Chechen MMA fighter arrested after shootout in Moscow

Dzhumbulat Baliev was arrested along with eight other men for a Moscow shootout involving Kalashnikov assault rifles. 

A Chechen mixed martial arts fighter was arrested for his role in a shootout in Moscow during broad daylight.

Dzhumbulat Baliev was detained along with eight other men following a gun battle involving Kalashnikov assault rifles and pistols took place in broad daylight in a sleepy Moscow suburb. The armed men emerged from several cars near the ‘Yasnyy’ housing complex in southern Moscow and began shooting at each other in a confrontation that lasted several minutes.

Several residents recorded the shootout, which went viral and launched a manhunt as well as a criminal probe into attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, and hooliganism. Nine men were eventually arrested by the police, including Baliev.

While law enforcement has not revealed what prompted the violence, several sources suggested that it was likely related to a conflict within the lucrative funeral services business in the Russian capital.

Baliev is an MMA fighter based out of Grozny, Chechnya. He holds a 2-4-0 professional record and most recently competed for Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov’s Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) promotion in March 2019.