Why was former Bellator fighter Alexis Vila imprisoned?
Former Bellator fighter and Olympic medalist Alexis Vila was imprisoned and sentenced to fifteen years in jail in December 2019 for his alleged role in a 2011 kidnapping, torture and murder case.
Camilo Salazar, a Coconut Grove-based businessman, was captured and brutally murdered in June 2011 for his alleged romantic involvement with the wife of a South Florida supermarket owner, Manuel Marin. Roberto Isaac carried out the crime on Marin's behalf. Alexis Vila, who was in Las Vegas training for an MMA fight at the time of the crime, is accused of coordinating the crime between Isaac and Marin over the phone.
Another ex-MMA fighter, Ariel Gandulla, assisted Isaac in capturing Salazar. Gandulla testified that he was misled into participating in the crime and implicated Vila as an instrumental link in the entire process. The mastermind of the crime, Manuel Marin, will go to trial next year. He was arrestedinm Spain while trying to renew his passport.
Alexis Vila's lawyer requested the court for a new trial as Roberto Isaac testified that Vila did not know about the crime being committed. However, the judge declined to open a new trial and concluded that Alexis Vila was fully aware of what he was getting into.
Alexis Vila represented Cuba at the 1996 Olympics and won the freestyle wrestling bronze medal in the 48kg category. Villa defected from Cuba the same year and was assisted by Manuel Marin in coming to the United States. The 2019 trial was Alexis Vila's second run-in with the law. The 50-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison for crashing his car at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Why did Jorge Masvidal don a 'Free Alexis Vila' t-shirt at UFC 261?
UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal arrived for his UFC 261 fight against champion Kamaru Usman wearing a t-shirt that read 'Free Alexis Vila', an act which raised many eyebrows.
Alexis Vila (15-7 MMA) competed as a professional MMA fighter for major MMA promotions like Bellator, WSOF, and Titan FC. He trained at the famed American Top Team in Florida alongside Jorge Masvidal and others. Members of the American Top Team believe that Vila was wrongfully charged and sentenced in the Camilo Salazar murder case. Masvidal's coach and MMA veteran Mike Brown also posted a picture of Masvidal wearing the 'Free Alexis Vila' t-shirt with the same hashtag in its caption.