Luis Gurule gets a chance to halt the rise of an undefeated prospect when he meets Bilal Hasan on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York, as part of UFC 334. The 25 year old Hasan, born in Hawaii and raised in Washington state by Indonesian parents, has moved through the promotion faster than he originally expected since graduating from Dana White’s Contender Series.
Gurule looks for a bounce back
Luis Gurule, born in Denver, Colorado, and training out of Good Guys MMA, enters this fight looking to snap a difficult stretch inside the Octagon. He debuted in the UFC on April 5, 2025, losing by TKO to Ode Osbourne. He then dropped back to back decisions to Jesus Aguilar and Alden Coria, before picking up a unanimous decision win over Daniel Barez on May 16, 2026. His most recent appearance, on May 30, 2026, ended in a loss by rear naked choke to Rei Tsuruya just over three minutes into the first round. A win over an unbeaten prospect on a Madison Square Garden card would mark a turning point for the Colorado native.
A 45 second statement that impressed Dana White
Bilal Hasan earned his UFC contract on August 11, 2026, during week one of Dana White’s Contender Series season 10 at the Apex facility in Las Vegas. He finished India’s Mridul Saikia in just 45 seconds despite entering as a heavy betting favorite, a pressure spot Dana White said he handled well. White called him exciting and said he wanted to see what Hasan could do once he stepped into the UFC proper, while cautioning that nothing is guaranteed from a strong Contender Series showing. Hasan was one of four fighters awarded a contract that night, alongside fellow prospect Anthony Wint. The show itself is billed as the world’s most intense job interview, with White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby deciding who earns a contract.
A finish in Shanghai and a born fighter’s debut nerves
Eighteen days after his Contender Series win, Hasan made his promotional debut on August 29, 2026, at UFC Shanghai, on a card headlined by Rustam Nurmagomedov against Song Kenan. He faced fellow newcomer Nilson Rojas of Peru, then unbeaten in nine fights, and came out aggressive, landing a kick that bloodied Rojas’s nose before finishing him by knockout in the second round, after being briefly staggered himself late in round one. In his post fight remarks he admitted the fight was tougher than expected, noting that he and Rojas had shared identical unbeaten records coming in. The win pushed Hasan’s professional record to 10 wins against no losses, with one no contest on his resume from a bout that was stopped after seven seconds early in his career.
An Indonesian fighter raised in the Pacific Northwest
Hasan fights under the Indonesian flag and is only the second fighter from that country to sign with the UFC, but his own story runs through the United States: he was born in Hawaii and raised in Washington state by Indonesian parents. He has also trained extensively with Demetrious Johnson, a UFC Hall of Famer regarded as one of the best flyweights in the sport’s history, a connection that has added to the buzz around a fighter still introducing himself to American fans. That dual background, representing Indonesia in the cage while having come up through Hawaii and Washington state, gives American fans a direct stake in how far his run continues.
A faster pace than he planned
In an interview with Full Mount MMA published October 20, Hasan said he had expected only one more fight in 2026 after signing with the UFC. The promotion offered him additional bouts sooner than he anticipated, and he accepted, calling the pace a rocket ship. He said he wants to keep fighting while he is young and healthy. Hasan vs. Gurule is part of the UFC 334 card on November 14 at Madison Square Garden, headlined by heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane‘s first title defense against unbeaten contender Josh Hokit, who is 10-0 and set a heavyweight record for significant strikes landed in a single UFC fight earlier this year. Gane reclaimed the belt on June 14, 2026, by stopping Alex Pereira. Full fight by fight details are available on the UFC schedule 2026 page.
