In recognition of his service in Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin recently awarded an Armenian MMA fighter and convicted armed robber a medal of courage. The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues on after nearly a year, and now Russia has begun mass conscription to further their efforts.
Some estimates suggest as many as 300,000 men have joined the war effort, but others speculate it could be even more. In fact, even convicted criminals have been brought into the fold to help the war effort, including 31-year-old mixed martial artist Hayk Gasparyan. He was only months into a seven-year sentence in a maximum-security prison in Ryazan for armed robbery.
Armenian MMA Fighter/Convicted Criminal Honored By Putin
Not only was Gasparyan freed to help in Ukraine, but he has now been honored with a medal of courage from Russian president Vladimir Putin. Gasparyan has now received a pardon for his crimes, as well as receiving the ‘Order of Courage’ award from the Russian leader, which took part on a TV broadcast.
An Overview of Gasparyan’s Career Before Arrest for Armed Robbery
Gasparyan was one of 40,000 violent criminals that were freed in exchange for their services in the war, which included convicted murderers and rapists. The Mirror reports that one of those freed also includes 36-year-old Dmitry Karyagin, who was convicted of murdering his 87-year-old grandmother with a hammer nine years ago.
Gasparyan has established himself as a top contender in the MMA scene by competing in notable promotions such as M-1 Global, a premier Russian organization, and Absolute Championship Akhmat, run by Ramzan Kadyrov, the controversial leader of Chechnya.
Following six months of service in Ukraine, he was freed. As for Gasparyan, he also has a background in mixed martial arts (MMA), holding a professional record of 6-12. All of his registered wins came via submission, not having fought since 2019 on a three-fight losing skid. His last bout resulted in a knockout defeat to Alexey Zhuravlev.
He was convicted last year for stealing over $3,000 from a man outside a Moscow bank at gunpoint.
