Alexander Emelianenko sentenced to 4.5 years in jail on ...

Alexander Emelianenko sentenced to 4.5 years in jail on sexual assault conviction

The brother of one of the greatest MMA fighters ever is likely going to jail.

Alexander Emelianenko was convicted of sexual assault charges and sentenced to 4 ½ years in jail, reported the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) on Tuesday. Emelianenko was also fined 50,000 rubles ($1,000) by Moscow's Simonovsky District Court.

Emelianenko, whose brother Fedor is regarded as perhaps the best MMA heavyweight of all time, was found guilty on charges that he assaulted and raped his housekeeper, Polina Stepanova, on March 2, 2014 and then seized her passport.

Emelianenko, 33, pleaded not guilty and claimed the sex was consensual. Prosecutors were asking for five years in prison for Emelianenko.

The Stary Oskol, Russia native is an MMA veteran heavyweight himself, having fought for PRIDE and M-1, among many other organizations. Emelianenko owns a 23-7 record and has beaten the likes of Bob Sapp, Sergei Kharitonov and James Thompson. He last fought for Coliseum FC in January 2014, losing to Dmitriy Sosnovskiy by first-round knockout.



Emelianenko has been arrested before. He was charged with assaulting a 63-year-old man at a Moscow café in 2013. That criminal case was dropped, though, after Emelianenko reportedly reached a financial settlement with the man.