Luis Gurule Shocks Bilal Hasan in Wild UFC 334 Upset

Bilal Hasan brought the speed, the flashy kicks, and enough striking variety to make anyone’s head spin at UFC 334.

Unfortunately for him, Luis Gurule brought something considerably less entertaining: a whole lot of wrestling and absolutely zero interest in losing. Gurule survived Hasan’s explosive offense, dropped him with a right hand, and repeatedly dragged him to the canvas. Even a nasty elbow that opened a bloody cut couldn’t keep Gurule from imposing his will. By the final horn, Gurule had turned a dangerous matchup into one of Saturday night’s biggest upsets.

Round 1 – Hasan and Gurule met in the center of the cage, with Hasan immediately putting his kicking arsenal on display. He opened with an oblique kick before quickly attacking the legs and mixing in kicks upstairs. Hasan even threw a spinning back kick, apparently determined to show Gurule every kick in the book. Not much landed early, but Gurule already had plenty to worry about.

Gurule tried answering with a high kick of his own, but came up empty. Hasan wasn’t having the same problem, firing a lightning-fast kick that connected flush on Gurule’s chin. The impact snapped Gurule’s head backward, giving him an unpleasant introduction to Hasan’s speed. Gurule patiently searched for opportunities to counter, but Hasan’s nonstop offense made finding an opening easier said than done.

Hasan’s speed was absolutely ridiculous. Teep kicks, body kicks, leg kicks, and head kicks were flying toward Gurule from every direction. Everything came with impressive accuracy, frightening speed, and enough power to make Gurule reconsider his career choices. Gurule eventually started attacking Hasan’s legs, hoping to slow down the explosive UFC newcomer.

Gurule spent much of the round fighting defensively, even when he managed to throw something back. However, he finally found an opening and connected with a beautiful right hand that dropped Hasan. Just when it looked like Gurule had turned the fight upside down, Hasan immediately popped back to his feet. Apparently, getting knocked down was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Hasan quickly returned to his kicking attacks, but Gurule was starting to figure out the timing. Gurule made Hasan miss another kick before closing the distance and unloading heavy punches from close range. Suddenly, the UFC newcomer was discovering that Gurule had some dangerous weapons of his own.

Round 2 – Hasan wasted no time getting back to work, attacking Gurule’s legs before closing the distance and throwing punches upstairs. Gurule wasn’t backing down, answering with heavy shots that looked like he was trying to knock Hasan into next week. Hasan eventually secured the Thai clinch and started driving knees into Gurule’s body. However, Gurule turned the position into an opportunity, pushing Hasan against the fence while hunting for a takedown. Unfortunately for Gurule, Hasan defended the attempt and kept the fight standing.

Hasan continued mixing up his attacks, giving Gurule almost nothing predictable to work with. Every time Gurule thought he had something figured out, Hasan seemed to throw something completely different. Still, Gurule was hanging tough and refusing to let the UFC newcomer run away with the fight.

Hasan fired a front kick straight into Gurule’s stomach, but Gurule caught the leg and immediately looked for a takedown. Hasan quickly pulled his leg free before Gurule could capitalize. Hasan then started finding the timing on his right hand, repeatedly throwing it toward Gurule’s head. Gurule managed to avoid the early attempts, but those punches were getting dangerously close. It was starting to look like a matter of time before one connected.

Gurule eventually decided he’d had enough of playing target practice with Hasan’s striking arsenal. He changed levels and shot for a takedown, eating a shot to the stomach on his way inside. However, Gurule powered through the punishment and completed a beautiful double-leg takedown, putting Hasan flat on the canvas.

Hasan immediately worked toward the fence, closing his guard and looking to land elbows from his back. Unfortunately, all that explosive movement wasn’t nearly as useful with Gurule sitting on top of him. Gurule took advantage of the position, unloading ground-and-pound while keeping the UFC rookie under control. Hasan had spent much of the fight showing off his speed, but Gurule was making sure he couldn’t go anywhere.

Round 3 – Hasan came out looking a little slower in the final round, but he was putting more power behind his strikes. Unfortunately for the UFC newcomer, Gurule was starting to figure out the timing. Gurule caught Hasan coming forward with a big right hand before immediately attacking with another takedown.

However, getting Hasan to the canvas came with a pretty nasty price tag. Hasan caught Gurule with a vicious elbow as he rushed forward, opening a massive cut that started pouring blood. Gurule secured the takedown anyway, apparently deciding that bleeding all over the Octagon wasn’t a good enough reason to stop wrestling.

Gurule settled into top position and started unloading punches, looking to punish the increasingly tired Hasan. Hasan desperately tried keeping Gurule close, hoping to limit the damage and prevent those heavy shots from finding their target. At this point, Hasan was probably hoping the referee might give him a free trip back to his feet.

Hasan eventually recovered his guard and started firing elbows from his back, refusing to let Gurule get comfortable. He also began searching for submission opportunities, hoping to turn the fight around from the bottom. Unfortunately for Hasan, Gurule wasn’t interested in playing that game.

Gurule stayed patient, refusing to give Hasan the openings he needed to threaten a submission. He eventually stood up before dropping back down with more punches, continuing to punish the UFC newcomer. Hasan was still fighting, but Gurule’s wrestling and ground-and-pound were making life absolutely miserable for him.

Luis Gurule proved why you don’t give a young fighter an experienced veteran for his first fight on a massive stage.

Official Result: Luis Gurule def. Bilal Hasan via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

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