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 |
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.
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
Current champions
Mixed martial arts
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | ![]() |
March 17, 2023 | 0 |
Light Heavyweight | Vacant | ||
Middleweight | ![]() |
April 9, 2021 | 3 |
Welterweight | ![]() |
December 24, 2023 | 0 |
Lightweight | ![]() |
September 19, 2020 | 2 |
Featherweight | ![]() |
July 21, 2023 | 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]
- Updated as of January 10, 2024.
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
Mixed martial arts
Heavyweight Championship
- over 93 kg (over 205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Israfil Makhashev |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
Jun 22, 2014 | 594 days | |
2 | ![]() |
ACB 29 Warsaw, Poland |
Feb 6, 2016 | 244 days | |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Dec 18, 2016 | 244 days | |
4 | ![]() |
ACB 67 Grozny, Russia |
Aug 19, 2017 | 742 days | 1. def. Sergey Bilostenniy at ACB 90 on Nov 10, 2018 |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
Evgeniy Goncharov and Tony Johnson Jr. fought to a no contest at ACA 96, leaving the belt vacated.[7] | |||||
5 | ![]() def. Tony Johnson Jr. |
ACA 97 Krasnodar, Russia |
Aug 31, 2019 | 174 days | |
6 | ![]() |
ACA 104 Krasnodar, Russia |
Feb 21, 2020 | ? days | |
Mukhamad Vakhaev vacated the title in March 2020 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA. | |||||
7 | ![]() def. Daniel Omielańczuk |
ACA 114 Łódź, Poland |
Nov 26, 2020 | 485 days | 1. def. Dmitry Poberezhets at ACA 121 on Apr 23, 2021 2. def. Mukhumat Vakhaev at ACA 132 on Nov 19, 2021 |
8 | ![]() |
ACA 138 Grozny, Russia |
Mar 26, 2022 | 154 days | |
9 | ![]() |
ACA 143 Krasnodar, Russia |
Aug 27, 2022 | 202 days | |
10 | ![]() |
ACA 154 Krasnodar, Russia |
Mar 17, 2023 | 304 days (incumbent) |
Light Heavyweight Championship
- 93 kg (205 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Ruslan Khaskhanov |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
Jun 22, 2014 | ? days | 1. def. Muslim Makhmudov at ACB 35 on May 6, 2016 |
Antigulov vacated the title when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | |||||
2 | ![]() def. Jared Ferguson |
ACB 51 Irvine, California, U.S. |
Jan 13, 2017 | 190 days | |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 65 Sheffield, England |
Jul 22, 2017 | 287 days | |
4 | ![]() |
ACB 86 Moscow, Russia |
May 5, 2018 | 207 days | |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
5 | ![]() def. Karol Celinski |
ACA 92 Warsaw, Poland |
Feb 16, 2019 | 675 days | 1. def. Alexey Butorin at ACA 103 on Dec 14, 2019 |
Yagshimuradov vacated the title on December 22, 2020 when he signed for Bellator MMA.[8] | |||||
6 | ![]() def. Evgeny Egemberdiev |
ACA 126 Sochi, Russia |
Jul 16, 2021 | 913 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Grigor Matevosyan at ACA 137 on Mar 6, 2022 2. def. Oleg Olenichev at ACA 148 on Nov 18, 2022 |
Middleweight Championship
- 84 kg (185 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Arbi Aguev |
ACB 38 Rostov-on-Don, Russia |
May 20, 2016 | ||
Tokov vacated the title on October 1, 2016 when he signed for M-1 Global due to a contract dispute.[9] | |||||
2 | ![]() def. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky |
ACB 77 Moscow, Russia |
Dec 23, 2017 | ? days |
1. def. Piotr Strus at ACB 89 on Sept. 8, 2018 |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
3 | ![]() def. Brett Cooper |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
Apr 27, 2019 | ? days | 1. def. Valery Myasnikov at ACA 102 on Nov 29, 2019 |
— | ![]() def. Nikola Dipchikov |
ACB 121 Minsk, Belarus |
Apr 9, 2021 | — | |
Abdurakhmanov vacated the title due to health reasons | |||||
4 | ![]() promoted to undisputed champion |
ACB 121 Minsk, Belarus |
Apr 9, 2021 | 1011 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Abdul-Rakhman Dzhanaev at ACA 135 on Jan 28, 2022 |
Welterweight Championship
- 77 kg (170 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov |
ACB 22 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Sep 12, 2015 | ? days |
1. def. Michail Tsarev at ACB 35 on May 6, 2016 |
Duraev was stripped of the title due to him missing weight and his eventual move up to Middleweight. | |||||
2 | ![]() def. Aslambek Saidov |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Dec 18, 2016 | 244 days | |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 67 Grozny, Russia |
Aug 19, 2017 | ? days | |
Berkhamov was stripped of the title after his refusal to accept 3 title defense match ups. | |||||
4 | ![]() def. Ciro Rodrigues |
ACB 89 Krasnodar, Russia |
Sep 8, 2018 | 81 days | |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
5 | ![]() def. Murad Abdulaev |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
Apr 27, 2019 | 216 days | 1. def. Beslan Ushukov at ACA 102 on Nov 29, 2019 |
Tumenov vacated the title in November 2019 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA. | |||||
6 | ![]() def. Ali Bagov |
ACA 110 Moscow, Russia |
Sep 5, 2020 | 174 days | |
7 | ![]() |
ACA 118 Moscow, Russia |
Feb 26, 2021 | 658 days | |
8 | ![]() |
ACA 149 Moscow, Russia |
Dec 16, 2022 | 217 days | |
9 | ![]() |
ACA 160 Moscow, Russia |
Jul 21, 2023 | 156 days | |
10 | ![]() |
ACA 168 Moscow, Russia |
December 24, 2023 | 22 days (incumbent) |
