Bassil Hafez performed way beyond expectations in his short-notice promotional debut against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49 , but ultimately didn’t have enough in the tank to secure the upset. After Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had a strong start to the welterweight fight after stepping up on five days’ notice, Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) closed the fight with some heavy damage and convinced the judges at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas to avoid him with a split decision win. The scores were 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28. “I thought it could go either way,” Della Maddalena said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier
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