"I serve Russia" - When Armenian MMA fighter with criminal record received war medal from Vladimir Putin for mercenary services in Ukraine

Armenian MMA fighter Hayk Gasparyan was awarded a war medal from Vladimir Putin earlier this year.

During his time as a fighter, Gasparyan fought under promotions such as M-1 Global and Absolute Championship Akhmat, amassing a professional record of 6-12. Interestingly, he has a criminal record as well. The Armenian was convicted of armed robbery back in 2022 after he stole around $4,200 from a man outside a bank in Moscow at gunpoint.

While Hayk Gasparyan was convicted of seven years in prison, he served just a few months of his time after being recruited to join the Wagner Group, a network of mercenaries who work under Vladimir Putin.

The Wagner Group recruited thousands of members for Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and the Armenian fighter was one of them. After serving as a Russian soldier, Gasparyan was awarded the medal for Order of Courage by Putin himself during a ceremony in Rostov-on-Don, a city located in southern Russia.

While receiving the medal, Hayk Gasparyan said this to Vladimir Putin (H/T Bloody Elbow):

"I serve Russia and Wagner."

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Bellator MMA welterweight champion speaks about serving as a soldier in the Ukraine-Russia war

The reigning Bellator MMA champion Yaroslav Amosov overcame a great deal of adversity during the ongoing war between his home country of Ukraine and Russia. Ahead of his return to the cage in February this year, Yaroslav Amosov sat down for an interview with MMA Junkie where he opened up about the ongoing war. He said:

"People are still dying. But in central Ukraine, there isn't any military action. But there's still danger. Russia has been launching rockets all over Ukraine. At any given time, they can land anywhere. There is always danger. There are a lot of issues with electricity and heat all over Ukraine."

While further speaking about how his loved ones wanted him to resume his MMA career, Amosov said:

"They said, 'Listen, our immediate area is liberated. It's free. It's time for you to return to fighting and use your notoriety and your platform to be the voice of what's going here, as opposed to being physically boots on the ground. It wasn't an easy decision. There was a lot of pressure from my family, from my friends. But eventually, I decided that's what I was going to do."