Latest news with #JakeHadley
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Davis reaches PFL finals but Hadley loses
Britain's Alfie Davis reached the final of the PFL lightweight tournament with a unanimous decision win against Brent Primus in Wichita, 33, was the busier striker in a back-and-forth contest, sealing a 29-28 victory on all three judges' scorecards at the Intrust Bank sees Davis compete for his first world title and the chance to win £395,000 ($500,000) in prize will face Russia's Gadzhi Rabadanov in the PFL Finals on 15 August at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North was disappointment for fellow Briton Jake Hadley, however, who was outclassed by Brazil's Marcirley Alves in the bantamweight 28, was on the back foot throughout as Alves dominated with his striking, landing a number of thudding combinations. Davis edges entertaining contest The PFL has been a breeding ground for success for Britons in recent years with Brendan Loughnane winning the featherweight title in 2022 and Dakota Ditcheva securing women's flyweight gold last will have the chance to become Britain's first PFL lightweight champion after delivering the more eye-catching moments in an entertaining contest with Primus. Primus, who was last year's beaten finalist, edged the first round, controlling the action on the ground but Davis came alive in the unleashed a selection of eye-catching strikes, hurting Primus with knees to the body and catching the American with a couple of spinning back the crowd showing their appreciation, Davis danced in the middle of the cage as the final seconds of the round ticked continued to land in the final round and despite being taken down, reversed the position to end the fight on top, before celebrating victory with his team. Hadley, who parted ways with the UFC last year after his contract expired, failed to join Davis as he was overpowered by started strongly and never looked back, landing a number of combinations to the body with Hadley using his jab in vain to disrupt the Brazilian exerted more control in the second round, dropping Hadley with a straight right and opening a cut below his left continued to struggle with Alves' power and the Brazilian stamped his authority on the contest by landing a takedown in the final the prelims, Ireland's Darragh Kelly extended the unbeaten start to his career to eight by submitting American lightweight Mike Hamel in the third some clean shots from Hamel, Kelly was the better striker throughout before securing a rear-naked choke with two minutes remaining to end the Fabian Edwards faces American Josh Silveira in the middleweight semi-finals at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on 27 Briton Simeon Powell fights Brazil's Antonio Carlos Jr in the light-heavyweight semi-finals on the same card.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jake Hadley hopes PFL tournament triumph leads to domestic dust-up with Muhammad Mokaev
Jake Hadley and Muhammad Mokaev have been going back and forth for years and Birmingham's 'White Kong' plans to throw down the gauntlet to his nemesis once he claims the PFL's bantamweight tournament championship. When both became free agents last year it was hoped that they would finally get an opportunity to end their war of words and subsequently quench the bloodlust of the watching world. However, Mokaev returned to Brave and as far as Hadley is aware there was no interest from the Middle East promotion to host the clash. Advertisement 'There's been no talk of me fighting him since leaving UFC,' Hadley told Uncrowned, days out from his semifinal bout with Marcirley Alves. 'There has been talk from him on social media saying, 'When Jake loses in the first round of the tournament I want to do a one-off fight in the PFL so I can beat him up,' or something like that. If PFL would have him and he was open to it I think it would be great. 'He was offered a fight with me in the UFC and he turned it down. He'll say that's because he was ranked above me, but I don't know. I think he talks a good game more than anything.' Hadley's journey with the UFC came to an end last October, but he felt like he was behind the eight ball from the get-go. Although he stepped up on short-notice on several occasions for the company, he could never shake a bad reputation he gained seemingly from nowhere. Advertisement 'There was always, 'the matchmakers don't like him,' and this and that,' he recalled. 'I heard they didn't want to sign me. It's crazy to me because I've never spoke as much as two words to Mick Maynard. I spoke to Sean Shelby a couple of times. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I have no issues with them, but I really don't know why they have issues with me if that is true.' 'You know they cut me once? They cut me for not taking a flyweight fight on four weeks' notice. The only reason I didn't take the fight was because of the weight. I told them I had done a DXA Scan and had been told I was already too big for the weight division. They cut me for three days and then re-signed me.' Offers came from all corners of the world when Hadley's surprising UFC exit became public knowledge. PFL made most sense for him and based on the spectacular Scottish twister finish he recorded in his debut, his new home appears to fit like a glove. 'Fighting now doesn't feel like the same pressure and I think that's resulted in me performing better in the cage. For a long time I was fighting in a place where I believed they didn't like me. Every time I fought I felt like if I didn't win I was going to get cut. Every time I was offered a fight I felt like I had to take it or I was going to get cut. It put that much pressure on me that I feel like I was going in there and trying not to lose instead of going in there and doing what made me in the sport — going in there to kill guys,' he explained. Advertisement Now a father, Hadley realizes how much the tournament prize of $500,000 could change his young family's life. 'I've got the opportunity of a lifetime here. It would've taken me eight or nine fights to make the kind of money I'll make when I win this tournament. I think winning this tournament will prove that I'm the best bantamweight outside of the UFC, like Merab and people like that. I get to prove a lot of people wrong, and a lot of people right.' Hadley admittedly puts every opponent he faces on a pedestal. 'This is the best geezer I've ever fought,' he tells himself every time, but it might be a little bit more true this time around. Despite his brilliant stoppage in the quarterfinals, he believes Alves' win over Leandro Higo was the most impressive of the round. He also underlined the Brazilian's nine knockouts in thirteen fights as something to be wary of. Advertisement After such an impressive debut, you wouldn't doubt Hadley's chances of securing the bantamweight tournament title. And with PFL always on the hunt for eyeballs, it's hard to argue with the Renegade fighter's views on the potential of a prospective showdown with Mokaev: 'Why doesn't he come over here then? We could do a big fight in the U.K. It's a big domestic fight and it would sell well for PFL and make us a good amount of money. I'll win the tournament, he can come over here and we'll do it. I don't see why that can't happen,' he said. 'I don't think the UFC are going to have him back. He was [a] proper nuisance. He used to try fight people in the back — he tried to fight me in the back. Let's do it for real when I win this thing.'
USA Today
12-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 PFL World Tournament 2 video: Jake Hadley pulls off incredible Scottish twister in first fight after UFC release
Jake Hadley immediately turned some heads in his PFL debut. In his first fight following his UFC release, Hadley (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) defeated Matheus Mattos (14-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on Friday at 2025 PFL 2 in Orlando, Fla via a rare Scottish twister submission at 2:16 of Round 3. The victory advanced Hadley to the semifinal of the promotion's bantamweight tournament. He'll compete June 20 in Wichita, Kansas. With the win, bounces back into the win column after a 1-3 stretch that led to his UFC exit. Mattos, a Patricio 'Pitbull' training partner, falls into a two-fight skid. Up-to-the-minute 2025 PFL 2 results include: For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for 2025 PFL World Tournament 2.