Lightweight Championship
- 70 kg (155 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Ali Bagov |
ACB 9 Grozny, Russia |
Jun 22, 2014 | 1539 days |
1. def. Eduard Vartanyan at ACB 32 on Mar 26, 2016 |
— | ![]() def. Andrey Koshkin for interim title |
ACB 71 Moscow, Russia |
Sep 30, 2017 | — | |
2 | ![]() |
ACB 89 Krasnodar, Russia |
Sep 8, 2018 | 81 days | |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
3 | ![]() def. Khuseyn Khaliev |
ACA 99 Moscow, Russia |
Sep 27, 2019 | ? days | |
Title vacated after Bagov moved up to welterweight. | |||||
4 | ![]() def. Alexander Sarnavskiy |
ACA 111 Moscow, Russia |
Sep 19, 2020 | 1213 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Hacran Dias at ACA 131 on Nov 5, 2021 |
— | ![]() def. Hacran Dias for interim title |
ACA 154 Krasnodar, Russia |
Mar 17, 2023 | — |
Featherweight Championship
- 66 kg (145 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Sheikh-Magomed Arapkhanov |
ACB 31 Grozny, Russia |
Mar 29, 2016 | 137 days | 1. def. Valdines Silva at ACB 45 on September 17, 2016 |
Magomedsharipov vacated the title on May 4, 2017 when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | |||||
2 | ![]() def. Yusuf Raisov |
ACB 50 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Dec 18, 2016 | 503 days | 1. def. Adlan Bataev at ACB 61 on May 20, 2017 |
— | ![]() def. Alexander Peduson |
ACB 77 Moscow, Russia |
Dec 23, 2017 | — | |
3 | ![]() |
ACB 86 Moscow, Russia |
May 5, 2018 | 207 days | |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
4 | ![]() def. Marat Balaev |
ACA 93 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Mar 16, 2019 | 202 days | |
5 | ![]() |
ACA 100 Grozny, Russia |
Oct 4, 2019 | 539 days | |
Froes was stripped of the title on March 26, 2021 after failing to make weight for his title defense against Magomedrasul Khasbulaev at ACA 120. | |||||
6 | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
ACA 120 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Mar 26, 2021 | ? days |
1. def. Ramazan Kishev at ACA 131 on Nov 5, 2021 |
— | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
AC1 141 Sochi, Russia |
Jul 22, 2022 | — | |
Khasbulaev was stripped of the title after he pulled out of three bouts against Suleymanov. Suleymanov was subsequently promoted to undisputed champion. | |||||
7 | ![]() def. Felipe Froes |
ACA 141 Sochi, Russia |
Jul 22, 2022 | 364 days | |
8 | ![]() |
ACA 160 Moscow, Russia |
Jul 21, 2023 | 178 days (incumbent) |
Bantamweight Championship
- 61 kg (135 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defense |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. Petr Yan |
ACB 32 Moscow, Russia |
Mar 26, 2016 | 385 days | 1. def. Oleg Borisov at ACB 50 on Dec 18, 2016 |
2 | ![]() |
ACB 57 Moscow, Russia |
Apr 15, 2017 | 290 days | 1. def. Matheus Mattos at ACB 71 on Sep 30, 2017 |
Yan vacated the title on January 30, 2018 when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. | |||||
3 | ![]() def. Oleg Borisov |
ACB 83 Baku, Azerbaijan |
Mar 24, 2018 | 249 days | |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
4 | ![]() def. Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev |
ACA 93 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Mar 16, 2019 | ? days |
1. def. Francisco Maciel at ACA 103 on Dec 14, 2019 |
Kerimov vacated the title in December 2019 when he chose to test the free agency after the end of his contract with ACA. | |||||
5 | ![]() def. Shamil Shakhbulatov |
ACA 105 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
Mar 6, 2020 | 385 days | 1. def. Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev at ACA 112 on Oct 4, 2020 |
6 | ![]() |
ACA 120 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Mar 26, 2021 | 365 days | |
7 | ![]() |
ACA 138 Grozny, Russia |
Mar 26, 2022 | 660 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Rustam Kerimov at ACA 154 on Mar 17, 2023 |
Flyweight Championship
- 57 kg (125 lb)
No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defense |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() def. José Maria Tomé |
ACB 48 Moscow, Russia |
Oct 22, 2016 | 767 days | 1. def. Anthony Leone at ACB 58 on Apr 22, 2017 2. def. Rasul Albaskhanov at ACB 86 on May 5, 2018 |
ACB and WFCA merged on November 28, 2018 to become ACA. | |||||
2 | ![]() def. Josiel Silva |
ACA 95 Moscow, Russia |
Apr 27, 2019 | ? days | 1. def. Azam Gaforov at ACA 99 on Sep 27, 2019 |
Evloev vacated the title in December 2019 for health reasons. | |||||
3 | ![]() def. Mansur Khatuev |
ACA 104 Krasnodar, Russia |
Feb 21, 2020 | 597 days |
1. def. Kurban Gadzhiev at ACA 113 on Nov 6, 2020 |
Kerefov vacated the title on October 10, 2021 when he chose to test the free agency. | |||||
4 | ![]() def. Aren Akopyan |
ACA 136 Moscow, Russia |
Feb 26, 2022 | 364 days | |
5 | ![]() |
ACA 152 Grozny, Russia |
Feb 25, 2023 | 324 days (incumbent) |
Kickboxing
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 |
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
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
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
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.
- ↑ "Bellator signs ACA light heavyweight champion Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov". MMA Junkie. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ↑ "Анатолий Токов уволен из лиги АСВ". Tobolsk.ru. 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2022-12-27.