CFFC flyweight champion Bilal Hasan remains undefeated, secures UFC deal

'The Indoninja' delivers another spectacular finish to kick off latest season of Dana White's Contender Series, while CFFC vet Tom Pagliarulo also earns UFC invite

Dana White's Contender Series returned for its 10th season, as the latest crop of emerging prospects converged at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, looking to impress the UFC President and the UFC matchmakers in a bid to earn a spot on the UFC roster.

Week 1 produced an action-packed card of fights, as a quartet of fighters earned UFC contracts with strong performances, including a couple of sub-60-second finishes that leapt off the screen, and had the fans on their feet.

After the action at Meta APEX had concluded, White headed backstage to visit with Laura Sanko, and welcomed Anthony Wint, Bilal Hasan, Tom Pagliarulo, and Joe Kropschot to the UFC roster, with their performances each earning the seal of approval from the UFC boss.

The biggest favorite in Contender Series history delivered the goods as former CFFC flyweight champion Hasan scored a blistering quickfire TKO finish of India's Mridul Saikia in their 125-pound matchup.

Hasan calmly stalked Saikia around the Octagon, then half-caught a naked leg kick from Saikia, before connecting with a huge overhand right that dropped his man to the canvas.

Hasan saw his moment, then closed in and landed a rapid-fire salvo of ground strikes, all of which found their mark, as referee Herb Dean eventually stepped in to wave off the contest after just 45 seconds.

It was as impressive as it was fast, as "The Indoninja" delivered on the significant pre-fight hype that accompanied him to Las Vegas after making a name for himself as one of the hottest prospects on the regional scene.

That reputation will only grow as a result of his Contender Series appearance, with Hasan's first-minute TKO finish extending his professional record to 9-0, with eight of those wins coming inside the distance.

Pagliarulo mixed up his martial arts to good effect as he finished Contender Series sophomore Ananias Mulumba over three rounds in their featherweight bout.

A teammate of bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen, Pagliarulo was competitive on the feet, then mixed in his wrestling and ground game to put the seal on an impressive all-round display and claim a third-round TKO finish.

The fight started with Mulumba throwing bombs as he connected with a big shot early that appeared to put Pagliarulo in trouble. But the Tiger Beetle MMA man was able to scramble out of danger and recompose himself before eventually charging his way into a double-leg takedown that sent Mulumba to the canvas.

The action quickly returned to the feet, with Mulumba throwing heat with hands and feet in a bid to score a first-round finish. It drew another takedown attempt, which Mulumba reversed well, before they returned to the stand-up realm again.

Pagliarulo looked to work his takedowns into his work early in Round 2, but Mulumba saw them coming and sprawled well to stay out of danger. But mixing up striking and wrestling started to open up more opportunities for Pagliarulo's punches, and the American started to find his range with sharp, straight shots as he started to make Mulumba bite on his feints, then punished him with punches and kicks up the middle.

Pagliarulo's confidence was visibly growing, and he started to mix in more weapons, with step-in elbows and a well-timed knee catching the eye as he enjoyed a much more productive round in the second.

With the fight hanging in the balance, and the scores potentially standing at one round apiece, both men turned up the aggression as the final round got underway. And Pagliarulo used his smarts to turn Mulumba's aggression against him as he executed a perfectly-timed takedown to put the Congolese prospect on his back.

Working from side control, Pagliarulo looked to work over his opponent, and an elbow opened up Mulumba, who struggled to find a way out from underneath the American. And with Mulumba trapped, with no way out, Pagliarulo loaded up with elbows and punches to force the finish, with referee Mike Beltran stepping in to wave off the action with just 36 seconds left in the fight.

The victory put Pagliarulo on a five-fight win streak as he delivered a well-rounded display of his skills on his UFC audition to score his 11th career victory, and his ninth KO/TKO finish.

This story first appeared at UFC.com.