Ahead of Unified MMA 33's cancellation in 2017, it appeared as though Michael Hay and Noah Ali might never square off again.
Yet come Friday night, Stony Plain's Hay (5-2) and Calgary's Ali (9-5-1) will collide in a bantamweight showdown at Unified MMA 39 in Edmonton, Alta., picking up where their originally booked bout left off on the scrapped Unified MMA 33 card.
Hay, 26, has been following Ali's career closely and has watched him compete several times. Since stepping into professional MMA, he's harbored a desire to stand across from Ali inside the cage.
"This is absolutely a fight I've dreamed about," Hay told MMA Empire. "Noah was already a pro fighter when I stepped into the sport, so I saw him compete early on in my journey."
"I figured this matchup was coming down the line, and when it finally materialized, I was thrilled. Can't wait for it."
At 34, Ali arrives at this contest reeling from consecutive defeats to Bendy Casimir and Jesse Brock, with the Casimir contest being his most recent appearance over two years ago.
Ali has a clear vision for where he wants to steer his career heading back into action, and everything kicks off Friday against Hay.
"Jamie Siraj and Chad Anheliger are probably up next for a big shot, so I'm viewing this as a genuine chance. If I get past Hay and then take out Siraj, I think I'm right back in the mix," Ali told MMA Empire.
"That's the game plan: knock off Hay, then go after Siraj for the belt. Once I handle business with him, I'll be sitting at the top."
Holding His Own
Hay last fought at Unified MMA 35, where he was stopped by TKO in the fifth round against Siraj in their bantamweight title contest.
While the result wasn't favorable, Hay pulled numerous lessons from the outing. Before facing Siraj, he'd never made it past the opening round, making the extended bout a vital source of cage experience.
"I've been in a lot of short fights that helped me climb the ladder, but those bouts didn't give me much actual cage time," Hay explained.
"Going the distance with Siraj was great, even though things didn't go my way. I got plenty of time to find my footing. Being in there longer and absorbing that experience was incredibly useful."
The title fight against Siraj marked Hay's first championship opportunity in his relatively young career.
He'd love another crack at a belt down the road, but Hay stressed this matchup is less about climbing back toward title contention and more about demonstrating how far he's come.
