Jake Hadley’s UFC debut and why it’s the perfect test

After tearing up the MMA scene with World titles in EFC and Cage Warriors, Birminghams own flyweight standout Jake Hadley, is finally set to make his mark on the UFC at UFC London on March 19th!

With his striking game ever improving, it’s his trademark suffocating grappling base which seems to be the difference in most of his outings. “White Kong” is yet to be defeated in professional MMA with a record of 8-0, 6 of those wins coming via stoppage.

The takedowns may be the main threat but make no mistake, this man can throw hands. Hadley boxes very well on the front foot with his aggressive style, often pressuring his opponents toward the cage and reeling off some ferocious strikes to keep the threat of the hands very present. Not only can this score him finishes and deal alot of damage, it also takes the attention off his takedowns, creating an opening for the fight to hit the mat.

A big submission win over TUF 28 product Mitch Raposo last October saw Hadley secure a UFC contract through the contender series. With the tools and composure he’s displayed thus far in an MMA career that is still very much young, he looks to be an imminent threat in an always improving flyweight roster.

Hadley will take on Brazil’s Allan Nascimento in his UFC debut after his intial opponent, Francisco Figueiredo was forced out of the fight.

Nascimento has a wealth of experience in MMA with a record of 18-6. Despite losing his UFC debut in a split decision with top 15 contender Tagir Ulanbekov, Nascimento showed tremendous promise and a level of activity which ensured he was always in the fight.

Particularly his BJJ ability seems to be the key to his success. The fight with Ulanbekov is an example of a matchup in which he’s had to face an imposing grappler, Allan’s activity from the bottom resulted in him creating numerous submission opportunities seemingly out of nothing. His willingness not to be surpressed in the cage is something that holds a lot of value in a fight where he may have to settle for bottom position in certain instances.

Nascimento also sports an underrated boxing game and which goes hand in hand with his tendancy to utilise the calf kick a large amount, a strategy which he perpetuated throughout his UFC debut in order to counteract the forward pressure of his opponent.

From the outside looking in this is a very interesting UFC debut for Jake Hadley and I think it will answer a lot of questions as to how good this guys skillset really is. Nascimento has triple his professional experience and a skillset which can definitely cause anyone trouble if overlooked. Jake may only be 25 years old, but his pressure and suffocating grappling has been enough to take out everyone he’s fought so far. He’s established himself as one of the top flyweight prospects in the sport and a win over Nascimento sets him up for a run at the top.

UFC London goes down on March 19th at the 02 Arena. You won’t want to miss this.