Recent Dana White’s Contender Series winner Jake Hadley has a new opponent set for his UFC debut this March.
Hadley (8-0), an undefeated British flyweight, was to have faced Francisco Figueiredo at the UFC’s March 19 event. However, with Figueiredo pulling out of the fight, he’ll instead face another Brazilian fighter, Allan Nascimento (18-6).
MMA Junkie was first to report the news on Friday. Hadley later confirmed the opponent switch on social media.
Hadley caused a bit of a stir on the Contender Series when UFC President Dana White chastised him for his behaviour ahead of his fight. Hadley both missed weight for his bout with TUF alum Mitch Raposo, and apparently mistreated UFC staff — something that certainly didn’t sit well with White.
White opted to award Hadley a contract regardless, after he submitted Raposo in the second round.
Nascimento made his promotional debut last October, losing a split decision against Tagir Ulanbekov. A RIZIN FF veteran, Nascimento is 2-3 in his last five outings.
The UFC’s March 19, 2022 card does not have a location officially announced — but London, England has been heavily speculated. The following bouts have been reported for the card to date:
Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann
Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
Tom Aspinall vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento
