UFC heavyweight Ben Sosoli has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for assault following an altercation in a Melbourne bar in September of 2019. According to a report from Yahoo News, the fighter nicknamed “Combat Wombat” was working at Jacksons Lounge Bar in Toorak and punched a man who had been denied entry to the venue.
Sosoli pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury. He was working as ‘responsible service of alcohol officer’ at the bar that night. The patron who had been denied entry kept sneaking back into the bar. Sosoli was escorting him out of the venue when the man attempted to free himself and Sosoli struck him in the face. The man required facial reconstructive surgery as a result.
Sosoli has been sentenced to 22 months in Victoria’s County Court. He will be eligible for parole after 11 months.
“You are expected not to respond to provocation in the way you did,” the judge said to Sosoli.
Sosoli was finished in the 1st round by Marcos Rogerio de Lima in February. His previous fight before that he dropped a decision to Greg Hardy that was later changed to a non-contest. The result was overturned due to Hardy using an inhaler between rounds.
