Pietro Menga goes to jail.
On Tuesday, per the Better Manchester Police, the previous UFC signee acquired a 15 yr and 5 month jail sentence after he plead responsible to conspiracy to promote or switch prohibited weapons and conspiracy to provide cocaine.
At one level thought-about to be a prime flyweight prospect, Menga started his MMA profession with 13 consecutive wins, catching the eyes of the UFC. Primarily based in Manchester, “The Italian Stallion” was planning to tryout for season 27 of The Final Fighter as a featherweight earlier than receiving a name to step in as a short-notice substitute towards Tim Elliott at UFC on FOX 26 again in 2017. Sadly, Menga did not make weight, coming in at 131 kilos. Elliott refused to just accept a catchweight bout and the UFC launched Menga, who then misplaced his subsequent 4 bouts.
Menga lastly received again within the win column in April of 2023, and was then scheduled to face Kiru Sahota within the OKTAGON promotion in January of 2024, nonetheless, he was arrested on Jan. 15 after police executed a warrant on his dwelling in Swinton, England.
Menga got here to the eye of Manchester authorities Critical Organized Crime Group after a sequence of messages over an encrypted messaging platform confirmed Menga speaking brazenly concerning the sale and buy of medication and firearms, value over $500,000. Menga is believed to have been a intermediary for an organized crime group chargeable for one of many largest firearm trafficking conspiracies in the UK.
