UFC's White on Jake Hadley: 'Hopefully...This Kid Doesn’t Make a D--khead out of Me'
October 13, 2021
UFC President Dana White is hoping the signing of Jake Hadley doesn't come back to bite him.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's Contender Series event, White spoke about adding Hadley against the wishes of UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard.
“I just have a gut feeling that this kid has something special and I broke all my own rules and didn’t listen to what they said, so hopefully I’m right on this and this kid doesn’t make a d--khead out of me," White said.
White added that Shelby and Maynard "stormed out of the room" when he informed them that Hadley was going to receive a contract.
The issue stems from Hadley missing weight by one pound for his fight against Mitch Raposo. The 25-year-old went on to win the fight via a second-round submission when he locked in a rear-naked choke.
UFC @ufc🏴 <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeHadleyMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JakeHadleyMMA</a> squeezes his way to 8-0.<br><br>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DWCS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DWCS</a> is LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNPlus</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/QoiLQrI6OL">pic.twitter.com/QoiLQrI6OL</a>
In addition to missing weight, White said the England native "wasn’t very friendly" and was "not a very popular guy" with his fellow fighters and UFC staff in the week leading up to the fight.
Despite those issues, White chose to offer Hadley a UFC contract after his victory. He was one of three fighters who were signed coming out of the Contender's Series show.
Hadley does have an 8-0 career record in mixed martial arts. Six of his eight victories have come via stoppage, including four submission wins.