Jeffrey Epstein had close ties with an ex-UFC fighter who made alarming claims about the billionaire's suicide

Convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein had a wealth of ties to numerous figures. Among them was former UFC fighter Igor Zinoviev, who competed in the very early days of the promotion before walking away from mixed martial arts after a run of four wins, two draws and one loss.

The nature of his relationship with Epstein was complex, but he appears to have been relatively close to the deceased billionaire. Zinoviev, a Russian from Saint Petersburg, is said to have used his large light heavyweight frame and fighting experience to play the role of Epstein's bodyguard.

According to BloodyElbow, Zinoviev did more than act as Epstein's bodyguard. He was also allegedly tasked with intimidating Epstein's victims by appearing alongside the convicted s*x offender in depositions. In other cases, Zinoviev was referred to as Epstein's driver, which could shed light on his multi-faceted role.

Based on a report from MMA Junkie, Zinoviev himself had much to say about his time with Epstein, including the controversial circumstances surrounding his death, which are still disputed to this day.

"Somebody helped him to do that."

It is Zinoviev's belief that Epstein's death, which was officially ruled a hanging by suicide, to be the result of an assisted suicide, having said as much in an interview with New York Magazine's Intelligencer. When asked to explain his stance, however, Zinoviev declined.

"Listen, you know, that’s going a little too deep."

Additionally, Zinoviev apparently lived at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion, where the majority of the sexual crimes he was accused of were alleged to have taken place. Despite reportedly trying to warn Epstein, Zinoviev claims not to have witnessed any sexual abuse.

Instead, he dismisses the allegations of Epstein's interest in underage girls as stemming from a misunderstanding. However, he remains evasive and careful with his wording any time he is probed about his ties to the deceased billionaire.

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What have other MMA fighters said about Jeffrey Epstein?

While Igor Zinoviev is known to have had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, other mixed martial artists have expressed their thoughts on the deceased billionaire. Three-time UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington has been adamant that the convicted s*x offender did not take his own life.

Check out Colby Covington talk about Jeffrey Epstein in the clip below:

He even accused reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones of being a guest of Epstein's. Meanwhile, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya responded, two years ago, to news of Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest by demanding that the public be shown the list of Epstein's close associates.

Maxwell is a convicted s*x offender who was found guilty of child s*x trafficking with ties to Jeffrey Epstein himself.