UFC Officially Cuts Lightweight Reza Madadi Following Burglary Conviction
The UFC has officially dropped lightweight Reza Madadi from its roster following his recent burglary conviction.
Madadi was arrested in Sweden for an alleged burglary on May 27. It was reported that he and several associates broke into designer handbag store Bottega Veneta, making off with $150,000 worth of merchandise. According to police, broken glass matching the scene of the crime was discovered on Medadi’s person.
The 35-year-old Iranian-Swedish fighter was found guilty of aggravated burglary on August 16 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He has until September 6 to file an appeal.
Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said Madadi would likely be cut from the promotion after his conviction.
“If he stole a bunch of handbags and was convicted of it, yeah, I’m sure he’s going to be cut,” White told MMA Junkie Saturday after UFC Fight Night 26.
Zuffa, the owner of the UFC, announced that Madadi had been released from the promotion Monday.
“Following his conviction by a court of law in Sweden, the UFC organization has elected to terminate its relationship with Reza Madadi based on its Fighter Code of Conduct and the provision of its promotional agreement concerning fighter conduct,” Zuffa said in a statement on UFC.com.
Although Madadi has been fighting in MMA since 2006, his UFC career was extremely short-lived. The 35-year-old leaves the Octagon with a 2-1 record, and a 13-3 MMA record. Madadi made his UFC debut on April 14, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva, which was held in Stockholm. He defeated Yoislandy Izquierdo by guillotine choke submission at 1:28 in the second round. At UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro on October 13, 2012, Madadi was defeated by Cristiano Marcello by unanimous decision.
Reza Madadi’s last fight was on April 6 at UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi. He defeated Michael Johnson by d’arce choke submission at 1:33 in the third round, earning Submission of the Night.
