UFC Vegas 77: Who is Bassil Hafez?
UFC shows no signs of slowing down following UFC 290 last weekend, as they head back to the UFC Apex for UFC Vegas 77. The card is headlined by Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva's bantamweight fight but, elsewhere on the card, another promotion's champion continues his storied history with his first trip to the octagon.
Having made his professional debut in January 2016, Bassil Hafez has made appearances in several promotions and has even gone on to claim the CFFC welterweight champion and Fury FC's 170-pound gold.
Over the course of his career, Hafez has had 12 fights with eight of those being in his favor. One win was a result of a TKO, four wins came by way of submission and the remaining three went to the judges' scorecards for a decision. Hafez's only three losses were a result of decisions.
No. 14-ranked welterweight Jack Della Maddalena was supposed to fight at UFC 290 before a pre-fight medical test revealed a rare brain disease in his opponent. Maddalena stayed in Vegas hoping for an opponent to take him on and now, a week after his canceled bout, Hafez has risen to the challenge.
Bassil Hafez says he's going to 'stake my claim' in the UFC
At the UFC Vegas 77 Media Day, Hafez started off by letting fight fans know that he will be using the nickname 'The Habibi' starting this weekend. Hafez has never used a nickname in his fights before but now, with his UFC debut, he feels the time is right to adopt one.
Hafez has been on standby for the UFC for a while now and, when news first came out about Maddalena's fight cancelation, Hafez told his manager that he "would take that fight in a heartbeat." Soon enough, that exact opportunity came knocking.
Hafez walks into UFC Vegas 77 believing he will be quite the challenge for Maddalena and is not letting any doubt get in his head of the opportunity:
"I'm showing up on short notice. I'm going to put on a great fight and I'm going to stake my claim here in the UFC."
Speaking on Jack Maddalena, Hafez shared his thoughts on his opponent:
"I think he's probably the toughest guy I said "Yes" to, out of all the names. That makes me excited, you know? I think he's a great striker, and I'm really excited to test myself against him overall and see what he has for me."
Hafez also spoke about how the moment he got the call about being signed and having his fight in the UFC was a special one, and signified the first time he cried from happiness. He also described the whole experience as "surreal", and is extremely confident ahead of his first fight in the UFC.
The Pennsylvanian looks to break into the UFC's welterweight division, with his first test being against the fast-rising, already-ranked Jack Della Maddalena in what promises to be an exhilarating clash.
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UFC Vegas 77: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva takes place on Saturday, July 15, 2023, live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.