The younger son-in-law of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has been elected as the head of the newly created Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Central Asian Confederation, which will be headquartered in Tashkent.
Otabek Umarov, who is married to the president's younger daughter, was elected at a conference of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation in Kazakhstan on February 6-8.
The confederation unites the national MMA associations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Umarov already heads Uzbekistan's fledgling MMA Assocation and is the deputy head of Mirziyoev's personal security and serves as an informal ambassador at events with foreign dignitaries.
In March he was also chosen to chair the Triathlon Federation of Uzbekistan.
A brutal combat sport that continues to attract growing ranks of fighters from Uzbekistan, MMA has catapulted many fighters from the former Soviet Union to international notoriety.
MMA, which is most popularly contested professionally within the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is extremely popular in the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia.