Former PFL fighter shot twice in sensitive area after football club dispute
· Yahoo Sports
Hang on tight.
Manager Jorge Nojikoski posted on social media Friday morning announcing that ex-Professional Fighters League athlete Bruce Souto had been shot Thursday reportedly following a disagreement involving the sport of soccer. Per the manager, Souto was struck in the buttocks by two of the six rounds fired by the shooter while running away.
Souto was rushed to the Joao XXIII Hospital in his home city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where he has been treated and is in stable condition. He is expected to be discharged soon and his representatives have already posted on social media calling out the alleged shooter.
A member of his team posted a statement on Souto’s Instagram Stories after the shooting, where they confirmed his non-life-threatening status in the hospital while declaring that they knew who the shooter was.
“Folks, Bruce is fine, thank God. He's out of danger,” the post wrote in Portuguese, as translated by Sherdog staff. “We are thankful, from our hearts, to all the people who have been praying and sending messages of support. This chain of faith has been very important to us. We trust in the justice system and believe that the responsible party will answer for everything he did. He won't go unpunished.” The post continued, “The facts are clear: six shots were taken against Bruce. There were about 100 people nearby. The perpetrator acted without hiding his face, without any concern about hiding his identity. Everyone present saw him, and many people there know him. We are confident that the justice system will work as intended and that this criminal will be arrested.”
Per Brazilian news outlet O Tempo, Souto was shot during a soccer match between local teams. A fan of the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube team in Belo Horizonte, that team is rivals with Atletico Mineiro. To support his team of Cruzeiro EC, he is a member of Mafia Azul, a fan club with passionate supporters. On the other side of the equation, Atletico Mineiro has its own fan support with a group called Torcida Galoucura. It was suggested that it all came to a head after debating who would be the new president of Mafia Azul, in which a member of the Torcida Galoucura approached him.
The police report indicates that the shooter came up to Souto and asked him, “Do you have a problem with me?” The suspect allegedly drew a revolver and chased after Souto, firing it six times at the fleeing athlete. Brazilian news site Estado de Minas went on to state that Souto identified the shooter to the police, a man whom he knows personally.
Another post was shared on Souto’s Instagram profile on Friday, this one a hard link rather than a Stories post that disappears over time. In it, a member of Souto’s team claims the identity of the shooter, while demanding justice.
“COWARD!” they alleged on his profile. “They just tried to take Bruce's life. The person responsible for this attack was ‘Vinicin’ Caveira from the Galoucura organized fan group. He fired several shots at Bruce, hitting him twice. Let's pray for his life and that this thug, this criminal, is arrested and never gets out of jail again, which is where this animal belongs.
“Is this democracy? Is this how someone should be treated for expressing their opinion and defending what they believe in? Is this the PRESIDENT YOU WANT TO SUPPORT? Enough of the violence. Enough of the impunity. We hope that the authorities act quickly, investigate all the facts and arrest this thug,” they concluded, tagging a government organization and the local military police’s profile.
News organization Record Minas indicated in 2024 that the man known as “Vinicin” Caveira, born Marcos Vinicius Oliveira de Melo, works as an “advisor” to local politician Cesar Gordin. Gordin is also the owner of the Gordin Fight Team, a gym in which Souto has since departed. “Vinicin” holds a criminal record that includes a sentencing of 17 years imprisonment in 2013 for his involvement in the death of soccer fan Otavio Fernandes in 2010. Additionally, police reports have indicated that “Vinicin” allegedly prevented another individual, Lucas Elias Viera Silva, from receiving medical treatment after being shot, in which the victim died shortly thereafter. Those charges were dismissed.
Briefly speaking with Sherdog on Friday, sources close to the situation provided an additional comment on the story.
“‘Vinicin’ Caveiro was indeed responsible for those two previous crimes [against the aforementioned Fernandes and Silva]. Caveira has beef with Mafia Azul, which is the fan group that roots for the Cruzeiro soccer team. Bruce Souto is a fan of Cruzeiro. Cruzeiro is Atletico Mineiro’s biggest rival,” they explained.
The sources went on to reiterate that Souto’s condition is not critical, but could not provide any further information as to his expected release from the hospital. They could not confirm whether Souto was running for the position of president of Mafia Azul, or if he was just a member involved in the process. It has been reported that military police have investigated the suspect's domicile, who has yet to be located.
The 37-year-old light heavyweight last set foot in a cage in March, battling Lukasz Olech in Polish promotion FEN and coming up short by decision. He entered the major stage in 2022 when he appeared on the first episode of PFL’s Challenger Series and scored a contract by sparking Travis Davis with a flying knee and follow-up punches. A pair of appearances in the 2022 regular season did not go his way, as he was matched against former or future tourney champs Rob Wilkinson and Antonio Carlos Jr., losing both.
