A Moscow student who was severely injured in a street fight with MMA Lightweight Champion, Rasul Mirzaev, has died in one of the capital’s hospitals.
“The conflict occurred on August 13 in the center of Moscow not far from the ‘Garage’ night club,” an unnamed source in the Moscow police told RIA-Novosti news agency. “During an argument, Mirzaev punched student Ivan Angafonov after which the latter demanded urgent medical help.”
The doctors were fighting for Angafonov’s life for four days, but he passed away without regaining consciousness.
“This is a tragic concurrence of events,” Fight Night series promoter Kamil Gadzhiev told Interfax news agency. “[Mirzaev] hasn’t been officially summoned to the police yet, but if this happens – then he’ll go because this case has to be sorted out. The incident has nothing to do with hate crimes. It was just an everyday situation which turned into tragedy.
“Rasul is very sorry about what happened,” he added.
Bloggers have been sharing information on the incident, claiming a radio-controlled car sparked the tragedy.
The student used his toy to start a conversation with one of the girls in front of the club when Mirzaev, who was spending the evening with the young woman, took umbrage.
An argument began and the mixed martial arts specialist, nicknamed the Black Tiger, delivered just one blow to the young man. But it was so powerful that Angafonov landed a meter away and hit the pavement with his head.
A criminal case on charges of deliberately inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in the death has already been launched against Mirzaev, with the police currently questioning witnesses.
The 25-year-old Rasul Mirzaev clamed the MMA Lightweight Champion belt in June this year, knocking out Masanori Kanehara of Japan.