UFC Signee Ahmad Hassanzada Arrested for Alleged Felony Sexual Misconduct

Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada’s UFC debut has been put on hold after he was arrested on two felony charges over the weekend.

According to Sacramento County Main Jail records, Hassanzada has been charged with a lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14 and a lewd act on a child/victim aged 14 or 15 where the defendant is 10 or more years older than the victim. Bail has been set at $400,000, and Hassanzada’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. Ag.Fight was first to report the news.

Hassanzada was slated to make his first Octagon foray against Evan Elder at UFC Kansas City on Saturday. Without mentioning the arrest, the promotion announced that Gauge Young will now face Elder on the card, which is also known as UFC on ESPN 66.

A native of Kabul, Afghanistan, Hassanzada made his second appearance on Dana White's Contender Series this past September, where he earned a UFC contract with a third-round submission of Dylan Mantello. The 28-year-old Team Alpha Male product owns an 11-3 mark and has compete for organizations such as Cage Warriors and Legacy Fighting Alliance over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2016.

UFC on ESPN 66 takes place at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Ian Garry against Carlos Prates.