UFC 255: Sasha Palatnikov first fighter to fly Hong Kong flag in the Octagon – ‘this was all meant to be’
- Hongkonger makes UFC debut against Louis Cosce this weekend, a year after upping sticks and moving his life to Las Vegas to chase his dream
- ‘Now I’m on the stage I need to be, and there’s nothing better than putting that Hong Kong flag on the UFC map,’ says Palatnikov
A year ago, Sasha Palatnikov upped sticks and moved his whole life to Las Vegas to chase his dream of becoming the first fighter to raise the Hong Kong flag in the UFC Octagon.
That dream became reality this month when the 31-year-old signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC – and he makes his debut this weekend against American Louis “The Monster” Cosce (7-0) in the first preliminary fight on the UFC 255 pay-per-view.
“It’s not something I expected to happen so quickly, I was kinda anticipating maybe next year,” Palatnikov told SCMP MMA. “But I’m super excited. This is a goal I set over 10 years ago, and to finally accomplish it, it’s amazing. I have more goals to accomplish now, so let’s just keep that ball rolling.
“I had a little side bet with some of my friends, we were thinking maybe six months into 2021, maybe get a couple more wins and the UFC would come calling.
“The whole goal was to be here in Vegas in case someone pulled out of a fight. I had no prediction of Covid happening, but there’s been limited international travel to the States, so they have to build their pool here to keep putting on fights.”
Palatnikov (5-2) returned to action this year with a first-round TKO at UAE Warriors 13 in September, after joining up with Syndicate MMA and head coach John Wood, and undergoing knee surgery.