Fedor Emelianenko and Islam Makhachev to attend World SAMBO Championships in Tashkent

The landmark 50th World SAMBO Championships will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on November 6-8, with top athletes from around the world competing for medals. Fedor Emelianenko and Islam Makhachev, both SAMBO ambassadors to the world, will attend the tournament as guests of honor.

“Today, SAMBO is practiced in more than 140 countries and brings together millions of people, but our journey to new heights continues right now. I invite all combat sports fans to Tashkent for the historic 50th World Championships. Our guests of honor will be SAMBO ambassadors: four-time Combat SAMBO world champion and MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, and Combat SAMBO world champion and reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev,” said the President of the International SAMBO Federation Vasily Shestakov.

Emelianenko is the first official SAMBO ambassador in the world and has spent many years promoting the sport he loves. Makhachev was named a SAMBO ambassador in February 2026, when FIAS President Vasily Shestakov presented him with the honorary title at a ceremony held at the International SAMBO Center.

“These great athletes, like millions of SAMBO practitioners around the world, prove by their example every day: ‘On the mat, we are rivals; off the mat, we are friends!’” Shestakov said.

The 2026 World SAMBO Championships will be held at the Games Arena of the New Uzbekistan complex. The competition will be streamed live at www.sambo.live.