Days before he was to make his UFC debut, mixed martial arts fighter Ahmad Hassanzada, 28, was charged with child sex crimes. The fighter based in Sacramento turned himself in over the weekend, and his fight at UFC Kansas City was canceled.
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The 6-foot-1-inch lightweight turned himself in one week before his fight against 32-year-old Mitch Ramirez, as per ABC10. Hassanzada was scheduled to fight Ramirez in UFC Kansas City on Saturday, April 26, according to an Instagram post shared by him. This fight was to be his debut with the MMA promotion.
Instead, he was charged with lewd acts with a child under 14 and lewd acts on a child 14 or 15 years old where the defendant is 10 years older than the victim, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. He was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on Saturday, April 19, at around 2 p.m. His bail was set at $400,000, and his arraignment was scheduled on Tuesday, April 22, as per jail records.
ABC10 reports that the charges come after an investigation into Ahmad Hassanzada was launched around February 2024. Moreover, police allege that there is at least one victim, according to the outlet.
Given the sensitive nature of the case, Sacramento police have not shared details surrounding Hassanzada's investigation.
Hassanzada's Career Ends
Born in Afghanistan on November 25, 1995, Ahmad Hassanzada is a member of Team Alpha Male, an MMA team based in Sacramento founded by Urijah Faber, a former American mixed martial arts fighter and actor.
Hassanzada managed to capture a win on September 2024's Contender Series following an unsuccessful attempt. He defeated Dylan Mantello via a technical submission through a rear-naked choke. This earned him a UFC contract alongside fighters Elijah Smith, Talison Teixeira, and Ateba Abega Gautier.
Currently, Hassanzada's debut is listed as April 26, 2025, on the UFC website. However, his name does not appear on the UFC Kansas City card, as he was removed following his arrest. His status remains as "not fighting."
In a statement shared with MMA Mania, UFC officials confirmed that Ahmad Hassanzada "was removed from his bout and is no longer signed to the organization."
