Police have detained Daghestani MMA fighter Islam ‘Yakuza’ Vagabov for allegedly injuring four people, including a woman, in a brawl in early June.
Vagabov was detained in the town of Kudrovo, Leningrad on Monday, according to the Interior Ministry. He had been on the run since early June after allegedly assaulting three men and a woman.
Footage of the incident, which quickly circulated across social media, showed a well-built man, purportedly Vagabov, punching several individuals, including a woman whom he struck multiple times, causing them to fall to the ground. Telegram channels claim the conflict arose when Vagabov confronted his ex-girlfriend’s new partner.
Vagabov was initially wanted on hooliganism charges, which were later classified as hooliganism involving resistance to a public official. This reclassification allegedly came on the instructions of the chair of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin.
Vagabov is also suspected of involvement in an earlier shooting incident; in April, shots were fired from a white Changan vehicle at a public bus near the Neva station in Saint Petersburg. While the motive for the shooting remains unclear, police have launched a separate criminal case.
According to the Telegram channel Mash on Moyka, Vagabov, aware that he was wanted after the shooting, shaved his head in an attempt to evade identification. After his arrest, he reportedly fell ill and had to be transported to a hospital. Authorities said that a decision on pretrial measures will be made once his condition stabilises.
The 33-year-old heavyweight MMA fighter is also known under the name Yakuza. His older brother, Vagab Vagabov, is a prominent mixed martial artist and boxer, active since 2006 who was also a three-time MMA world champion.
In March 2018, Vagab Vagabov was arrested along with eight others for allegedly extorting ₽60 million ($765,000) from Jamal Aliev, the head of a Daghestani media outlet. He also faced allegations of kidnapping, armed robbery, attempted murder, and illegal possession of weapons. Most charges were later dropped, except for weapons possession, for which he received a nine-month sentence extension. He was released in 2020 after serving three years.
Islam Vagabov has a criminal record as well. He previously served two and a half years in prison after being convicted of assault leading to the death of a nephew of former Daghestani leader Mukhu Aliev. The victim died after being struck by Vagabov.
Additionally, the Islam Vagabov has been implicated in several other violent incidents. In one recent case, a woman from Moscow accused him of wrecking an apartment she had rented to him.
As of now, Islam Vagabov remains under investigation for both the Kudrovo assault and the April shooting in St Petersburg. Law enforcement is preparing to decide on the legal measures to be taken against him.
OC Media
