On Sunday, November 18, a member of the national guard of the Russian Federation (Rosgvardiya) was killed while trying to prevent a fight at a nightclub in Dagestan. The alleged shooter is a notable world champion in hand-to-hand combat.
According to reports, the incident took place at the Best nightclub in Makhachkala, Dagestan. Murad Ramazanov, an off-duty national guard officer, noticed a conflict between two groups in the club and attempted to prevent it from escalating. One of the parties opened fire on the officer in response. Ramazanov returned fire but was lethally wounded in the process. He died of multiple gunshot wounds, including several to the head.
The primary suspect in the shooting is Shakhban Machiev, the hand-to-hand combat champion who reportedly fled the scene shortly after the murder. He was later hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the thigh but is in stable condition. Yet despite the ongoing investigation into Machiev’s guilt, UFC fighter Rustam Khabilov has already come to his aid.
The longtime UFC lightweight stated that Machiev is a “good guy” who is “easy to get along with.” While Khabilov admits he has not seen Machiev in a year, he revealed that the two used to train together and that the murder suspect is “very normal” and would not have fired the gun without a good reason, if at all.
“[The police] should interview people who were there,” Khabilov said. “There may have been eyewitnesses.”
It should also be noted that Machiev appears to have once been coached by Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and longtime mentor of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.