Two Former UFC fighters accused of crimes in separate incidents this week…
Former UFC welterweight, Adlan Amagov is alleged to have stabbed a man in the chest on Monday night. The victim was 19-year old, Timur Baysurov, who is also an MMA fighter.
The violence occurred in Moscow, and is believe to have involved a business dispute between two rival Chechen clans. Two people died in the fighting, and five others were injured.
Oddly enough, Amagov isn’t the only UFC veteran who has been accused of crimes this week. Levan Makshvili, who fought 3x in the UFC, was recently indicted on RICO charges as well.
Who Is Adlan Amagov?
Amagov spent his early years in Chechnya, specifically the small village of Sernovodsk. He would have been 13 when the first Chechen War broke out. When he grew older he was able to relocate to Moscow however, and began studying Sambo under the Emelianenkos.
He began his MMA training in 2007 and had his first pro-fight 4 months later, which may have been a mistake. His opponent submitted him just 1 minute into his pro-career.
He gained some notoriety for this highlight reel knockout of Maskhat Akhmetov in late 2009:
Amagov was 10-1-1 when he signed to Strikeforce in 2011. He’d go 3-1 for the promotion. His only loss was to Robbie Lawler, who knocked him out in early 2012. Amagov made his UFC debut in 2013, defeating Chris Spang via decision, and TJ Waldburger via 1st round KO.
Stating he was tired of cutting weight, Amagov would surprisingly retire in 2013. He was still only 26 years old at the time. Many speculated that his early retirement was due to religious reasons, but he was adamant that it had all to do with weight cutting. Why he didn’t just go up in weight is anyone’s guess.
What Happened in Moscow on Monday?
The violent altercation occurred between two rival Chechen clans. The two sides were said to be negotiating the redistribution of a shared business when violence broke out.
Russian media report that UFC veteran Adlan Amagov was involved in a “shootout in Moscow” as part of a blood feud. Two dead + 6 wounded
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) 8 June 2017
While the exact details are not known, the two clans were said to have been led by Magomed Khalidov and Ruslan Baysurov. Khalidov owns a furniture company and Baysurov is the CEO of Intro Energy. Details on the two companies’ shared business is also not currently known. Amagov is believed to have been involved with the Khalidovs.
An interesting sub-plot to this story is Amagov’s surprising retirement in 2013. He was only 26 at the time, and seemed to abandon a promising fight career. While there is nothing concrete to say that his current business dealings had anything to do with his abandoned fight career, questions about a possible connection could be asked.
Levan Makshvili Indicted Under RICO Charges
28 year old Levan Makashvili has been named as 1 of 33 defendants in a RICO case that alleges they were apart of a Russian crime syndicate operating out of the United States.
Makashvili fought 3x for the UFC from May 2015 to January 2016. All 3 were close fights. He defeated Mark Eddiva via split-decision, lost to Hacran Dias via split decision, then fought to a majority draw with Damon Jackson.
The charges against the alleged syndicate are typical for such cases. Underground gambling, extortion, racketeering, and a little narcotics and murder-for-hire type charges were all tabled.
The Enterprise’s criminal activities included:
The operation of illicit poker businesses in Brighton Beach;
The extortion of gamblers who became indebted to the Shulaya Enterprise;
Attempts to extort local business owners;
Efforts to defraud casinos in Atlantic City and Philadelphia by using electronic devices and computer servers to predict and exploit the behavior of electronic slot machines;
The theft of cargo shipments, including a shipment containing approximately 10,000 pounds of chocolate confections;
The use of a female member of the Shulaya Enterprise to seduce men, incapacitate them with gas, and then rob them;
Attempts to create an after-hours nightclub that would host, among other things, the sale of narcotics;
The transportation and sale of numerous cases of untaxed cigarettes;
Plans to pay bribes to local law enforcement;
Creation and use of forged identification documents, checks, and invoices.
