UFC Faces Outrage for Holding Event in Baku as Azerbaijan Distracts World from Genocide Against Armenians

Human rights defenders, Armenian advocacy organizations, and members of the international community are calling on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to take a stand against the calculated effort by Azerbaijan to use global sporting events to distract from war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Their first-ever event in Baku will be taking place less than two years after Azerbaijan a violent military assault against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), forcing over 120,000 people from their homes.

“For many Armenians and human rights defenders, June 21 may not be remembered as a celebration of sport, but rather as a missed opportunity to hold a genocidal regime accountable,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). “Azerbaijan may succeed in bringing the UFC to Baku — but it cannot punch its way out of the truth.”

The criticism comes in the wake of Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military operation that wiped out the entire Armenian presence in Artsakh in a matter of days. Civilians were forced to flee under threat of death or imprisonment, and many political and military leaders were arrested who are being illegally tried in Baku today. 

In the wake of these atrocities, Azerbaijan has focused on polishing its international image. It hosted the COP29 climate summit and is now attempting to use the UFC’s global reach to portray itself as a country that is free from a strong record of human rights violations.

Humanitarian organizations continue to report on the erasure of Armenian churches, graveyards, and cultural landmarks. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s government has increased arrests of journalists, political opponents, and civil society workers.

In response to the upcoming event, the ANCA launched a public petition asking UFC CEO Dana White to speak out against Azerbaijan’s crimes. UFC has a responsibility to recognize the suffering of Armenians, rather than allowing its event to be used as a distraction.

The petition is available at anca.org/UFC.

The controversy also draws attention to the fact that no Armenian fighters are scheduled to compete on the Baku card. Notably absent are well-known athletes like Arman Tsarukyan and Edmen Shahbazyan. In contrast, in 2019, Armenian soccer star Henrikh Mkhitaryan refused to travel to Baku for a major European match, citing real security threats due to his ethnicity.

“The international community faces a clear choice: either remain silent and allow dictators to rewrite reality, or use these global events to shed light on the truth,” said Hamparian.

By agreeing to fight in Baku, the UFC is stepping into a country where freedom of speech is limited, press outlets are censored, and dissent is crushed. 

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