GLORY Kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Kidnapping Case
Belgian-Moroccan heavyweight kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik received a four-year prison sentence on December 9, 2025, following his conviction in a kidnapping case in Antwerp. The Antwerp court determined that Ben Saddik served as the driving force behind the abduction of a dock worker employed at the Port of Antwerp. The incident occurred on July 1, 2024, when the victim 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 past five years. Ben Saddik was born in Antwerp on October 3, 1990, to Moroccan parents who had emigrated from Bni Hadifa in the Rif Mountains. He became a professional kickboxer at age nine when his father enrolled him in a gym to keep him away from street life. In 2018, Ben Saddik won the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, establishing himself as a prominent figure in the sport.
The circumstances surrounding the July 2024 kidnapping center on a failed drug transaction. The victim, a dock worker involved in criminal activity at Antwerp’s port, had accepted an advance payment to extract a cocaine shipment but failed to complete the task. This breach of agreement within the criminal underworld prompted the response that led to his abduction. According to court records, Ben Saddik and his accomplices took the man against his will to force him into assisting them with drug importation efforts. The kidnapping remained brief, however, as the victim’s sister contacted police, leading to his release.
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.
