FSB detain Russian MMA champ for possessing illegal firearms

On June 27, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation arrested a group of athletes, including local MMA champion Alexander Efimov.

The operation took place at a bus stop in Artyom, Russia, where FSB agents seized machine guns, ammunition, miscellaneous firearms, and a variety of mobile phones. Pictures and videos captured during the incident show several athletes – sumo wrestlers, sambo specialists, and MMA fighters – handcuffed and lying facedown on the grass. The news was first reported by PrimaMedia (h/t CrimeRussia).

The security service is yet to release an official statement on the operation or the charges levied against the detainees.

Efimov is a candidate for a Masters of Sports in MMA and an amateur champion in the Far Eastern Federal District and Primorsky Krai, where he competed in the light-heavyweight division.

Efimov’s criminal case is merely the latest involving an MMA fighter in the Russian Federation. Most recently, former UFC fighter Adlan Amagov was involved in a shootout in a Moscow restaurant, where he hospitalized a fellow MMA fighter with stab wounds to the chest.