Bilal Hasan's wish has been granted perhaps sooner than expected.
Hasan (9-0), the biggest favorite in Dana White's Contender Series history, lived up to the hype when he disposed of Mridul Saikia in just 45 seconds to earn a UFC contract at DWCS 87 on Tuesday. Hasan said afterward that he hoped to compete again before the end of the year. How about before the end of the month?
Hasan will make his promotional debut against Nilson Rojas (9-0) at UFC Fight Night 286 on Aug. 29 from Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China. Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Inka MMA was first to report the news.
Indonesia's Hasan never has lost as an amateur or professional. The former CFFC flyweight champion has finished his past eight fights in a row, including his UFC contract-winning TKO of Saikia two days ago at DWCS 87.
More: Can Bilal Hasan be the first Indonesian UFC star? He's planning on it.
Also unbeaten in his professional career, Rojas has finished seven of his nine fights by knockout. The 27-year-old Peruvian native will also be making a quick turnaround after scoring a unanimous decision win over Gonzalo Hanampa at Inka 59 in July.
The current UFC Fight Night 286 lineup includes:
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong
- Denise Gomes vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Alex Perez vs. Su Mudaerji
- Kai Asakura vs. Aori Qileng
- Kevin Borjas vs. Rei Tsuruya
- Liu Ce vs. Junior Tafa
- Namsrai Batbayar vs. Andre Lima
- Yilizhati Maimaitijiang vs. Treston Vines
- Jack Jenkins vs. Sean Woodson
- Xiong Jing Nan vs. Julia Polastri
- Meng Ding vs. Cam Nelson
- Bilal Hasan vs. Nilson Rojas
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Bilal Hasan books UFC debut in same month as DWCS 87 knockout