB have gone on to sign with more well known promotions such as the UFC. ACB had its own fight team, the Fight Club Berkut, which consisted of some of the promotion's fighters, such as Beslan Isaev, Magomed Bibulatov, Musa Khamanaev and Aslambek Saidov. ACB co-operated with other promotions in Europe by exchanging fighters, for example KSW and The Cage. ACB ran the majority of its shows live on a variety of TV networks (Match TV, Polsat Sport) throughout Europe. The promotion ran its shows live internationally on its Facebook page.
International Expansion
The 2017 campaign featured 27 events spanning across thirteen countries, including the 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 would cease operation and cancel their October 26 event, and that former Tech-Krep FC head Alexey Yatsenko would become the president of ACB.
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]
Roster
List of events
2023 events
Event | Date | Venue | Location |
---|---|---|---|
ACA 151: Abiltarov vs Gomes | January 27, 2023 | TatNeft Arena | ![]() |
Current champions
Mixed martial arts
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | ![]() |
March 17, 2023 | 0 |
Light Heavyweight | ![]() |
July 16, 2021 | 2 |
Middleweight | ![]() |
April 9, 2021 | 2 |
Welterweight | ![]() |
December 16, 2022 | 0 |
Lightweight | ![]() |
September 19, 2020 | 1 |
Featherweight | ![]() |
July 22, 2022 | 0 |
Bantamweight | ![]() |
March 26, 2022 | 1 |
Flyweight | ![]() |
February 25, 2023 | 0 |
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 | |||||||
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Rank | Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight | Middleweight | Welterweight | |||
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Rank | Lightweight | Featherweight | Bantamweight | Flyweight | |||
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Championship history
Heavyweight Championship
- over 93 kg (over 205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() |
ACA 154![]() |
March 17, 2023 | |
9 | ![]() |
ACA 143![]() |
August 27, 2022 | |
8 | ![]() |
ACA 138![]() |
March 26, 2022 | |
7 | ![]() def. Daniel Omielańczuk |
ACA 114![]() |
November 26, 2020 |
1. def. Dmitry Poberezhets at ACA 121 on Apr. 23, 2021 in Minsk, Belarus |
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 | ![]() |
ACA 104![]() |
February 21, 2020 | |
5 | ![]() def. Tony Johnson |
ACA 97![]() |
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 | ![]() |
ACB 67![]() |
August 19, 2017 |
1. def. Sergey Bilostenniy at ACB 90 on Nov. 10, 2018 in Moscow, Russia |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 50![]() |
December 18, 2016 | |
2 | ![]() |
ACB 29![]() |
February 6, 2016 | |
1 | ![]() def. Israfil Makhashev |
ACB 9![]() |
June 22, 2014 |
Light Heavyweight Championship
- 93 kg (205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Evgeny Egemberdiev |
ACA 126![]() |
July 16, 2021 | 1. def. Grigor Matevosyan at ACA 137 on March 6, 2022 in Krasnodar, Russia 2. def. Oleg Olenichev at ACA 148 on November 18, 2022 in Sochi, Russia |
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov vacated the title when he signed for the Bellator MMA. | ||||
5 | ![]() def. Karol Celinski |
ACA 92![]() |
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 | ![]() |
ACB 86![]() |
May 5, 2018 | |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 65![]() |
July 22, 2017 | |
2 | ![]() def. Jared Ferguson |
ACB 51![]() |
January 13, 2017 | |
Gadzhimurad Antigulov vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | ||||
1 | ![]() def. Ruslan Khaskhanov |
ACB 9![]() |
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 | ![]() promoted to undisputed champion |
ACB 121![]() |
April 9, 2021 |
1. def. Abdul-Rakhman Dzhanaev at ACA 135 on January 28, 2022 in Grozny, Russia |
Salamu Abdurakhmanov vacated the title due to health reasons | ||||
Interim | ![]() def. Nikola Dipchikov |
ACB 121![]() |
April 9, 2021 | |
3 | ![]() def. Brett Cooper |
ACA 95![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky |
ACB 77![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Arbi Aguev |
ACB 38![]() |
May 20, 2016 |
Welterweight Championship
- 77 kg (170 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() |
ACA 149![]() |
December 16, 2022 | |
7 | ![]() |
ACA 118![]() |
February 26, 2021 | |
6 | ![]() def. Ali Bagov |
ACA 110![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Murad Abdulaev |
ACA 95![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Ciro Rodrigues |
ACB 89![]() |
September 8, 2018 | |
Mukhamed Berkhamov was stripped of the title after his refusal to accept 3 title defense match ups | ||||
3 | ![]() |
ACB 67![]() |
August 19, 2017 | |
2 | ![]() def. Aslambek Saidov |
ACB 50![]() |
December 18, 2016 | |
Albert Duraev was stripped of the title due to him missing weight and his eventual move up to Middleweight. | ||||
