MANCHESTER, England – Jake Hadley beat Caolan Loughran with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Take a look inside the fight with Hadley, who pulled off a short-notice upset to get back to .500 in the UFC.
Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran
Result: Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Hadley (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Loughran (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stats: Hadley stuffed seven of Loughran’s eight takedown attempts and outstruck him 107-68.
Hadley on the fight’s key moment
Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran, UFC 304 (via UFC)
“I feel like my career was potentially on the line. I took a big risk stepping up on one week notice – no training camp or anything. Funny enough, actually, when I got the call, I was just about to eat my dessert. Then I get this call and it kind of made me a bit nervous. I’m like, ‘Bro, this guy’s is a big bantamweight. I’ve seen him kill guys. I’m actually a fan of his.’ When I felt them nerves, I knew: Yo, this is my time to go. You get me like this, first time I felt any sort of jitters since I was younger, and I knew it was time to fight.”
Hadley on Muhammad Mokaev
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Muhammad Mokaev of Russia celebrates his victory against Manel Kape of Angola in a flyweight bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
“I thought he was boring. He’s an idiot. He’s just trying to fight everyone in the back. He sucker punched Manel Kape and all these geezers. He’s a clown. He tried to start on me in the on the bus yesterday, but I’ll smash his head in, that idiot. If he wants to come up to 135 – I’d even go down back down to 125 just to smash his head in. He’s never wanted that fight in his life, but he’s higher up the ranking, so I can understand. But when we were both on the same ranking level, he never wanted the fight. He don’t want the fight – and I’d kill him.”
Hadley on what he wants next
Jake Hadley
“I stepped up on short notice, took this on a week’s notice. (I did) it for the UFC. I’ve had a bit of not a great run the last two, but I took this on short notice. All I ask for now is that they get me a fight again before the end of September.”
To hear more from Hadley, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
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