Former UFC fighter Pietro Menga has been sentenced to 15 years and 5 months in prison for his role in drug and firearm trafficking. The 37-year-old from Manchester, England, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to supply cocaine. The sentencing took place on April 22, 2025, following his arrest on January 15, 2024, at his home on Mount Street in Swinton.
How Pietro Menga Got Caught in a Major Crime Operation
Menga, once a promising MMA fighter, was working as a middleman for an organized crime group. Greater Manchester Police discovered his activities after the National Crime Agency cracked the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat in 2020. Using the username “wirelessshark,” Menga openly talked about buying and selling large amounts of cocaine and firearms. In one message, he described a Skorpion automatic machine gun as a “tastey bit of kit” that was “good for a rainy day.”
Police estimated the drugs he dealt with were worth between 490,000 and 620,000 pounds, roughly 650,000 to 825,000 dollars. His messages also mentioned personal details like his girlfriend, knee injuries from fighting, and home gym, which helped authorities confirm his identity. This arrest was part of Operation Foam, a larger effort that has led to over 300 arrests of criminals involved in the EncroChat network.
#JAILED | ‘Italian Stallion’ MMA fighter jailed for over 15 years for drugs and firearms offences.
With his day job as an MMA fighter, Pietro Menga, aka ‘The Italian Stallion’, had a more lucrative job as a middleman sourcing cocaine for an OCG.
More: https://t.co/KnBiUUovdA pic.twitter.com/q6pA6QL0w9
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) April 22, 2025
Pietro Menga’s Rise and Fall in the MMA World
Known as “The Italian Stallion,” Menga started his MMA career with an impressive 13 straight wins, catching the UFC’s attention. In 2017, he signed with the UFC and was set to fight Tim Elliott at UFC on FOX 26. However, Menga missed the 125-pound weight limit, coming in at 131 pounds, and the fight was canceled after Elliott refused a catchweight bout. The UFC released Menga shortly after, ending his dream of competing in the octagon.
Pietro Menga is ready to take the bantamweight division by storm!
Fight announcement coming soon… #CW107 pic.twitter.com/a50LZVHRq8
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 13, 2019
Following this setback, Menga lost his next four fights before securing a win in April 2023 against Sam Halliday at BMF MMA 5. He was scheduled to fight Kiru Sahota at OKTAGON 52 in January 2024, but his arrest days before the event halted his comeback. Menga’s involvement in crime showed no signs of slowing down, according to police, leading to his lengthy prison sentence.
