A Chechen rebel known as Tumso has offered a compelling perspective on two prominent MMA competition from the North Caucasus region. In a recent video, he drew sharp distinctions between their approaches to political relationships and personal integrity.
Speaking from Tbilisi, Tumso acknowledges upfront that he holds no particular admiration for sports competitions or athletes. Yet despite this general disinterest, he sees fundamental differences between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev in how they’ve navigated their relationships with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
According to Tumso’s analysis, when Khabib reached the pinnacle of his career, Kadyrov naturally sought to capitalize on his star power. “Kadyrov invited him, Khabib came, they sat together, were friends, sat together at various competitions,” Tumso explains. However, he emphasizes a crucial distinction: “But despite all this, Khabib did not become Kadyrov’s little dog.”
The rebel elaborates on what he sees as Khabib’s boundaries: “He did not become an instrument in his hands for Kadyrov’s PR. He did not become a trainer for his children. He did not start imitating training sessions with these children, lying down, letting them beat him.”
Tumso suggests that regardless of Khabib’s motivations—whether religious conviction or simple self-respect—the retired champion maintained certain lines he wouldn’t cross. “The person, despite all the negative things that happened, still has his own ambitions. He loves himself, he has some kind of dignity, some kind of ambitions, things he’s not ready to step over.”
This principled stance, according to Tumso, led to a cooling of relations between Khabib and Kadyrov. He recalls their last public interaction as Kadyrov’s attendance at the funeral of Khabib’s father, after which their relationship effectively ended. “Kadyrov understood that Khabib was not the person with whom he could continue to promote himself.”
The situation with Chimaev presents a stark contrast in Tumso’s assessment. “Chimaev is a person who completely gave Kadyrov everything he wanted from him,” the rebel states. He describes how Chimaev became a trainer for Kadyrov’s children, engaged in promotional activities, and fulfilled various public relations functions.
“Everything that needed to be done—Ahmad Sila posts praising Kadyrov and his father—everything that needed to be done, he did for him,” Tumso observes.
“With Chimaev, he went too deep into all this, and now even if he gets out, whatever he does, trust in this person will never be restored,” Tumso reflects.
This fundamental difference in approach leads Tumso to conclude that “in this sense, Khabib is above Chimaev in terms of his moral qualities.” He suggests that Chimaev has become too deeply embedded in these relationships to extract himself credibly.
