Belgian-Moroccan heavyweight kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik obtained a four-year jail sentence on December 9, 2025, following his conviction in a kidnapping case in Antwerp. The Antwerp court decided that Ben Saddik served because the driving power behind the kidnapping of a dock employee employed on the Port of Antwerp. The incident occurred on July 1, 2024, when the sufferer was forcibly taken by Ben Saddik and two associates.
GLORY Kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Kidnapping Case
The court’s decision marks another significant legal setback for the 34-year-old fighter, who has faced multiple criminal investigations over the previous 5 years. Ben Saddik was born in Antwerp on October 3, 1990, to Moroccan mother and father who had emigrated from Bni Hadifa within the Rif Mountains. He grew to become an expert kickboxer at age 9 when his father enrolled him in a gymnasium to maintain him away from road life. In 2018, Ben Saddik received the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix event, establishing himself as a distinguished determine within the sport.
The circumstances surrounding the July 2024 kidnapping heart on a failed drug transaction. The sufferer, a dock employee concerned in prison exercise at Antwerp’s port, had accepted an advance cost to extract a cocaine cargo however failed to finish the duty. This breach of settlement inside the prison underworld prompted the response that led to his abduction. In response to court docket data, Ben Saddik and his accomplices took the person towards his will to power him into aiding them with drug importation efforts. The kidnapping remained transient, nonetheless, because the sufferer’s sister contacted police, resulting in his launch.
Ben Saddik faced charges of unlawful imprisonment with death threats, illegal weapons possession, and participation in a criminal organization. The public prosecutor’s office sought a four-year prison sentence during the trial proceedings held in November 2025. The December court decision upheld this demand entirely, with the tribunal identifying Ben Saddik as the primary orchestrator of the kidnapping.
This conviction arrives approximately six months after Ben Saddik received another substantial sentence in June 2025. The Antwerp Court of Appeal determined that Ben Saddik had participated in a money-laundering operation involving more than €1.2 million in criminal proceeds. The court sentenced him to 40 months in prison, with 20 months suspended, for his involvement in this scheme alongside his brother Saïd and co-defendant Emad N. The scheme, which originated in the Netherlands, utilized falsified employment contracts, questionable real estate transactions, and digital payments to obscure the origins of funds derived from criminal activity.
Ben Saddik’s legal history extends further back. In March 2021, authorities arrested him during Operation Sky, a major organized crime investigation in Belgium and the Netherlands. He faced suspicion of selling encrypted phones that criminals subsequently utilized for communications. Ben Saddik spent approximately 18 months in custody before his conditional release. Throughout this period, he underwent treatment for thyroid cancer, a condition diagnosed in late 2012 that continues to require medical management.
The fighter’s association with criminal activity has caused disruption to his professional career as well. In May 2024, Glory suspended Ben Saddik for six months after he stormed the ring during a heavyweight bout between Nabil Khachab and Rico Verhoeven on March 9, 2024. The organization determined that his actions created a threat to participants and officials. Additionally, Ben Saddik has faced four suspensions from Glory for doping violations, with tests revealing prohibited substances on multiple occasions since 2015. His 2022 victory over Benjamin Adegbuyi was subsequently converted to a no-contest result following positive test results.
Ben Saddik returned to competitive fighting in February 2025 following his final doping suspension. He defeated Uku Jürjendal by knockout in the third round at Glory 98 in Rotterdam, marking his first bout in more than two years. Subsequently, he participated in the Glory 99 tournament in April 2025, defeating Cristian Ristea by unanimous decision. His attempt to progress further in competition ended in June 2025 when Sofian Laidouni defeated him in the semifinals of the Glory 100 Heavyweight Last Man Standing tournament.
The four-year sentence handed down in December 2025 carries practical implications regarding actual incarceration time. Belgian law provides that prison sentences under 36 months do not necessarily require full-time detention, though Ben Saddik’s four-year conviction exceeds this threshold. The court’s classification of him as the driving force behind the kidnapping likely influenced the severity of the sentence relative to his co-defendants’ sentences.
