On less than a week’s notice, Bassil Hafez made a splash with fans in his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 49, despite walking away with a loss on his record and an unexpected hospital visit that followed.
Monday evening of fight week, a short-notice call came that represented a massive opportunity for the 31-year-old fighter’s career. There was no chance he was passing on the chance to be a part of the UFC roster. However, the scramble to make weight for the co-main event bout against Jack Della Maddalena created unexpected medical issues.
While Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) gave and took some big shots throughout the Fight of the Night battle at the UFC Apex, he says the issue that landed him in the hospital did not stem from trading with the hard-hitting Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC).