1 | ![]() def. Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov |
ACB 22![]() |
September 12, 2015 |
1. def. Michail Tsarev at ACB 35 on May 6, 2016 in Tbilisi, Georgia |
Lightweight Championship
- 70 kg (155 lb)ACA 154: Vakhaev vs Goncharov
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Interim | ![]() def. Hacran Dias for interim title |
ACA 154![]() |
March 17, 2023 | |
Current | ![]() def. Alexander Sarnavskiy |
ACA 111![]() |
September 19, 2020 |
1. def. Hacran Dias at ACA 131 on November 5, 2021 in Moscow, Russia |
Title vacated after Bagov moved up to welterweight. | ||||
3 | ![]() def. Khuseyn Khaliev |
ACA 99![]() |
September 27, 2019 | |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
2 | ![]() |
ACB 89![]() |
September 8, 2018 | |
Interim | ![]() def. Andrey Koshkin for interim title |
ACB 71![]() |
September 30, 2017 | |
1 | ![]() def. Ali Bagov |
ACB 9![]() |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
AC1 141![]() |
July 22, 2022 | |
Khasbulaev was stripped of the title after he pulled out of three bouts against Suleyymanov. The Interim Champ Suleymanov became the new champ. | ||||
Interim | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
AC1 141![]() |
July 22, 2022 | |
6 | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
ACA 120![]() |
March 26, 2021 |
1. def. Ramazan Kishev at ACA 131 on November 5, 2021 in Moscow, Russia |
Felipe Froes was stripped of the title after he missed weight | ||||
5 | ![]() |
ACA 100![]() |
October 4, 2019 | |
4 | ![]() def. Marat Balaev |
ACA 93![]() |
March 16, 2019 | |
ACB and WFCA merging to become ACA. | ||||
3 | ![]() |
ACB 86![]() |
May 5, 2018 | |
Interim | ![]() def. Alexander Peduson |
ACB 77![]() |
December 23, 2017 | |
2 | ![]() def. Yusuf Raisov |
ACB 50![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Sheikh-Magomed Arapkhanov |
ACB 31![]() |
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 | ![]() |
ACA 138![]() |
March 26, 2022 |
1. def. Rustam Kerimov at ACA 154 on March 17, 2023 in Krasnodar, Russia |
6 | ![]() |
ACA 120![]() |
March 26, 2021 | |
5 | ![]() def. Shamil Shakhbulatov |
ACA 105![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev |
ACA 93![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Oleg Borisov |
ACB 83![]() |
March 24, 2018 | |
Petr Yan vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | ||||
2 | ![]() |
ACB 57![]() |
April 15, 2017 |
1. def. Matheus Mattos at ACB 71 on September 30, 2017 in Moscow, Russia |
1 | ![]() def. Petr Yan |
ACB 32![]() |
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 | ![]() |
ACA 152![]() |
February 25, 2023 | |
4 | ![]() def. Aren Akopyan |
ACA 136![]() |
February 26, 2022 | |
Azamat Kerefov vacated the title in October 2021 when he chose to test the free agency. | ||||
3 | ![]() def. Mansur Khatuev |
ACA 104![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Josiel Silva |
ACA 95![]() |
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 | ![]() def. José Maria Tomé |
ACB 48![]() |
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 | ![]() |
ACB KB 15![]() |
April 20, 2018 | |
1 | ![]() def. Kirk Krouba |
ACB KB 6![]() |
June 5, 2016 |
Middleweight Championship
- 84 kg (185 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Igor Bugaenko |
ACB KB 15![]() |
April 20, 2018 |
Welterweight Championship
- 77 kg (170 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Islam Baibatyrov |
ACB KB 15![]() |
April 20, 2018 |
GI Heavyweight Championship
- 120 kg (265 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() |
ACB JJ 13![]() |
May 5, 2018 | |
2 | ![]() |
ACB JJ 10![]() |
January 26, 2018 | |
1 | ![]() def. Alexander Trans |
ACB JJ 5![]() |
June 22, 2014 |
GI Light Heavyweight Championship
- 95 kg (209 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Adam Wardziński |
ACB JJ 12![]() |
April 14, 2018 |
GI Middleweight Championship
- 85 kg (187 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Gabriel Arges |
ACB JJ 13![]() |
May 5, 2018 |
GI Welterweight Championship
- 75 kg (165 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() |
ACB JJ 14![]() |
June 30, 2018 | |
1 | ![]() def. Edwin Najmi |
ACB JJ 11![]() |
March 3, 2018 |
GI Lightweight Championship
- 65 kg (143 lbs)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Augusto Mendes |
ACB JJ 10![]() |
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 | ![]() def. Samir Chantre |
ACB JJ 12![]() |
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.
- "Кадыров заявил об объединении лиг смешанных единоборств ACB и WFCA - ТАСС".
- "The Dictator's Dilemma: How U.S. sanctions will impact Ramzan Kadyrov's MMA aspirations". bloodyelbow.com. 16 December 2020.
- "Американский боец отказался выступать в Absolute Championship Akhmat из-за санкций". tass.ru.
- "Rankings | ACA". www.aca-mma.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- "Tony Johnson: I want a rematch!". Absolute Championship Akhmat. June 13, 2019.