Abdul Razak Alhassan
Abdul Razak Alhassan (born August 11, 1985) is a Ghanaian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of the UFC. A professional since 2013, he formerly fought in Bellator and Legacy Fighting Championship.[5][6][7][8]
| Abdul Razak Alhassan | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1985 Accra, Ghana[1] |
| Other names | Judo Thunder[2] |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Welterweight Middleweight |
| Reach | 73 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Style | Judo, Muay Thai[1] |
| Fighting out of | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
| Team | Fortis MMA (until 2021)[3] Metroflex Gym[3] Team Elevation (2021–present)[4] |
| Rank | Black belt in Judo[1] |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career edit
Early career edit
After training and competing in judo for 22 years and earning his black belt, Alhassan transitioned to mixed martial arts. He made his professional debut in 2013, winning via TKO in just 25 seconds. Alhassan then compiled an overall record of 6–0 before being signed by the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship edit
Alhassan made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 against Charlie Ward on November 19, 2016. He won via knockout 53 seconds into the first round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.[9][10]
Alhassan then lost a split decision to Omari Akhmedov at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira on May 28, 2017.[11]
Alhassan faced Sabah Homasi on December 2, 2017, at UFC 218, winning by TKO in the first round; some felt referee Herb Dean had stopped the fight prematurely.[12]
Due to the controversial stoppage in the first fight, a rematch with Homasi was held on January 20, 2018, at UFC 220.[13] Alhassan indisputably knocked him out in the first round.[14] The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus[15]
Alhassan was expected to face Muslim Salikhov on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29.[16] He was replaced by Ricky Rainey due to injury.[17]
Alhassan knocked out Niko Price in 43 seconds on September 8, 2018, at UFC 228.[18]
Alhassan faced Mounir Lazzez on July 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige.[19] At the weigh-ins, Alhassan weighed in at 174 pounds, 3 pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. He was fined 20% of his purse which went to his opponent Lazzez and the bout proceeded at a catchweight.[20] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[21] This fight was named Fight of the Night bonus; however, Alhassan was disqualified for bonus due to missing weight, as a result a third Performance of the Night bonus was awarded and Lazzez took home an extra $50,000 from the fight.[22]
Alhassan faced Khaos Williams on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos.[23] At the weigh-ins, Alhassan weighed in at 172.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Alhassan was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to his opponent Williams.[24] He was defeated via first-round knockout.[25]
Alhassan faced Jacob Malkoun in a return to middleweight on April 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 22.[26] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
Alhassan was scheduled to face Antônio Braga Neto on August 21, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 29.[28] However, Neto was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons and Alhassan was scheduled to face Alessio Di Chirico instead.[29] Alhassan won the fight via knockout seventeen seconds into round one.[30] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[31]
Alhassan was scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley on January 15, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 32.[32] However, the pairing was cancelled after Alhassan withdrew for undisclosed reasons[33] and the pair was rescheduled to UFC Fight Night 201.[34] Alhassan lost the fight via split decision.[35]
Alhassan was scheduled to face Jamie Pickett on July 9, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 39.[36] However, Alhassan pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Denis Tiuliulin.[37]
Alhassan faced Claudio Ribeiro on January 14, 2023, UFC Fight Night 217.[38] He won the fight via knockout in the second round.[39]
Alhassan was scheduled to face Brunno Ferreira on May 20, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 223[40] but was moved to UFC on ESPN 48 for unknown reasons.[41]
Alhassan faced Joe Pyfer on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229.[42] He lost the fight via technical submission in the second round after being rendered unconscious with an arm-triangle choke.[43]
Personal life edit
Alhassan and his wife have a son and a daughter.[3]
Rape indictments and acquittal edit
Alhassan was indicted on September 24, 2018, in Tarrant County, Texas, on charges related to the alleged rapes of two women in one night in March 2018. He pleaded not guilty.[44] The trial began on March 5, 2020.[45] Alhassan's attorney argued that the two women consented to having sex with Alhassan, and that the allegations of sexual assault were fabricated. After deliberation, the jury found Alhassan not guilty on sexual assault charges.[46]
Championships and awards edit
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the night (Three times) vs. Charlie Ward, Sabah Homasi and Alessio Di Chirico[10][15][31]
Mixed martial arts record edit
| 18 matches | 12 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 12–6 | Joe Pyfer | Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green | October 7, 2023 | 2 | 2:05 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–5 | Claudio Ribeiro | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov | January 14, 2023 | 2 | 0:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–5 | Joaquin Buckley | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill | February 19, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Alessio Di Chirico | KO (head kick) | UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze | August 28, 2021 | 1 | 0:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 10–4 | Jacob Malkoun | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum | April 17, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 10–3 | Khaos Williams | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos | November 14, 2020 | 1 | 0:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (172.5 lb) bout; Alhassan missed weight. |
| Loss | 10–2 | Mounir Lazzez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige | July 16, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (174 lb) bout; Alhassan missed weight. |
| Win | 10–1 | Niko Price | KO (punch) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 1 | 0:43 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Sabah Homasi | KO (punch) | UFC 220 | January 20, 2018 | 1 | 3:47 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Sabah Homasi | TKO (punches) | UFC 218 | December 2, 2017 | 1 | 4:21 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Omari Akhmedov | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira | May 28, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 7–0 | Charlie Ward | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 | November 19, 2016 | 1 | 0:53 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Jos Eichelberger | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 61 | October 14, 2016 | 1 | 0:57 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Catchweight (175 lb) bout. |
| Win | 5–0 | Ken Jackson | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 47: Night of Champions | August 13, 2016 | 1 | 0:40 | Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States | Middleweight bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Bryce Shepard-Mejia | KO (punch) | Bellator 143 | September 25, 2015 | 1 | 1:26 | Hidalgo, Texas, United States | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 3–0 | Matt McKeon | TKO (punches) | Rocks Xtreme MMA 12 | February 28, 2015 | 1 | 0:47 | Harker Heights, Texas, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Matt Jones | TKO (punches) | Bellator 111 | March 7, 2014 | 1 | 1:23 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Catchweight (190 lb) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | Kolby Adams | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Knockout 20 | November 23, 2013 | 1 | 0:25 | Arlington, Texas, United States | Catchweight (180 lb) bout. |
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Abdul Razak Alhassan | UFC". UFC.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ^ Simon, Zane (16 November 2016). "UFC Belfast gets last minute WW fight". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Francis Okupa (September 10, 2018). "'If UFC really want more good fighters, keep your eyes on Africa'". espn.com.
