UPDATED Three Americans Compete at ACA 122 Despite U.S. Sanctions on Ramzan Kadyrov

#AndStill ACA Heavyweight champion!

Tony Johnson finishes Dmitry Poberezhets via TKO! #ACA122 pic.twitter.com/sVCTnfO5v3

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) April 23, 2021

Editor's note: The article has been corrected at 5 p.m. ET on April 26 to address that referee Herb Dean was not involved in ACA 122 -- the image received showing his involvement was from a previous event. We apologize for the confusion.

Things might not go well for the U.S.-based fighters competing in an MMA organization that has been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

In December, Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and his companies including the fight team Akhmat Fight Club and MMA organization Absolute Championship Akhmat were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The sanctions were levied for “serious human rights abuse across several countries in the Western Hemisphere, Middle East and Eurasia.” Kadyrov himself was marked in the past for extrajudicial killings and other gross violations of international human rights.

As a result, Kadyrov’s companies, including ACA, are forbidden to involve any Americans, with the Treasury Department strictly prohibiting any transactions with these properties and U.S. persons. It also includes the payment for funds, goods or services, which includes competing in ACA events. At ACA 122 on Friday, a trio of fighters from the U.S. defied the sanctions and competed on the card: ACA heavyweight champ Tony Johnson, heavyweight Daniel James and middleweight Chris Honeycutt. The sanctions were not lifted upon the change of presidential administrations in the U.S.

Tony Johnson Jr. #AndSTILL #ACA122 pic.twitter.com/deId49tGzT

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 23, 2021

At this event, Honeycutt fell short when Azamat Bekoev submitted him, and James lost a unanimous verdict to Daniel Omielanczuk. Johnson did get his hand raised and retained his belt, pounding out Dmitry Poberezhets in the third frame of their title fight. It is yet unclear what the ramifications will be for these three fighters traveling to the ACA card, competing and getting paid for their work. The regulations stipulate that unless authorized by the department itself, these individuals will be blocked from all of their transactions with ACA, including pay. These restrictions also carry over to the fighters’ teams with American members, as well as any U.S. referees or officials employed – referee Herb Dean was a frequent member of the ACA officiating crew in the past, but he was not involved in this event. Dean served as a referee that weekend at UFC 261 in Florida, where he officiated a trio of matches including the main event.

The sanctions implications from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) read as follows:

”SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
“As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or otherwise exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.”