A mixed martial arts fighter has been charged with child sex crimes just days before he was scheduled to make his UFC debut.
Ahmad Hassanzada was scheduled to make his official debut in the Octagon this coming Saturday as the winner of Dana White’s Contender series in September.
However, the 28-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter from Sacramento turned himself in to authorities over the weekend, according to jail records obtained by the Sacramento Bee.
He is facing two felony charges: lewd acts with a child under 14 and lewd acts with a child 14- or 15-years-old, where the defendant is 10 years older than the victim, the records show.
Sacramento police have not offered additional details about the case given its “sensitive nature.” However, a department spokesperson confirmed to the Bee that the charges stem from a probe launched early last year.
Hassanzada’s bail was set at $400,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records show.
Hassanzada is a 6-foot-1-inch lightweight and member of Team Alpha Male, an MMA squad fighting out of Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, according to ABC 10.
He was scheduled to fight 32-year-old Mitch Ramirez on April 26 in Kansas City, according to an Instagram post he made earlier this year.
His debut is listed as April 26, 2025 on UFC’s official website — but he does not appear on Saturday’s fight card.
Hassanzada had won UFC CEO Dana White’s Contender series in the fall, which won him a contract with the MMA league.
The Post has reached out to UFC for comment.
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