Polish MMA star Mamed Khalidov sentenced to prison over stolen luxury cars

Mamed Khalidov

A Polish court has sentenced prominent mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Mamed Khalidov to 18 months in prison over the handling of stolen luxury cars and assaulting a police officer, local media reported.

The district court in the southern town of Tarnowskie Góry also ordered the 44-year-old to pay a fine of PLN 280,000 ($76,000).

The verdict is not yet legally binding, and Khalidov remains free pending an appeal.

The court found Khalidov guilty of purchasing or attempting to buy several luxury vehicles—including a Porsche Panamera and two BMWs—which prosecutors said had been stolen in Poland and the Czech Republic between 2016 and 2017.

He was also found guilty of ordering the destruction of two vehicles by arson in April 2017, and of assaulting a police officer during an arrest in the northern city of Olsztyn in October 2018.

The fighter was acquitted on a separate charge of illegal firearm possession.

Following the ruling, Khalidov denied the charges and confirmed he would appeal.

"From the very beginning, I have consistently presented my position and I still consider myself innocent," Khalidov wrote on social media.

"What matters to me is that this case is ultimately resolved fairly, calmly and in accordance with the truth."

The case against Khalidov began with his arrest in June 2019, when prosecutors originally brought 11 charges against him. Several of those charges were later dropped or unsubstantiated during the trial.

The trial was part of a major cross-border investigation originating in Slovakia, involving 18 defendants facing a total of 140 criminal charges.

KSW, Poland's premier MMA organisation where Khalidov has competed for nearly two decades, said it would wait for a final verdict before releasing an official statement.

However, KSW co-owner Martin Lewandowski told sponsors that the current ruling would not disrupt plans for Khalidov to fight in an upcoming event in Gliwice this December.

"The verdict is not final," Lewandowski said. "Mamed, like every Polish citizen, enjoys the presumption of innocence. At this stage, the situation does not affect our plans."

Born in Chechnya, Khalidov moved to Poland as a child following the outbreak of armed conflict in his homeland.

Nicknamed "the Cannibal" for his aggressive fighting style, he went on to become one of the most successful figures in the history of Polish MMA, winning multiple light heavyweight and middleweight championship titles.