Manager Jorge Nojikoski posted on social media Friday morning announcing that ex-Professional Fighters League athlete Bruce Souto had been shot Thursday reportedly following a disagreement involving the sport of soccer. Per the manager, Souto was struck in the buttocks by two of the six rounds fired by the shooter while running away.
Souto was rushed to the Joao XXIII Hospital in his home city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where he has been treated and is in stable condition. He is expected to be discharged soon and his representatives have already posted on social media calling out the alleged shooter.
Bruce is fine
A member of his team posted a statement on Souto’s Instagram Stories after the shooting, where they confirmed his non-life-threatening status in the hospital while declaring that they knew who the shooter was.
“Folks, Bruce is fine, thank God. He's out of danger,” the post wrote in Portuguese, as translated by Sherdog staff. “We are thankful, from our hearts, to all the people who have been praying and sending messages of support. This chain of faith has been very important to us. We trust in the justice system and believe that the responsible party will answer for everything he did. He won't go unpunished.” The post continued, “The facts are clear: six shots were taken against Bruce. There were about 100 people nearby. The perpetrator acted without hiding his face, without any concern about hiding his identity. Everyone present saw him, and many people there know him. We are confident that the justice system will work as intended and that this criminal will be arrested.”
Per Brazilian news outlet O Tempo, Souto was shot during a soccer match between local teams. A fan of the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube team in Belo Horizonte, that team is rivals with Atletico Mineiro. To support his team of Cruzeiro EC, he is a member of Mafia Azul, a fan club with passionate supporters. On the other side of the equation, Atletico Mineiro has its own fan support with a group called Torcida Galoucura. It was suggested that it all came to a head after debating who would be the new president of Mafia Azul, in which a member of the Torcida Galoucura approached him.
The police report indicates that the shooter came up to Souto and asked him, “Do you have a problem with me?” The suspect allegedly drew a revolver and chased after Souto, firing it six times at the fleeing athlete. Brazilian news site Estado de Minas went on to state that Souto identified the shooter to the police, a man whom he knows personally.
Is this democracy?
Another post was shared on Souto’s Instagram profile on Friday, this one a hard link rather than a Stories post that disappears over time. In it, a member of Souto’s team claims the identity of the shooter, while demanding justice.
“COWARD!” they alleged on his profile. “They just tried to take Bruce's life. The person responsible for this attack was ‘Vinicin’ Caveira from the Galoucura organized fan group. He fired several shots at Bruce, hitting him twice. Let's pray for his life and that this thug, this criminal, is arrested and never gets out of jail again, which is where this animal belongs.
“Is this democracy? Is this how someone should be treated for expressing their opinion and defending what they believe in? Is this the PRESIDENT YOU WANT TO SUPPORT? Enough of the violence. Enough of the impunity. We hope that the authorities act quickly, investigate all the facts and arrest this thug,” they concluded, tagging a government organization and the local military police’s profile.
News organization Record Minas indicated in 2024 that the man known as “Vinicin” Caveira, born Marcos Vinicius Oliveira de Melo, works as an “advisor” to local politician Cesar Gordin. Gordin is also the owner of the Gordin Fight Team, a gym in which Souto has since departed. “Vinicin” holds a criminal record that includes a sentencing of 17 years imprisonment in 2013 for his involvement in the death of soccer fan Otavio Fernandes in 2010. Additionally, police reports have indicated that “Vinicin” allegedly prevented another individual, Lucas Elias Viera Silva, from receiving medical treatment after being shot, in which the victim died shortly thereafter. Those charges were dismissed.
Briefly speaking with Sherdog on Friday, sources close to the situation provided an additional comment on the story.
“‘Vinicin’ Caveiro was indeed responsible for those two previous crimes [against the aforementioned Fernandes and Silva]. Caveira has beef with Mafia Azul, which is the fan group that roots for the Cruzeiro soccer team. Bruce Souto is a fan of Cruzeiro. Cruzeiro is Atletico Mineiro’s biggest rival,” they explained.
The sources went on to reiterate that Souto’s condition is not critical, but could not provide any further information as to his expected release from the hospital. They could not confirm whether Souto was running for the position of president of Mafia Azul, or if he was just a member involved in the process. It has been reported that military police have investigated the suspect's domicile, who has yet to be located.
The 37-year-old light heavyweight last set foot in a cage in March, battling Lukasz Olech in Polish promotion FEN and coming up short by decision. He entered the major stage in 2022 when he appeared on the first episode of PFL’s Challenger Series and scored a contract by sparking Travis Davis with a flying knee and follow-up punches. A pair of appearances in the 2022 regular season did not go his way, as he was matched against former or future tourney champs Rob Wilkinson and Antonio Carlos Jr., losing both.
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