A martial arts fighter has been shot twice in the bum at a football match.
Bruce Souto was allegedly shot as he left the pitch following an amateur match between two branches of the same ultra firm.
The former PFL light-heavyweight and a Muay Thai champion survived the attack.
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The shooting happened after an internal Galoucura tournament in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on 9 July.
Galoucura is the main ultra firm of the Brazilian top flight club Atlético Mineiro.
Souto was helping pack up boxes when the suspect came down the steps.
The man asked: “Do you have a problem with me?”
According to the police, he then pulled out a revolver and Souto ran away.
The suspect emptied the gun while chasing after him.
The police said he was shot twice in the buttocks.
Souto was treated at the João XXIII Hospital and was later discharged.
A post on his Instagram page said: “Guys, Bruce is fine, thank God. He’s out of danger.
“We are thankful, from our hearts, to all the people who have been praying and sending messages of support.
“We trust in the justice system and believe that the responsible party will answer for everything he did.
“He won’t go unpunished.”
Souto told the police that he believed a video he posted online had angered a rival faction inside the ultra group.
His team called the attacker a “coward” and named him online as Marcos Vinicius Oliveira de Melo, 37, also known as Vinicin da Galoucura.
He was arrested in Santa Tereza on 30 August after a police warrant was issued.
Officers stopped him as he left an address with his mother.
Two phones were found on his person, as reported by Need To Know.
The Minas Gerais public prosecutor’s office has charged him with attempted homicide.
Police said the attack was not linked to drug gangs.
It is being treated as a personal row inside the football firm.
Souto said he had known the man for over 20 years.
They had studied together and trained at the same fight gym.
Souto, a regional director of the Minas Gerais Muay Thai Federation, welcomed the arrest and asked what was on the seized phones.
The suspect remains in police custody as the investigation continues.
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