Chinese prospect Maheshate Hayisaer will face the most difficult test of his career when he meets Steve Garcia as part of the UFC 275 undercard on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, the 23-year-old lightweight makes his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut with an 8-1 record and does so as a short-notice replacement for Damir Hadzovic. His opponents thus far carry an eyebrow-raising 38-47-2 record for a .447 winning percentage.
Hayisaer presents himself as a striker who likes to put away his opponents whenever the opportunity arises, as three of the Enbo Fight Club representative’s victories have resulted in technical knockouts. His fastest finish unfolded in just 73 seconds and came at the expense of Damu Wu at a Wu Lin Feng event in January 2021. Outside of his lone career loss in M-1 , Hayisaer has yet to be truly tested on the canvas. However, he showed he had the means with which to avoid being taken down during his outing on DWCS.
Hayisaer started his journey into the martial arts at the age of 13. He took up boxing for a few years, then switched to traditional wrestling and tested the water in muay Thai. Hayisaer eventually made the transition to MMA and fell in love with the sport. After two victories in WLF within his first month as a pro, his first serious test went down on Aug. 3, 2019, when he was paired with Nikolay Goncharov at M-1 Challenge 103. Goncharov exposed his counterpart’s weaknesses in the grappling department and walked away with a unanimous decision after dominating him on the canvas in a seemingly effortless performance. A humbled Hayisaer returned to his native China and spent his next five fights honing his skills in the WLF organization. All the opponents he faced featured losing records, with only One Championship alums Nanna He and Akenbieke Ayijiake providing any kind of challenge. Nevertheless, the five wins Hayisaer piled up were enough to draw the attention of UFC talent evaluators and earn him a spot on DWCS.
In the Week 10 headliner on Nov. 2, Hayisaer locked horns with Achilles Estremadura as an underdog. He played into Estremadura’s hands in a difficult first round. Every time Hayisaer attempted to find his range, the Canadian closed the distance by pushing the action against the fence. Momentum shifted in Round 2, where a more determined Hayisaer went to work with precise shots. He scored with repeated kicks in the third round, including a well-timed spinning back kick to the body, and kept Estremadura at bay until the remaining time ticked off the clock. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Hayisaer, setting the stage for his move to the UFC.