Emelianenko and Makhachev named sambo ambassadors ahead of 50th World Championships

Fedor Emelianenko and Islam Makhachev were formally recognised as sambo ambassadors during a ceremony in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 5 November, receiving symbolic statuettes from International Sambo Federation (FIAS) President Vasily Shestakov on the eve of the 50th World Sambo Championships.

The credentials, presented ahead of the three-day tournament running from 6–8 November in the Uzbek capital, acknowledge both fighters’ responsibility to represent and promote sambo on the international stage. The two Russian MMA champions are attending the championships as guests of honour alongside other former sambo world champions.

Emelianenko, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA history, is a four-time combat sambo world champion and was the sport’s first official global ambassador, a role he has held for several years. Makhachev, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, also claimed a world title in the discipline before transitioning to mixed martial arts, and received his honorary ambassador title in February 2026.

Both fighters trace their martial arts roots directly to sambo, making their roles as ambassadors a natural extension of careers built on the discipline. The FIAS ceremony underlines the federation’s push to raise the sport’s global profile by leveraging the international recognition of two of Russia’s most decorated combat sports figures.