MMA
Bilal Hasan sees ‘prophecy’ in UFC debut on Michael Jackson’s birthday
Published
2 months agoon
Hasan’s
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut feels written in the
stars.
The undefeated prospect will make his Octagon debut against fellow
promotional newcomer Nilson
Rojas at
UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, with the significance of the date not
lost on Hasan.
Bilal Hasan plans a special walkout for his UFC Shanghai fight
against Nilson Rojas
Hasan takes on Rojas on Michael Jackson’s birthday, a coincidence
he described as almost prophetic.
“It still feels so surreal to be halfway across the world fighting
in China on August 29th on Michael Jackson’s birthday,†Hasan said
in a recent interview. “Sounds like something out of like a
prophecy or something like that. It still doesn’t feel real.â€
Hasan, a big fan of “The King of Pop,†plans to make the occasion
memorable with his walkout.
“I have a sick walkout planned,†he added.
The matchup will open the UFC Shanghai main card, giving Hasan his
first opportunity to compete since earning his contract on
Week 1 of
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10.
Rojas will also make his UFC debut at the event, pitting two
unbeaten prospects against one another. Hasan has emphasized that
he wants to do more than simply win, aiming to give fans a complete
performance.
“They’re going to expect a performance from start to finish,†Hasan
said. “They’re going to be watching every second of it and they’re
going to be seeing me enjoying every second of it.â€
“It’s everything I envisioned it to be.”
Bilal
Hasan reflects on the past several weeks of his career as he
prepares to make the walk in his debut at
#UFCShanghaiMore âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/yZhKLYUBRX pic.twitter.com/o4LwxME92Z
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 25, 2026
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
16 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
17 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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