Bilal Hasan Interview: DWCS Contract, UFC Shanghai & Michael Jackson
Only days after earning his UFC contract, Bilal Hasan was still riding the momentum of the biggest night of his career. The unbeaten flyweight sat down with Helen Yee in Las Vegas following his 45-second stoppage win on Dana White’s Contender Series, mixing talk about his rapid move to the UFC with Chinese food, his MMA GOAT, hidden talents and an appropriately timed Michael Jackson connection.
The interview arrives during a remarkable turnaround for Hasan. On August 11, he entered Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 Week 1 as one of the season’s most highly regarded prospects. Eighteen days later, he is scheduled to make his UFC debut in Shanghai.
Bilal Hasan earns his UFC contract in 45 seconds
Hasan’s appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series did not last long. Facing Mridul Saikia at the Meta APEX, Hasan countered a low kick with a right hand that dropped the Indian flyweight, then followed him to the canvas with punches. The stoppage came just 45 seconds into the opening round.
It moved Hasan to 9-0 as a professional and earned him a UFC contract on the Season 10 premiere. He celebrated with a moonwalk, a moment that fits naturally with one of the stranger coincidences discussed in this interview: his upcoming UFC debut falls on August 29, Michael Jackson’s birthday.
Hasan was one of four fighters awarded contracts that night. The rest of the card and contract winners can be seen in MMAtown’s DWCS 2026 Week 1 highlights.
From CFFC champion to one of DWCS 2026’s top prospects
The Contender Series finish was quick, but Hasan’s path to that opportunity had been built almost entirely in Cage Fury Fighting Championships.
He made his professional debut with CFFC in December 2022 and won his first eight professional fights with the promotion. Hasan captured the vacant CFFC flyweight championship in September 2024 by submitting Jose Leon with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
His title reign then became increasingly destructive. Hasan defended the belt three times during 2025, and all three defenses ended by knockout or TKO. Brian Hauser was stopped by a body shot in the second round, Jason Eastman fell in the fourth, and previously unbeaten Renaldy Manse was finished in the opening round in December.
That run made the Contender Series invitation feel less like an introduction and more like the final regional test before the UFC. Hasan had already accumulated eight CFFC victories, a championship and three successful defenses by the time he stepped into the DWCS cage.
Bilal Hasan vs. Nilson Rojas set for UFC Shanghai
Hasan will not have much time to celebrate the contract. His first UFC fight is already booked against Nilson Rojas at UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song on August 29 in Shanghai.
The Bilal Hasan vs. Nilson Rojas matchup pairs two undefeated flyweights making their UFC debuts. Hasan enters at 9-0, while Peru’s Rojas is also 9-0. For Hasan, it means an 18-day turnaround from the Contender Series win to his first official UFC appearance.
That rapid booking is one of the most interesting parts of the interview’s timing. Hasan speaks only days removed from fighting for a contract, yet he is already discussing Shanghai rather than wondering when his UFC debut might come.
The lighter side of Bilal Hasan
The conversation does not stay on fight preparation for long. Yee puts Hasan through Chinese phrases and brings out chicken feet and har gao, while the rapid-fire portion moves through his choice for MMA GOAT, his favorite fighter to watch, favorite foods, television, desserts and the craziest thing he has eaten.
There is also a hidden-talent question and plenty of Michael Jackson talk, which feels especially fitting after Hasan moonwalked following his Contender Series knockout. The August 29 date gives the running joke another layer, with his UFC debut taking place on Jackson’s birthday.
Those sections are what separate this video from a standard post-fight interview. Hasan’s fighting résumé explains why he has suddenly become a UFC flyweight to watch; the rest of the conversation gives a better idea of the personality that CFFC audiences had already seen alongside the finishes.
Contender Series Season 10 moves on
Hasan’s route from DWCS to the UFC is exactly what the Tuesday-night series is designed to produce, and Season 10 continues quickly after his contract-winning performance. Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 Week 3 is next on the schedule, with Bella Mir vs. Alex Apodaca among the fights offering another group of prospects the same opportunity.
Hasan, meanwhile, has already moved beyond the audition. A 45-second finish turned a long CFFC rise into a UFC contract, and less than three weeks later he will be standing across from another unbeaten prospect in Shanghai.