Bilal Hasan KOs Nilson Rojas in UFC Debut at Shanghai
Bilal Hasan needed one clean punch to stay unbeaten. The flyweight nicknamed “The IndoNinja” knocked out Nilson Rojas at 2:28 of round two in the UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song main-card opener, winning his promotional debut 18 days after a Contender Series finish.
Hasan improved to 10-0 with one no contest and 1-0 in the UFC. Rojas fell to 9-1 in his first fight outside South America.
The booking was as fast as the finish. Hasan stopped Mridul Saikia in 45 seconds on Dana White’s Contender Series on Aug. 11, then took this Shanghai date almost immediately.
“Quite literally probably like two hours after I got the knockout,” Hasan told MMA Junkie. “I was back at the hotel eating some malasadas; they’re delicious Hawaiian donuts. I was eating those, and then one of my coaches, Ryan Diaz, was like, ‘Hey, they want you to fight at UFC Shanghai.’ And I was like, ‘All right, let’s run it!’”
Both men came in 9-0. Rojas, 27, is a Lima striker nicknamed “El Rayo” who had finished seven of nine wins by knockout or TKO and had never fought outside the regional South American scene.
Hasan, 25, fights out of Everett, Washington, trains at Charlie’s Combat Club, and works with UFC Hall of Famer Demetrius Johnson. He is 5-foot-7 with a 70-inch reach and a switch-stance kicking game that already produced seven knockouts before Saturday.
Round one belonged to the favorite. MMA Junkie’s live desk had Hasan pressing from the start at the Oriental Sports Center, with Vitor Ribeiro as the referee.
Round two was Rojas’ best stretch, and it got him hurt. The Peruvian walked Hasan down, landed a push kick that knocked him off balance, then mixed in a jab, a body shot, a left hook, and a combination while Hasan appeared to slow.
Hasan answered with one shot. Rojas went down, and the fight was over.
Official stats backed a volume edge for the winner. Hasan landed 53 of 129 significant strikes, scored the fight’s only knockdown, and went 1-for-1 on takedowns.
Rojas was more accurate at 33 of 66 significant strikes, but he never recovered from that punch. Neither man attempted a submission.
Hasan had called the style matchup before he left for China. He said Rojas’ boxing and pressure would force a choice, and that either choice would open a lane.
“If you want to come in, I’m going to snipe you,” Hasan said. “If you want to stay at range, I’m going to snipe you, as well.”
Rojas came in. Hasan sniped him.
He also said he was ready for 15 minutes or 45 seconds. This one landed in the middle, a second-round knockout on a two-week turnaround after a 45-second Contender Series night.
A debut KO does not make him a ranked flyweight. It does tell the UFC the Contender Series flier was not empty heat, and that a 10-0 prospect can finish another unbeaten debutant when the fight gets messy.
Rojas’ first loss will be a hard tape to watch because he was winning stretches of round two. Pressure got him to Hasan. It also got him walked into the shot that ended the night.
The Peruvian still has finishing power and a 9-1 record built on knockouts. He has not yet shown he can survive a faster southpaw who can kick, switch, and counter when the pocket closes.
Hasan has now finished eight of 10 wins by knockout. He has been to a decision only once as a pro, and he still has not lost.
UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song continues in Shanghai, with Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong still ahead in the main event. Hasan is 1-0 in the UFC, still unbeaten, and already past the question of whether the short-notice debut was too soon.