Former UFC fighter Pietro Menga has been sentenced to 15 years and 5 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to supply cocaine, following his involvement as a middleman in a major organized crime group in the UK.
Pietro Menga? Yeah, he’s going to jail.
On Tuesday, the Greater Manchester Police confirmed it. The former UFC fighter got slapped with a 15-year and 5-month sentence. Why? He pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges—selling weapons and supplying cocaine. Not your everyday misdemeanors.
Once upon a time, Menga was the talk of the town in the MMA world. A top flyweight prospect with 13 straight wins. The UFC noticed him, naturally. Based in Manchester, “The Italian Stallion” had big plans. He aimed to try out for season 27 of *The Ultimate Fighter* as a featherweight. But fate had other ideas.
In 2017, he got a last-minute call to fight Tim Elliott at UFC on FOX 26. Problem? He missed weight, coming in at 131 pounds. Elliott wasn’t having any catchweight nonsense, so Menga got released. After that? Four straight losses.
Fast forward to April 2023—Menga finally snagged a win. He was set to face Kiru Sahota in January 2024 under OKTAGON promotion. Then came January 15th: police raided his Swinton home and arrested him.
What tipped off the cops? Encrypted messages. Menga’s chats about drug deals and firearms worth over $500k caught their eye. Turns out, he was allegedly a middleman for a major crime syndicate in the UK—a huge firearm trafficking ring.