Bilal Hasan is one of the biggest names competing at this weekend’s UFC Shanghai event due to his viral knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series just two weeks ago, but that hasn’t stopped the flyweight prospect from suffering a recent case of mistaken identity.
In case you missed it, Hasan looked like an absolute world beater earlier this month during his spot on the Contender Series. The 25-year-old fighter known as “IndoNinja” needed just 45 seconds to end his opponent, Mridul Saikia, via knockout
to push his undefeated record to 9-0. UFC CEO, Dana White, was so impressed that he had matchmakers book Hasan’s official debut just 18 days later for UFC Shanghai.
Hasan, who is of Indonesian decent, will face off against fellow undefeated flyweight prospect Nilson Rojas. “IndoNinja” is currently a huge betting favorite to take care of business. That’s due in part to his showing on the Contender Series, but even before that Hasan was highly touted as an up-and-coming name to watch. If he ends up starching Rojas this weekend there’s a chance UFC matchmakers could rush Hasan into a top 15 flyweight matchup by year’s end.
All of that said, Hasan still has some catching up to do when it comes to UFC fans. He may be a semi-popular name now coming off his Contender Series knockout, but not everyone knows who “IndoNinja” is. That’s exactly what happened earlier this week when Hasan landed in Shanghai for this weekend’s festivities and was approached by a fan looking for an autograph on a UFC trading card. The only issue is that the card was of UFC bantamweight contender Mario Bautista, who was standing right next to Hasan.
Check out the awkward moment below:
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