What did Dmitriy Sosnovskiy do? Former UFC star lands lengthy prison sentence

Former UFC heavyweight Dmitriy Sosnovskiy recently landed eight-and-a-half years in a maximum-security prison after being found guilty of kidnapping and extorting a businessman. The 31-year-old and other four accused were arrested on the same charges two years ago in September 2019. According to RT.com, the five culprits kidnapped the businessman from Moscow, Russia, forcing him into a car and taking him to an office.

What did Dmitriy Sosnovskiy do? Dmitriy Sosnovskiy jail

After the aforementioned kidnapping, the culprits threatened to kill the businessman, asking 300,000 rubles (approx. $3800) to let him go. The businessman allegedly refused to pay the money, forcing a kidnapper to choke him unconscious. However, when Sosnovskiy and others left the room, the victim found an opening and made a run for his life. The businessman went to a police station where he reported the crime, leading to an investigation and subsequent attest of the kidnappers.

“Having received a refusal from the abducted man to fulfill their illegal demands, one of the accused grabbed the victim’s neck with his hands – blocking his access to oxygen, which made him lose consciousness,” stated the press release from the prosecutor’s office.

Dmitriy Sosnovskiy’s impressive MMA resume

In his almost six-year-long MMA career, Sosnovskiy compiled an 11-0 undefeated record, with most win coming via knockout or submission. Following his stint on the Russian fight scene where he defeated Tomas Pojer, Damion Martindale, Aleksander Emelianenko, Oleg Gapchenko and others, Sosnovskiy signed with the UFC in 2016 and eventually made his debut in 2018. In his first bout at UFC Fight Night 127: Werdum vs Volkov, Dmitriy Sosnovskiy defeated Mark Godbeer by submission. However, before he could rise to stardom, Sosnovskiy was released from the promotion and was later arrested.

Alexey Oleinik on teammate Sosnovskiy’s actions

When BloodyElbow reached out to Sosnovskiy's teammate Alexey Oleinik, the UFC heavyweight refused to comment on the 31-year-old, describing himself as "frustrated" and "disappointed that such a situation has occurred".

Russian MMA fighters and crime

This is not the first time that a Russian MMA fighter has been jailed for crimes of a serious nature. A couple of years ago, Anar Allakhveranov was arrested for killing a champion power-lifter, landing himself an 18-year sentence. Not just that, the same year, many fighters were arrested for murdering fellow fighter Shamil Kuramagomedov. Most notably, Alexander Emelianenko, brother of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko received a four-year jail sentence for kidnapping and sexual assault.

Image Source: Dmitriy Sosnovskiy/ Instagram