By Scott B, Editor
Rising UFC star Umar Nurmagomedov has used his X account to boost a Holocaust-denial claim.
The No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender recently reposted a video clip featuring controversial influencer Myron Gaines. The clip—recorded during an Ohio University appearance—shows Gaines claiming that the number of Jews killed by the Nazis totaled “271k at best.” By contrast, decades of research by major Holocaust scholars place the Jewish death toll between 5.5 million and 6 million.
The “271k” figure is a recurring meme among Holocaust deniers. It misrepresents a German registry count as a tally of all Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. It also excludes major killing sites and methods—including extermination camps and mass shootings—that account for the vast majority of deaths.
According to metrics displayed on X, Nurmagomedov’s repost of the discredited claim has drawn more than 2 million views and 10,000 likes. The Dagestan native has not publicly explained why he shared the clip, nor whether he agrees with Gaines’ claim.
UFC, Paramount Face Questions
Nurmagomedov’s repost raises sensitive questions for the UFC, its parent company TKO Group, and streaming partner Paramount.
Ariel Emanuel, the CEO of UFC owner TKO Group, grew up in a household featuring a wall of mementos dedicated to relatives who never escaped Eastern Europe, according to his brother Rahm Emanuel. They included a great-aunt who died in the Holocaust. Sherry Lansing, a board member at UFC streaming partner Paramount, is the daughter of a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany.
Neither the UFC, TKO Group, Paramount, nor Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, responded to requests for comment.
Nurmagomedov (20-1 overall, 8-1 UFC) is scheduled to face David Martinez at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25.
The Source: Myron Gaines
Nurmagomedov’s decision to amplify Gaines—the online persona of Amrou Fudl—is notable given the fighter’s status as a top-tier title contender. A former federal agent turned “manosphere” podcaster, Gaines has drawn attention for inflammatory rhetoric aimed at a variety of groups, including fellow Muslims.
During his three-and-a-half-hour appearance at Ohio University in March, Gaines cited the “271k” trope, performed a Nazi salute, and wore a self-marketed sweatshirt reading Let ‘Em Cook — Oy Vey. He also told students: “Number one: women are stupid, Jews control America and Blacks are criminals.”
Nurmagomedov’s repost showed the video clip but not the original X post’s caption. The caption claimed that the only “proof” of the Holocaust consists of unreliable eyewitness testimony and dubious postwar confessions. It also asserted that no German order for extermination has ever been found.
When Nurmagomedov shared the video clip, he left off the original X post’s caption: “Keep in mind the only ‘proof’ we have of the Holocaust are eyewitness testimonies and post-war confessions. And we all know the eyewitnesses can’t be trusted.” The text added that “not a single order for the extermination of anyone by the Germans has ever been found.”
The caption’s claims are standard talking points in Holocaust-denial circles.
UFC Has Been Here Before
Nurmagomedov, 30, is not the first UFC fighter to draw scrutiny over Holocaust denials.
Last year, fellow bantamweight Bryce Mitchell said on a podcast that “when you realize there’s no possible way they could’ve burned and cremated 6 million bodies, you’re gonna realize the Holocaust ain’t real.” The remarks prompted intense public backlash, and a subsequent poll by watchdog group StopAntisemitism ranked Mitchell No. 2 behind commentator Tucker Carlson for 2025 Antisemite of the Year.
UFC CEO Dana White condemned Mitchell’s comments at the time, calling them “dumb and ignorant” and explicitly acknowledging the death of 6 million Jews. But White declined to discipline Mitchell, saying fighters are entitled to free speech.
Mitchell later apologized on Instagram, writing: “I know a lot of people died in the Holocaust, and that’s a fact…I’m definitely not a Nazi, and definitely do not condone any of the evil things Hitler did.”
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