Chechen fighter Shovkhal Churchayev pulls gun on Iranian opponent Mohammad Hebati during interview, potentially being arrested
Chechen MMA fighter Shovkhal Churchayev pulled a gun on his future opponent Mohammad Hebati during an interview. The two fighters were scheduled to meet in Hype Fighting Championship and sat down on the “Rating Brothers” podcast.
Churchayev attacked the Iranian-born Hebati, shoving him to the ground, and then pulled a gun on him. The entire exchange can be seen below. Begins at 47:50:
Hebati responded to this attack on his Instagram where he swore revenge against Churchayev. Translated through Google, he wrote:
“I’m fine, as you saw, while he told me a hundred times, “Brother, take it away,” he distracted me and threw me off the chair, and when he saw that I could stand up and take my revenge, he took the gun. He pulled me and said to kneel, the Persian nation, which has not brought anyone to its knees for thousands of years, what will happen to this coward, all his friends are about seven people, and I am alone. Despite the guns and the herd that I was with and the police on the way, I couldn’t get involved, but I swear that revenge will be 100%”
Churchayev commented on the situation on his Instagram, and simply responded:
“F*ck you.”
Iranian embassy speaks with Mohammad Hebati
According to Mohammad Hebati, the Iranian embassy in Moscow, Russia has gotten involved in this incident. He explained that an Iranian ambassador spoke with him. The ‘Persian Lion’ also adds that pulling a gun on someone goes well beyond trash talk. According to Bloody Elbow, Hebati said:
“The Iranian ambassador contacted me and invited me to his place. We talked to him, I told him what happened. Now the Iranian ambassador wants to resolve this issue. A person is threatened with a gun, this is no longer a trash talk.”
Police are currently investigating the incident. For the assault and death threat, Churchayev potentially could be spending two years in prison if found guilty.
The ‘Persian Lion’ Mohammad Hebati holds a 4-1 in professional MMA and had his last bout in May of 2022. Shovkhal Churchayev, of Russia, has a 3-0 in MMA and experience in professional boxing.
