England’s own Jake Hadley faced flyweight staple Malcolm Gordon at UFC 286 in London, as Hadley looked to get his first win in his home country since 2020 when he last defended his Cage Warriors belt.
Hadley had lost his debut but impressively finished his opponent in his second UFC bout, putting him back on the upward trend he was on when he entered the UFC at 8-0 in 2022. Would that experience be enough for him to beat Malcolm Gordon, an opponent with double the amount of pro and UFC fights? If Hadley could do so it would put him on the verge of the rankings, but the savvy veteran grappler in Gordon would not go quiet into the night.
Hadley came out pressing forward but Gordon stayed calm to start, counter to his usual chaotic style. Hadley landed two big body shots with a right hook; the first hurt Gordon and the second dropped him. From then it was academic, just a few hammerfists finished the job as Mark Goddard stepped in.
Hadley was a heavy favorite coming into the bout, but the victory was still so fast and so flawless that it was impossible not to be impressed. The young English flyweight earned his second stoppage in as many bouts and proved why so many called him a hot prospect when he came off of the Contender Series.
After that performance @JakeHadleyMMA has his sights set on another #UFC286 fighter 👀 pic.twitter.com/qq2OdeYX9D
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2023
After the victory, Hadley addressed his Fight Week confrontation with Muhammad Mokaev, stating that Mokaev was “starting fights in the hotel like an idiot because he don’t want to take an ass-whupping in the cage.”
Official Result: Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon by TKO (body shots), Round 1, 1:01
