A search, spurred by a viral wedding brawl, turned up two pistols at the fighter’s home in Makhachkala.
According to RT Gadzhimurad Antigulov is facing possible charges under Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for the illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of weapons, their main parts, or ammunition.
The potential charges come after authorities searched Antigulov’s home in Dagestan as part of an investigation into a wild wedding brawl that was captured on camera last year. The search turned up two pistols.
In a video uploaded to Instagram Antigulov claimed that he found the weapons while out for a run and that he had intended to hand them over to police. However, he said, his plans were interrupted after he came down with coronavirus. “I don’t know whose pistols they are,” he said.
The brawl that Antigulov is being investigated for happened in December. It had been reported that Antigulov started the brawl after he refused to stop drinking alcohol at what was supposed to be an alcohol-free wedding. Antigulov is accused of hospitalizing one of the guests involved in that brawl.
Antigulov, a former ACB light heavyweight champion, joined the UFC in 2016. He impressed in his first two Octagon bouts, finishing Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Joachim Christensen by first round submissions.
He then went on a four fight losing skid that saw him cut from the promotion at the end of 2020. That streak includes TKO losses to Ion Cutelaba and Maxim Grishin, a KO loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk and a submission loss to Paul Craig.
The 34-year-old, whose record stands at 20-8, has said he hopes to revitalize his MMA career on the Russian regional scene.