New York City — UFC 309 welterweight Bassil Hafez has two dreams when it comes to where he’d want to fight for the UFC.
While he’s competing at the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City this Saturday, there’s two additional spots he wants to get to.
“It’s a dream come true. I’ve seen all the greats fight here, and I’ve always dreamed of doing it myself,” Hafez told Cageside Press about fighting at MSG. “Now third fight in the UFC, it’s a dream come true. Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, now Bassil Hafez.”
After New York, however, Hafez, who is looking to land a ranked opponent, has hopes that the promotion will return to Philadelphia. Following that, he dreams of an event in Cairo, Egypt.
“I definitely want a ranked opponent, I think I’ll prove that I deserve that,” noting that past his fight with Jack Della Maddalena, he plans to keep on winning. “I’d love for the UFC to be in Philadelphia again, and I’d love to be at the Wells Fargo Center, represent my hometown area. And then hopefully one day, UFC Cairo in Egypt, that would be the dream. I think we’d blow the roof off that place. I know there’s a lot of politics involved, but those are the two dreams. Wells Fargo Center, I will accomplish that, and UFC Cairo in Egypt, we’ll accomplish that as well one day.”
Bassil Haffez has Egyptian ancestry, while his UFC 309 opponent also has a nation behind him: Wales. Thanks in part to that, Oban Elliott has acquired quite the following, but Haffez hasn’t paid much attention to “The Welsh Gangster.”
“I think it’s his accent, people get a little amazed by the accent. He sounds kind of funny, like a character or something,” noted Hafez, who is embracing the underdog role this Saturday. “I think I’m underestimated for a reason, and I’m excited to show that on fight night.”
Watch our full interview with UFC 309’s Bassil Hafez above.
