There has been development in an ongoing terrorism investigation that has resulted in a 28-year prison sentence for a man allegedly linked to UFC ace Islam Makhachev.
While it’s unclear whether the criminal has any ties with the former UFC lightweight king, Makhachev himself hasn’t always avoided controversy. As many fighters have done in the past, the 33-year-old received backlash from some fans when posing for a picture with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
However, Islam Makhachev could find himself under unwanted spotlight after a man who is rumored to be his training partner was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Lamberd Akhiadov is a 14-fight MMA veteran who will now be serving almost 30 years of his life behind bars. Akhiadov was convicted on several charges, though the most notorious was the murder of an officer of the Moscow Administrative Road Inspectorate.
Akhiadov reportedly took the victim’s life by stabbing him at least 15 times. The MADI inspector was mistaken for a police officer, as the MMA fighter allegedly attempted to steal the man’s firearm to execute his planned shooting spree on New Year’s Eve.
During the trial, the Grozny native and his legal team took the mental illness route. Akhiadov hoped to persuade the judge that he was forced to commit the heinous crime by a djinn, an Islamic spirit, and refused to plead guilty to his actions.
Psychiatric evaluations took place, and after two contradicting reports, the Russian was deemed sane.
Related: Former UFC champion: ‘Islam Makhachev surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov’
Per the court ruling, Lamberd Akhiadov will spend seven years in a prison facility before being relocated to a 21-year confinement in a high-security penal colony.
At 35 years old, Akhiadov will never compete in a professional mixed martial arts bout again. His career concludes with a record of nine wins and five losses; his final fight came in 2019.
