Bilal Hasan Clinches UFC Contract Following Stunning DWCS Win
Bilal Hasan stunned Mridul Saikia with a first-round knockout at DWCS 87, earning his UFC contract.
25-year-old Bilal Hasan stepped up for a fight against Indian fighter Mridul Saikia in Dana White's Contender Series on Aug. 11. Securing a remarkable victory, the flyweight fighter grabbed his ticket to the UFC.
Bilal Hasan Ended DWCS Win with a Moonwalk
DWCS 87 took place in Enterprise, NV. In episode 1 of season 10, Hasan knocked out Saikia in less than a minute of the very first round. With this win, he has not only taken his record to 9-0 per ESPN, but secured his berth in the UFC.
Hasan began the fight with back-to-back side kicks. Following his aggressive start, he landed a strong low kick. Saikia immediately tried to answer back with a calf kick. However, it was not properly timed. The ‘IndoNinja’ capitalized on this one mistake from Saikia and immediately responded with a right hand punch. He continued to land back-to-back brutal punches to secure the win.
The Indonesian fighter celebrated his win with a moonwalk like MJ. In the post-bout interview per USA Today, he added, “God, it feels meant to be, but it's been a long time coming, man. That's for sure.”
Bilal Hasan Reflects on Win Against Mridul Saikia
During the post-fight presser, Hasan was asked whether he was getting frustrated as he was not getting picked up by the UFC. Sharing his feelings, Hasan added, “Yeah, a little bit. But I feel like the UFC is such a smart business, man. They know what they're doing, and I feel like I've been on their radar for a long time. They knew what they were doing. They put me on the first week of the Contender Series on Paramount+, and I just have to go out there and do my job.”
The former CFFC flyweight champ shared how he considered his bout with Saikia “just another fight”. He showed his gratitude toward CFFC, saying, “I'm very grateful for CFFC. I feel like every other fight there, I was the favorite, so I was used to just being a huge favorite.” Hasan continued, “I feel like I have a lot of people who believe in me rather than doubt me, and I feel like that's a different type of power. The pressure on me is truly a privilege, and I'm very grateful for it.”
