Bilal Hasan Eyes Another Knockout Against Luis Gurule at UFC 334
Bilal Hasan is confident that he can secure another knockout when he faces Luis Gurule at UFC 334 this Saturday. This will be his second UFC fight since his debut, and he has already earned a spot on the main card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Bilal Hasan Confident of Another Finish Against Luis Gurule
Bilal Hasan secured his UFC contract in August after knocking out Mridul Saikia in just 45 seconds on Dana White's Contender Series. Only 18 days later, "The IndoNinja" made his promotional debut at UFC Shanghai, where he put away previously unbeaten Nilson Rojas with a straight right hand in the second round.
That performance also earned him a Performance of the Night bonus, improving his pro record to 10-0, including eight wins by knockout.
Although Gurule has more UFC experience than his opponent, he hasn't enjoyed the same level of success. The 32-year-old former Fury FC flyweight champion holds an 11-4 professional record and has won one of his five UFC fights.
In May, the American secured his first UFC victory against Daniel Barez by unanimous decision. However, just two weeks later, he suffered a first-round submission loss to Rei Tsuruya at UFC Macau.
The past Monday, Hasan made an appearance on the Ariel Helwani show. During the interview, Hasan confessed that Gurule has faced some tough competition. Even so, the Indonesian-American believes the matchup will favor his fighting style and could give him another knockout victory. He said:
"I think it's another perfect stylistic matchup for me to go out there and get another highlight finish, if I'm being completely honest."
However, the unbeaten fighter doesn't intend to rush the finish. Trying too hard to knock someone out has often worked against him.
"When I try to hunt for something too much, it never happens," he told Helwani.
Instead, Hasan's new gameplan is him staying calm and enjoying himself inside the Octagon, which will allow him to perform at his best. Although he hopes to finish Gurule early, the flyweight made it known that he is prepared to fight the full three rounds if needed.
Bilal Hasan Gets His Wish to Fight at Madison Square Garden
Thereafter, Hasan has also spoken about how quickly his UFC career has progressed since making his debut. The 25-year-old was expecting to compete on the preliminary card of the UFC event. However, while watching the fights with his girlfriend in Newport, California, he found out that he would be opening the main card instead.
Meanwhile, "The IndoNinja" has teased another special walkout for Saturday's event. After entertaining fans and the MMA community with Michael Jackson-inspired dance moves during his UFC debut, Hasan revealed that his next entrance will also have a connection to the late singer.
Hasan's upcoming bout against Gurule will open the five-fight main card, which is headlined by heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane's title defense against Josh Hokit at UFC 334.
