Prior to the contest, Hadley missed weight, which is usually an automatic disqualifier when it comes to getting a contract, and given that the lad from the West Midlands rubbed some the wrong way during the week, it seemed like his chances of graduating to the roster were slim.
But his performance against recent TUF contestant Mitch Raposo was excellent, as Hadley collected a second-round finish to extend his record to 8-0, and the UFC President rolled the dice on the unbeaten British fighter, only for Hadley to drop his promotional debut to Allan Nascimento seven months later.
“It was a learning experience,” Hadley said of the bout with Nascimento, who has since collected a first-round submission win to further establish himself as a dangerous threat just outside the Top 15. “I changed a lot of things in my training since then, got a lot better and made the adjustments that were needed after the fight for the mistakes that were made during the fight and the lead-up to it.
“I consider Nascimento one of the harder fights in the division, and to get that fight was a learning experience for me. It was God’s plan and I’ve gotten better from it.”
AFTER TUF: Recap Episode 10 Of Team McGregor vs Team Chandler
Since then, Hadley has shown the diverse skills that made him a highly regarded prospect when he was signed, building on his second-round finish of Carlos Candelario last November by venturing to London and rapidly dispatching Gordon in front of a massive, partisan crowd at The O2 Arena in March.
While the quick victory was a breakout moment in many regards for Hadley, he also looked completely at home fighting in front of a raucous crowd, seemingly thriving on the attention and all eyes being on him.
“I hadn’t fought in an arena since 2019, so it was amazing to fight in front of the fans; I felt like a modern-day gladiator,” explained the flyweight hopeful. “It felt really good to fight in that environment and I was feeling like, ‘Yes, this is what I was born to do — fight in front of all these people and put on a show!’
“Even before I was on Cage Warriors, I fought in EFC in South Africa, fought a guy in his backyard and all his fans were booing me. I thrived in that moment — I performed better. I felt great when the fans were booing me and stuff because that’s just what I got into it for is to fight in front of the crowd, an ‘I’m the man!’ type of thing — coming out (thinking) ‘Everyone is here for me!’
“I also fought in Dublin, Ireland, in a hostile crowd, as well, which was amazing having all the people there,” he added. “I do feel I perform better with the crowd there.”
