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Basil Hafez wowed all those who watched his UFC debut shortly before against Jack Della Maddalena. The pair went on to battle in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 77 on less than a week’s notice.
Della Maddalena was scheduled to face Shawn Brady at UFC 290 last week, but Brady had to pull off the card at the last minute due to an injury.
Many expected Hafez to provide little in the way of challenging Jacques della Maddalena, who entered the fray on the back of four straight first-round finishes. But the match turned out to be very competitive and the two were awarded Fight of the Night after the event.
Hafez’s training partner and former interim lightweight champion Justin Ghaithi took to Twitter after UFC Vegas 77 to praise the UFC newcomer’s performance. The Highlight said:
“Hafiz has been training for a while. An absolute beast on the floor and definitely in the UFC. #ufc”
See the tweet below:
Jacques de la Maddalena won the match via split decision in a fight that certainly could have been awarded to either man.
During the contest, the Australian corner pleaded with him to keep the fight standing as Hafiz was controlling his player to the ground. The Perth native had great success on his feet, but his inability to keep the fight up meant Basil Hafez stayed in the fight until the end.
Basil Hafez congratulates Jacques Della Maddalena as he reflects on his UFC Vegas 77 loss
There is no doubt that Basil Hafez has impressed the UFC matchmakers after his phenomenal performance against a highly potential team in Jack Della Maddalena. Hafiz took the fight on short notice, and his performance at UFC Vegas 77 co-main event will likely be enough for him to earn a second UFC fight.
After the night’s fight, El Habibi took to Instagram to reflect on his performance. A screenshot from the Instagram story was posted to Twitter by MMAMania.
Basil Hafez said:
“I thought I won the fight; I definitely could have done more. One of the hardest weight cuts of my life and I’m still coming on and getting heavier. I fought my core. I love all my fans; all my people thank you. This is just the beginning. I can’t wait to get a full boot camp and cut back.” Proper weight, and congrats to Jack. He’s a beast, I almost beat him and proved I could take his punches…”
Watch the video below:
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