For two months, UFC lightweight Reza Madadi has been languishing in a Swedish prison accused of involvement in a robbery of a luxury goods store. On Monday he will argue his innocence in front of a judge.
According to Bloody Elbow, prosecutors have been waiting for investigators to finish their work before advancing their case. Now those investigations are complete and Madadi and another unnamed individual face up to six years in prison if found guilty.
The Iranian born Swedish fighter joined the UFC in 2012 and, after recording his first win soon after, dropped a split decision to Cristiano Marcello in his second fight. Indeed, a career in obscurity seemed to be on the card as he faced Michael Johnson at UFC on Fuel TV in April.
Madadi spend most of the fight covered up and defending from a barrage of strikes from Johnson. But then, in the third round, he scored a submission victory which had everybody talking.
Following that match, he was quickly signed up to face the undefeated Michael Chiesa at a fight set to take place this Saturday in Seattle. That fight is off the cards now and Chiesa will now face Jorge Masvidal.
As for Madadi, his lawyer continues to argue his innocence. In a statement to Fighter Only magazine via Bloody Elbow, he said:
“Reza has given police an account of his movements and location at the time the robbery was taking place and obviously it is very different from what they are claiming. So now we are waiting for police to investigate the information he has given them and hopefully he can be released from custody soon.”
However, it appears that this isn’t Madadi’s first brush with the law. According to Bloody Elbow, Madadi was implicated in an infamous heist along with seven other men. The charges against him were later dropped.
There has been no official statement from the UFC since his arrest, although he’s likely to be released from his contract if convicted. Does a future career selling used cars Oklahoma City beckon?
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