MOSCOW, October 27 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) – A court granted parole for MMA fighter Alexander Emelianenko who had been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for sexual assault, the victim’s lawyer Alexander Karabanov told RAPSI on Thursday.

According to Karabanov, Emelianenko will be released from prison on Friday.

In May 2015, the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow convicted Emelianenko and imposed a 50,000-ruble ($803) fine on him.

According to investigators, Emelianenko assaulted and raped his housekeeper Polina Stepanova on the night of March 2, 2014, and then seized her passport.

Emelianenko pleaded not guilty and claimed that sex with the girl was consensual.

Alexander Emelianenko is a Russian mixed martial arts fighter who has represented the country at many international championships. He ranked as the No.73 heavyweight in the world in 2013. His younger brother Fedor Emelianenko is believed to be the greatest mixed martial arts fighter in history.

Unlike his brother, Alexander is often implicated in scandals, usually as a result of alleged heavy drinking. Earlier, he was charged with assaulting a retired person at a Moscow café. The criminal case against Emelianenko was dropped after a settlement had been reached.