DING DING DING — it happened again.
Invincible Bilal Hasan inserted UFC 334 as an absolutely monstrous favorite over Luis to Guru. Hasan, 25, was expected to run over his older opponent, who had just one win in five previous Octagon runs. There was an obvious result that almost everyone predicted: Hasan, a tall, lanky prospect with shades. Sean O’Malley his standing – should choose an unannounced Guru.
Public confidence was so high that Hasan became the 11-1 favorite.
As it turns out, styling UFC fighters (even without singing) isn’t that easy. Gurule had already spent almost an hour in the Octagon gaining experience against strong opposition, and that precious time cannot be bought or underestimated.
Just like that, it’s time to CHECK FRAUD. Another great prospect suffers his first career loss in record-setting conditions, and countless parties fall agonizingly to degenerates around the world. This is an increasingly common story, and this particular case is divided into three components.
First and foremost, the odds are absolutely insane these days. The betting markets increase the odds to outrageous numbers. Everyone has access to almost unregulated sports betting, and thus “historical” odds appear every other month.
10-0 is not much of a win. 25 years old is quite young. A young, green prospect should never be an 11-1 favorite against a more experienced opponent who has at least proven he can compete with established UFC talent. We’re not even talking about Olympic gold in a weak division like Gable Steveson – Hasan just has a nice highlight on names that no one has read this, never heard of.
Unreal odds create huge hype … for better or for worse. If Hasan was an easy 3-1 favorite, no one would be staring to scream CHEAT CHECK.
The next stage of this upset is Hasan himself. Hopefully the outstanding young talent will learn some lessons here. Outside of flashy shots, he struggled to generate meaningful offense with his hands. His entrance elbow was cute but saw him get taken down as he fell forward too hard. More problematically, Hasan was unable to generate scrambling and movement from the back. Whether using defense or grappling, Hasan has a lot to learn when escaping the bottom position.
Here’s the rub: It’s okay! Prospects should have more to learn. MMA should be a sport where losses and learning experiences are expected on the road to greatness. like Joe Pyfer or Payton Talbott — co-victims of recent years of fraud checks — Hasan can still develop into a ranking candidate and maybe even a future champion.
Hasan is no slouch because he lost a competitive fight at the age of 25. Let’s revisit his career in two years!
Finally, Gurule absolutely deserves her flowers. “Grim” fought really well, bringing composure and a great game plan to the octagon. He showed layers of technique and skill that were previously unknown. His consistent pressure, leg kicks and shifting punches were just the ticket to chase down an opponent. He repeatedly caught strikes and aggressively used those openings to either counter or grapple.
These are textbook answers to the pedestrian and Gurule applied the concepts well.
When Guru started wrestling, he was impressed. Gurule timed his double leg well and finished the shot nicely over the fence. While on top, he locked in position and still managed to land some decent elbows. In the third, he tried a nice single-leg J-hook finish (think round five Islam Makhachov vs. Dustin Poirier) and then hit a massive bodylock to finally win the fight. He is clearly on the mend and only 15 fights into his pro career.
A prospect with more to learn, a veteran with a life of his own, and odds makers freed from reality: modern FRAUD CONTROL at a glance.