MOSCOW, December 6 - RAPSI. Representatives of the Agafonov family have disputed mixed martial artist Rasul Mirzayev's sentence, pursuant to which he received two years of restricted freedom for his role in the death of Ivan Agafonov, their lawyer Oksana Mikhalkina told RAPSI on Thursday.

"I have submitted an appeal against the sentence," Mikhalkina said.

Prior to his arrest, Mirzayev had been widely regarded as a promising MMA fighter. He was undefeated in the ring and two of his five victories were won with knockout punches.

On August 16, 2011, between the incident and his arrest, Mirzayev made headlines in the MMA world for signing a professional multi-fight contract with the sponsor Bellator Fighting Championships.

Mirzayev was initially charged with intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, resulting in Agafonov's death. During their fight outside a popular Moscow nightclub, the 19-year-old student received a blow to the head and collapsed. He died in a hospital days later without regaining consciousness.