Hayder Hassan

Hayder Hassan (حيدر حسن, born October 20, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes at Brave Combat Federation. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, Titan FC, King of the Cage, the Xtreme Fighting Championships, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians as well as The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption.

Background
Born and raised in Florida, Hassan and his family were refugees from Baghdad, Iraq who relocated in 1977. His father, who was a physician, personally trekked from their home in Iraq to an American embassy. Hassan attended Cardinal Gibbons High School, where he was a standout in wrestling and football before graduating from Florida State University after which he had planned to attend medical school and majored in sociology. However, after leaving his job as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical firm, he transitioned to a career in MMA and began training at the American Top Team academy in Coconut Creek.

The Ultimate Fighter
Hassan competed on the 21st season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, representing American Top Team and making it to the final. In his first fight he defeated Andrews Nakahara via TKO in the first round. In his second fight he defeated Felipe Portela by majority decision. In his third fight he faced Vicente Luque and won via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Hassan made his debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 12, 2015 against Kamaru Usman at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. He lost the bout via arm triangle choke submission in the second round.

Hassan next faced former opponent Vicente Luque at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015. He lost the fight via anaconda choke technical submission in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption
In February 2017, it was revealed that Hassan would compete again on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption. Hassan was the fifth pick overall for Team Garbrandt. He faced Dhiego Lima in the opening round and lost by unanimous decision. He defeated former world title contender Joe Stevenson by knockout in the wildcard bout, but ended up losing to eventual season winner Jesse Taylor via rear naked choke submission in the first round.