Hadley was sure to emphasize that he competed better than Muhammad Mokaev against Malcolm Gordon.
Gordon was TKO’d by Hadley (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) during the UFC 286 preliminary bout on Saturday at The O2. When Mokaev finally submitted Gordon at the end of UFC 280, he had to overcome some difficulties.
For years, Hadley has been criticizing Mokaev. Though he would ideally face him next, he is instead focusing on the rankings.
“I finished him quicker than Mokaev finished him,” Hadley said at the post-fight conference.
“It was life or death work for Mokaev. So he can say what he wants, but I think Nascimento would absolutely destroy Mokaev – finish him in the first round. I’ve learned a lot since (loss to Nascimento). I’ve grown. I’ve gotten better.
“Mokaev’s been turning the fight down for about seven, eight years, but he said he wants to fight me in the back, in the streets and stuff like an idiot. Hopefully that fight can happen one day, but probably not. Hopefully I can get a top-15 opponent next or crack the top-15 rankings.”
