Pieces Falling into Place for Jake Hadley

In what can only be viewed as a major move by the Professional Fighters League, Jake Hadley parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and now finds himself entered in the PFL 2025 World Tournament. The 28-year-old Hadley holds an 11-4 record, with wins in the UFC, Dana White’s Contender Series and Bellator MMA to his credit.

Plenty of rewards could await Hadley, so long the necessary pieces continue falling into place. The PFL’s decision to introduce a bantamweight division for the first time afforded the Englishman a golden opportunity and provided the promotion with a potential piece around which to build. Hadley has his sights set on the $500,000 grand prize and tournament championship, as he prepares to face Matheus Mattos in a bantamweight quarterfinal at PFL 2025 World Tournament First Round 2 this Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. It marks his first appearance since exiting the UFC.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

“When I left the UFC, I had a lot of options,” Hadley told Sherdog.com. “I had promotions coming to me with contracts, but I’ve had some sort of relationship with the PFL because I fought with Bellator in the past. I’ve had teammates who fought with PFL and I’ve watched the PFL, because I’m a fight fan before I’m a fighter. I’m happy about the choice I made, even more so being put in the tournament. I believe the PFL has some of the best fighters in the world outside the UFC. You could even argue they have some who are better than [those on] the UFC roster.”

Hadley believes he can help grow the PFL brand, alongside other top European talents.

“It’s good for there to be other promotions where guys can make decent money and bring decent money to the promotion,” he said. “You don’t want a monopoly in this sport. People who could get stuck in the UFC will be there but may not make the money or get the opportunity they’re hoping for throughout their career, so it’s good to have another avenue. There are guys like Paul Hughes who didn’t even go to the UFC. He just went straight to the PFL, and it has worked out well for him. It’s good to have other promotions that give fighters opportunities and for the fighters to take that promotion to the next level, as well.”

Though he steps back into the spotlight having lost three of his past four bouts, Hadley understands the weight of the opportunity with which he has been presented.

“The $500,000 would be life-changing,” he said. “I’d be able to buy a home. There’s a lot I could do with that money. The belt would of course make me the No. 1 guy in the world arguably. That’s been my goal my entire career—to be the top guy in the world—and winning the tournament would put me in the conversation, which is where I want to be. I feel like I’m going to be fighting the best guys in this tournament. The money is the biggest thing I want, but the belt would be nice to add to my collection. The belt would be something I could look back at 30 years from now and say I was the first-ever PFL bantamweight world tournament [winner]. It’s part of history.”