Luis Gurule pulled off one of the biggest betting upsets of the year at UFC 334.
Kicking off the main card at Madison Square Garden, Gurule (12-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) brought the hype of Bilal Hasan (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) down a notch when he defeated the popular Indonesian by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Gurule closed as a +580 underdog on average across major online sports books (per BestFightOdds
).In Round 1, Hasan was in his usual flow state. He maintained distance properly and showed off some flashy striking. Gurule didn't get flustered, however.
In Round 2, he switched things up and dragged the fight to the ground. Hasan squirmed and wiggled but struggled to get Gurule off him. In Round 3, Gurule battled through a nasty laceration and returned
to what worked for him. He dragged Hasan down and smothered him.
The dominant wrestling and grappling was enough to convince two of the three judges that he had done enough.
With the win, Gurule has won two of his most recent three outings. Meanwhile, Hasan loses for the first time as a professional.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 334 results:
- Luis Gurule def. Bilal Hasan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Stephen Thompson def. Charles Radtke via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 3, 2:54
- Chris Duncan def. Drew Dober via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Terrance McKinney def. Jim Miller via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:53
- Cesar Almeida def. Donte Johnson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:20
- Melquizael Costa def. Jared Gordon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bia Mesquita def. Macy Chiasson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:23
- Juan Diaz def. Heili Alateng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Evan Elder def. Samuel Sanches via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 334 results: Luis Gurule upsets Bilal Hasan
