UFC heavyweight Ben Sosoli, known for his colorful nickname “The Combat Wombat,” has been hit with a 22-month prison sentence.
Sosoli (7-3, 2NC) was working as a “responsible service of alcohol officer” (read: a bouncer) when he punched a drunk bar patron in the face on September 19, 2019, per a report by the Australian Associated Press. The incident in question took place at Jacksons Lounge Bar in Toorak, Melbourne, just weeks after Sosoli’s appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Apparently, the charge being before the courts didn’t stop him from signing on with the promotion. Although according to the AAP, with Sosoli being forced to serve a minimum 11 months of his sentence before being eligible for parole, he’s been cut by the promotion.
Per the AAP report, the victim twice attempted to sneak into the bar while intoxicated, only to be escorted out. Sosoli testified that the patron threatened to “f*ck him up” before hitting the man in the jaw.
The victim required facial surgery. Sosoli pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly causing serious injury. “You are expected not to respond to provocation in the way you did,” Judge Gavan Meredith stated during sentencing on Monday.
Sosoli is probably best remembered for his fight with Greg Hardy in October 2019. The bout went the distance, with Hardy winning a unanimous decision. That was later overturned to a No Contest as Hardy was utilizing an inhaler, used to treat his asthma, between rounds.
