Just days out from UFC 266, Dana White is not worried that the matchup between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast falls through.
LAS VEGAS – Just days out from UFC 266, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is not worried that the matchup between [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] and [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] falls through.
Both Hooker (20-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and Haqparast (13-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) have experienced issues obtaining their U.S. visas, and with Hooker’s situation finally sorted, Haqparast is yet to hear back.
But having dealt with numerous international fighters before, White is optimistic that Haqparast makes it to the fight.
“I don’t know yet, we’re working on it,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 40 event. “We should be able to get this done. I’m hoping we can. You guys have no idea how much sh*t we deal with with visas and all this kind of stuff. We got a really good team that saves our ass on a lot of shows, so we should be able to get this done. I’m confident we can.”
Just one day after Hooker got his U.S. visa approved, Haqparast took to Twitter to reach out to the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, urging them to expedite the approval process. On top of that, Haqparast has been dealing with the tragic loss of his mother but has every intention of making it to the fight.
UFC 266 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
Dobson (6-0) faced fellow unbeaten knockout artist Hashem Arkhagha in the night’s headliner on Tuesday in what was a wild affair.
Both men came out swinging, but it was Dobson who was able to connect with the harder shots and stumble Arkhagha. The Jordanian showed incredible toughness, but Dobson never let him off the hook, earning the first-round submission and a UFC contract.
“I usually don’t fight like that,” Dobson told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 40 event. “I’m usually a lot more technical, and I like to display my skills, but I saw that there were no finishes, and I know the Contender Series, Dana was saying he wants you to be exciting. Michael Bisping said you’ve got to go video game style and try to go for the win, so I wanted to really throw caution to the wind, give an exciting fight. Next fight, I’ll be a little bit more technical, but I wanted to kind of just blow it out this first one.”
Dobson already has an idea of who and when he’d like to compete, as he hopes to share the same Dec. 4 card as his training partner [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag].
“It would be amazing if I could get on the card of my mentor, Matt Brown,” Dobson said. “That would be a full circle, dream come true. It would be unbelievable. I definitely want to fight Bryan Battle. I was actually supposed to be on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I had the opportunity to be on ‘TUF,’ and then I got the opportunity to be on like the first week of Contender Series, and then they pushed it back to this week. So if I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ there would have been a different champion, and we both fought for a similar promotion … and they got me ranked higher than him, so Bryan Battle would be a great fight.”
To see the full interview with Dobson, check out the video above.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 40 event, which kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 40 event, which kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
In the featured bout, a pair of undefeated middleweight prospects clash, with Jordan’s Hashem Arkhagha (6-0) taking on Ohio’s AJ Dobson (5-0).
The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.
MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 40 fighter weigh-ins.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 40 fighter weigh-ins, and you can catch a live video stream of the action, beginning at noon ET.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
In the featured bout, a pair of undefeated middleweights clash, with Jordan’s [autotag]Hashem Arkhagha[/autotag] (6-0) taking on Ohio’s [autotag]A.J. Dobson[/autotag] (5-0).
The early weigh-ins take place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.
The full Dana White’s Contender Series 40 weigh-in results include:
Hashem Arkhagha () vs. A.J. Dobson ()
[autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag] () vs. [autotag]Nikolay Veretennikov[/autotag] ()
[autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag] () vs. [autotag]Theo Rlayang[/autotag] ()
[autotag]Santo Curatolo[/autotag] () vs. [autotag]Kleydson Rodrigues[/autotag] ()
[autotag]Victor Martinez[/autotag] () vs. [autotag]Jacob Rosales[/autotag] ()
On a bigger stage and in front of a wider audience, Hashem Arkhaga is ready to shine.
On a bigger stage and in front of a wider audience, [autotag]Hashem Arkhaga[/autotag] is ready to shine.
A pioneer of mixed martial arts in the Middle East, Arkhaga’s exciting style has landed him in the main event of Dana White’s Contender Series 40, where he’ll meet fellow unbeaten middleweight A.J. Dobson.
Coming off two straight first-round walk-off knockouts, the Jordanian finisher is hoping to punch his ticket to the UFC with another highlight-reel performance.
“I feel honored that I’ll be headlining the card,” Arkhaga told MMA Junkie. “And fighting in front of Dana and the Americans, for me, makes no difference. Since my last fight, I thought Dana was coming to watch, so I was mentally prepared for that. So now it’s just another fight, another good performance, and God willing, another walk-off knockout.”
Arkhaga (6-0), a former Desert Force champion, has impressed in the Middle Eastern MMA scene, competing for the best promotions the region has to offer. But after returning from an almost seven-year hiatus in top form, Arkhaga is ready to take his career to the next level.
“So far, it was a good journey,” Arkhaga said. “I’ve been fighting for 11 years. (I) started 2010 and after my comeback in 2019, I had two walk-off knockouts. But during COVID, I had two fights canceled for me. You never know when your fight is getting canceled during COVID, so it was a bit hard going through camp two times and not fighting. Finally, I got the knockout last September, and my managers were talking to the UFC, and finally, here we are. We got the opportunity, and it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. We’re here to get the contract and we’re ready more than ever.”
Arkhaga takes on Dobson (5-0), who has notched numerous first-round finishes himself. But despite both fighters having a minimal amount of fights on their records, Arkhaga sees himself as the more battle-tested fighter. His heart and toughness were on full display in his fourth professional fight against Ibrahim El-Sawi, when he captured the promotion’s middleweight title in an all-out war.
“I think my opponent is a decent fighter both in the standup and on the ground,” Arkhaga said. “I think he’s well-rounded, but I think I can edge him everywhere, especially in the boxing. I have sharper hands, I feel I’m the smarter fighter, and I’ve been tested. I haven’t seen him get tested before in his fights, so hopefully I’ll test him in this fight and my prediction is a first-round knockout, as always.”
One of the most popular fighters in the Middle East, Arkhaga will get an opportunity to follow in Mounir Lazzez and Ali Alqaisi’s footsteps as another Arab-bred fighter to make it to the UFC, which will continue to help open doors for aspiring talent in his region.
“To be honest, I feel really honored, but I don’t feel responsibility or pressure at all,” Arkhaga said. “I’m just here to perform well and make them proud. That’s what’s going to make them proud, so I’m focused on that right now. After I sign with the UFC, I think it’s going to have a positive effect on the MENA region. I’m willing to headline UFC events in the MENA region in the future if it happens, and I’m really willing to surprise the UFC of how much of a crazy fanbase I have in the MENA region.”
