Current season, competition or edition:![]() | |
![]() | |
Sport | Mixed martial arts |
---|---|
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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]
Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|
Heavyweight | ![]() | March 17, 2023 | 1 |
Light Heavyweight | Vacant | ||
Middleweight | ![]() | April 9, 2021 | 4 |
Welterweight | ![]() | December 24, 2023 | 0 |
Lightweight | ![]() | September 19, 2020 | 2 |
Featherweight | ![]() | July 21, 2023 | 1 |
Bantamweight | ![]() | April 19, 2024 | 0 |
Flyweight | ![]() | February 25, 2023 | 0 |
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 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight | Middleweight | Welterweight | |||
C | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||
1 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
2 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
3 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
4 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
5 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
6 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
7 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
8 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | |||
9 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
10 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Rank | Lightweight | Featherweight | Bantamweight | Flyweight | |||
C | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
1 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
2 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
3 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
4 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
5 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
6 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
7 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
8 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||
9 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | |||
10 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
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 | 488 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Anton Vyazigin at ACA 170 on Feb 9, 2024 |
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 | 1097 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Grigor Matevosyan at ACA 137 on Mar 6, 2022 2. def. Oleg Olenichev at ACA 148 on Nov 18, 2022 |
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 | ACA 121 Minsk, Belarus | Apr 9, 2021 | — | |
Abdurakhmanov vacated the title due to health reasons | |||||
4 | ![]() promoted to undisputed champion | ACA 121 Minsk, Belarus | Apr 9, 2021 | 1195 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Abdul-Rakhman Dzhanaev at ACA 135 on Jan 28, 2022 |
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 | 206 days (incumbent) |
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 | 1397 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 | — |
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 | 362 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Alexey Polpudnikov at ACA 171 on Feb 25, 2024 |
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 | 755 days | 1. def. Rustam Kerimov at ACA 154 on Mar 17, 2023 |
8 | ![]() | ACA 174 Saint Petersburg, Russia | April 19, 2024 | 89 days (incumbent) | |
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 | 508 days (incumbent) |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() | ACB KB 15 ![]() | April 20, 2018 | |
1 | ![]() def. Kirk Krouba | ACB KB 6 ![]() | June 5, 2016 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Igor Bugaenko | ACB KB 15 ![]() | April 20, 2018 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Islam Baibatyrov | ACB KB 15 ![]() | April 20, 2018 |
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 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Adam Wardziński | ACB JJ 12 ![]() | April 14, 2018 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() def. Gabriel Arges | ACB JJ 13 ![]() | May 5, 2018 |
No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Current | ![]() | ACB JJ 14![]() | June 30, 2018 | |
1 | ![]() def. Edwin Najmi | ACB JJ 11![]() | March 3, 2018 |
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 |
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 |
Event | Date | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
ACB 22 | Sep 12, 2015 | Lightweight | ![]() | ![]() |
Welterweight | ![]() | ![]() | ||
ACB 24 | Oct 24, 2015 | Light Heavyweight | ![]() | ![]() |
Bantamweight | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Heavyweight | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Featherweight | ![]() | ![]() | ||
ACB 26 | Nov 28, 2015 | Flyweight | ![]() | ![]() |
ACB 38 | May 20, 2016 | Middleweight | ![]() | ![]() |
ACA 159 | Jun 16, 2023 | Lightweight | ![]() | ![]() |
ACA 178 | Aug 10, 2024 | Heavyweight | ![]() | ![]() |
Brett Cooper is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has also competed for Bellator, PFL, Affliction, Absolute Championship Berkut, IFL, KSW, and Jungle Fight.
Albert Khuseinovich Tumenov is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former amateur boxer. Tumenov competes in the welterweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut where he is the two time ACA Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2010, Tumenov has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The year 2016 was the 4th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Berkut, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. 2016 started with Absolute Championship Berkut 29. It started broadcasting through a television agreement with Match TV.
The year 2017 was the 5th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Berkut, a mixed martial arts and kickboxing promotion based in Russia.
Magomed Khasanovich Bibulatov is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting for ACA in the Bantamweight division. He competed in the flyweight division in Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former World Series of Fighting Flyweight Champion. He is the former ACA Bantamweight Champion. He is ranked #2 in the ACA bantamweight rankings.
The year 2018 was the 6th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Berkut, a mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu promotion based in Russia.
The year 2019 was the 7th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu promotion based in Russia.
The year 2020 was the 8th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia.
Said Nurmagomedov is a Russian mixed martial artist, currently competing as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for Absolute Championship Berkut and World Fighting Championship Akhmat. He is a former AFC Bantamweight Champion.
Askar Saypulayevich Askarov is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Flyweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askarov previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), where he is a former ACB Flyweight Champion. Askarov is also a 2017 Summer Deaflympics 61 kg freestyle wrestling gold medalist. He is ranked #8 in the ACA flyweight rankings.
Azamat Kerefov is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the ACA, where he is the former ACA Flyweight Champion. Fight Matrix had him ranked a top 10 flyweight in the world from July 2020 till October 2022. He is ranked #3 in the ACA flyweight rankings.
The year 2021 was the 9th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia.
Magomed Magomedov is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA.
The year 2022 was the 10th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. 2022 will begin with ACA 135.
Fight Club Akhmat(FCA) is a professional sports club from the Chechen Republic and has training bases in the regions of Russia. It was founded in 2014 and named after the first president of the Chechen Republic in Russia — Akhmat Kadyrov.
Ali Bagov is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). Fight Matrix had him ranked a top 10 lightweight in the world in August 2022. He is ranked #3 in the ACA Lightweight rankings.
The year 2023 was the 12th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. 2023 begin with ACA 151.
Eduard Vartanyan is a Russian mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). In July 2023, after he won the grand prix of Lightweight division of ACA, he reached #14 in World Lightweight rankings according to Fight Matrix and #10 in pound-for-pound ranking of Russia.
The year 2024 is the 12th year in the history of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia. 2024 will begin with ACA 169.