Several notable athletes, including UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, have vouched for the release of Ziyavudin Magomedov, the oligarch arrested on embezzlement and organized crime charges.

According to Magomedov’s lawyers, Nurmagomedov joined a list that included 22 Olympic champions and renowned hockey players such as Vladimir Myshkin, Andrei Kovalenko, and Sergei Makarov to vouch for the oligarch following his arrest in March.

”Ziyavudin Gajiyevich is a person with an impeccable reputation,” said the oligarch’s lawyer Viktoria Tsilyurik. “Many famous people, including the Olympic champions, asked to accept the guarantee of defendant’s appearance with criminal responsibility for nonappearance.”

The decision to enlist the support of some of Russia’s most celebrated athletes was an attempt to get the businessman released from prison, pending trial, and guarantee his eventual appearance in court. Magomedov’s lawyers also referred to the businessman’s charity work over the past few years.

Magomedov was arrested along with his brother and co-owner, Magomed Magomedov, and charged with the “organization of a criminal community,” fraud, and the embezzlement of over 2 billion rubles. The judge rejected an offer from the oligarch to pay a $35 million bail bond, and ordered him detained until May 30. Magomedov’s legal team plans to appeal the court’s decision. If deemed guilty, the brothers could face up to twenty years in prison.

According to Irina Volk, a spokesperson for the ministry, an investigation is being carried out to determine whether Magomedov embezzled money during the construction of a World Cup stadium in Kaliningrad, which his Summa Group company won the rights to build in 2014. investigators began to suspect Magomedov as early as 2014 when his company took over the initial construction of the World Cup stadium. However, it was only in 2018 that investigators felt confident in the criminal case they had developed.

While Magomedov’s detention was to last until May 30, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow extended the arrest until early August pending the investigation. The court also seized the brothers’ property and froze their bank accounts.

Magomedov’s arrest has created significant ripple effects within the Russian mixed martial arts community. The oligarch purchased Fight Nights Global, one of the country’s top promotions, and expanded into gyms and fight clubs over the following year. He established ‘Eagles MMA,’ a fight club and training facility now home to some of the top Russian talents. Nurmagomedov serves as the entity’s president.

Magomedov, whose wealth is estimated at $1.4 billion, also financially supports several fighters, including Nurmagomedov. Magomedov paid for the UFC fighter’s back surgery in 2017, which was done in Germany, and funded the majority of Khabib’s expenses during training camps. The UFC fighter released a statement in support of the diminished oligarch on Instagram, though made a point to disable comments to the post. He later reiterated his statement during the UFC 223 post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, and asked president Vladimir Putin to intervene and help the diminished oligarch.

”Our elder brother, co-owner of our team Ziyavudin Magomedov, is in a difficult situation,” Khabib said in Russian during the UFC 223 PPV. “He was very helpful to me and other athletes from Russia. Now he has problems, but I want him to know that we, the athletes, are praying for him. I believe that this situation will soon be resolved. I hope that our leader Vladimir Putin will help him. I want to congratulate him on the victory in the last election.”