Maksim Divnich is a far-right MMA fighter who positions himself as a “Russian, Orthodox man who cares about what is happening in his home, country and the world at large”. Born in Ukraine on 7 November 1988, he moved to St. Petersburg in 2009. His career as a professional fighter began in 2012 with the far-right White Rex tournament organised by far-right businessman and promoter Denis Whiterex Kapustin. Divnich then competed in M-1 Global and captured the M-1 Lightweight title (2014-2015). MMA stats as of April 2023: 19 wins – 7 losses.
Far-right activities
He began actively positioning himself as a public figure and defender of Orthodoxy in 2021. Before that, his older ring mates were prominent in the far-right field: Vyacheslav Datsik, Mikhail Turkanov, and Alexander Emelianenko. Divnich is primarily opposed to Muslims, from whom he believes there is a threat. Divnich became popular against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, where he himself is from. In April 2023, he organised a protest in southern Moscow against the construction of a Muslim centre. In August 2023, he forced popular comedian Sergei Orlov to apologise for a joke about Orthodoxy. Divnich actively maintains his closed Telegram channel, which is entirely devoted to Orthodoxy and the suffering of the Russian people from the influx of Muslim migrants.