The UFC Fighter Who Became Jeffrey Epstein’s Bodyguard – Igor Zinoviev
Jeffrey Epstein’s personal bodyguard was once a UFC fighter. Igor Zinoviev, a Russian-born sambo and judo practitioner, spent years at Epstein’s side before the financier’s world collapsed under criminal charges. His story sits at the hub of early MMA history and one of the most infamous scandals in modern memory.
How UFC Fighter Igor Zinoviev Ended Up Guarding Jeffrey Epstein
Zinoviev grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, training in judo, sambo, and combat sambo before serving two years in the Russian military. He emigrated to the United States in 1991, arriving in New York with almost no English. He found work at a Russian bathhouse and connected with matchmaker John Perretti, who was building a combat sports organization called Extreme Fighting. Zinoviev became the promotion’s middleweight champion at its inaugural 1995 event, defeating Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Mario Sperry.
He knocked out Enson Inoue at Vale Tudo Japan in 1996 and compiled a professional record of 4-1-2. His final fight came at UFC 16 in March 1998, where Frank Shamrock slammed him unconscious in 22 seconds, breaking his collarbone and ending his career.
By the early 2000s, Zinoviev had moved into private security. He worked as Epstein‘s bodyguard, driver, and personal trainer for roughly five years. Epstein case files show him on 19 documented flights between 2001 and 2010, traveling alongside Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other associates. He was listed in Epstein’s black book with two phone numbers. Multiple victims identified him as household staff who witnessed the flow of young women to and from the properties.
In a 2019 interview with New York Magazine following Epstein’s death, Zinoviev said he believed Epstein did not act alone.
“Somebody helped him to do that. That’s going a little too deep.”
In an earlier exchange from 2015, he was more direct about Epstein’s reach.
“He has so much money he can pay it off. That guy could try to sue me and manipulate the situation with his money. That’s the American way.”
On the MMA History Podcast in 2024, Zinoviev addressed the Epstein questions head-on.
“I worked for him several years. I never saw any teenage girls. He had two or three girlfriends, like 24, 25. If I saw something like that, I probably would have done something about it myself.”
Perhaps the most significant claim tied to Zinoviev involves the CIA. Attorney Brad Edwards, who represented Epstein’s victims, recounted a conversation with Zinoviev, he warned him to back off, saying, “You don’t know who you’re messing with.” When Edwards pressed, Zinoviev whispered three letters: “C-I-A.” Palmeri also reported that Zinoviev claimed he was sent to CIA headquarters in Langley during Epstein’s 2008 sentence to pick up materials intended for Epstein behind bars.
Zinoviev was never charged with any crime in connection with the case. His name remains one of the stranger footnotes in both MMA history and the Epstein saga.