- ^ Gavin Porter (August 26, 2021). "Abdul Razak Alhassan Changed His Path". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- ^ "The accidental assassin: Abdul Razak Alhassan on his reluctant path to UFC Fight Night 109". 25 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (7 March 2014). "Bellator 111 results: Dantas ve. Leone". Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Alexander, Mookie (25 September 2015). "Bellator 143: Warren wins snoozer, Grove gets TKO". Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 99 results: Abdul Razak Alhassan drops Charlie Ward in 53-second slugfest". 19 November 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Dann Stupp (2016-11-19). "UFC Fight Night 99 results: Abdul Razak Alhassan drops Charlie Ward in 53-second slugfest". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ^ a b Tristen Critchfield (2016-11-19). "UFC Fight Night 99 bonuses: Marshman, Lee, Ledet, Alhassan collect $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 results: Omari Akhmedov hands Abdul Razak Alhassan first loss". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ "UFC 218 results: Abdul Razak Alhassan TKOs Sabah Homasi in first, despite wide protests of stoppage". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ^ "Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi shifted to UFC 220". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
- ^ "UFC 220 results: Abdul Razak Alhassan leaves no doubt in rematch with Sabah Homasi". MMAjunkie. 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
- ^ a b "UFC 220 bonuses: Daniel Cormier, Abdul Razak Alhassan among $50,000 winners". MMAjunkie. 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
- ^ Greg Moore (2018-02-15). "Matt Lopez vs. Alejandro Perez added to UFC on Fox 29 at Gila River Arena". azcentral.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Ricky Rainey Replaces Abdul Razak Alhassan, Meets Muslim Salikhov at UFC on Fox 29". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- ^ "UFC 228 results: Abdul Razak Alhassan blasts Niko Price in just 43 seconds". MMAjunkie. 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
- ^ "Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Mounir Lazzez joins the UFC's July 15 lineup". MMA Junkie. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2020-07-14). "UFC on ESPN 13 weigh-in results: Two miss weight, one fight canceled". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2020-07-15). "UFC Fight Island 1 Results: Mounir Lazzez Defeats Abdul Razak Alhassan in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ "UFC on ESPN 13 bonuses: Weight miss costs Abdul Razak Alhassan $50K for 'Fight of the Night'". MMA Junkie. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-11-02). "Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Khaos Williams added to UFC on ESPN+ 41". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ Staff (2020-11-13). "UFC Fight Night 182 weigh-in results: Felder and Dos Anjos set, but three come in heavy". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
- ^ Doherty, Dan (2020-11-14). "UFC Vegas 14 Results: Khaos Williams Gets Another 30-Second KO". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
- ^ Redactie (2021-03-31). "Abdul Razak Alhassan to Middleweight Division, meets Jacob Malkoun on April 17 in Las Vegas". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-03-31.
- ^ Bonada, Frank (2021-04-18). "Jacob Malkoun Grinds Out Dominant Unanimous Decision Victory Over Abdul Razak Alhassan vs - UFC Vegas 24 Results (Highlights)". MiddleEasy. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2021-07-30). "Abdul Razak Alhassan treft Antonio Braga Neto tijdens UFC on ESPN 29 in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2021-08-21). "Alessio Di Chirico & Abdul Razak Alhassan treffen elkaar na uitvallen tegenstanders op 28 augustus". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-08-28). "UFC Vegas 35 Results: Abdul Razak Alhassan Sleeps Alessio Di Chirico In 17 Seconds". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ^ a b Hiergesell, Dan (2021-08-29). "UFC Vegas 35 Bonuses! Meerschaert Banks $50K For Comeback Submission". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ^ Heck, Mike (2021-10-19). "Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan on tap for Jan. 15 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2022-01-04). "Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan scrapped from UFC on ESPN 32". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
- ^ "Previously scrapped Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan bout rebooked for Feb. 19". MMA Junkie. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ Miller, Timothy (2022-02-19). "UFC Vegas 48: Joaquin Buckley Outlasts Abdul Razak Alhassan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-04-27). "Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Jamie Pickett Booked For UFC's July 9 Card". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ Dorff, Marcel [@BigMarcel24] (June 25, 2022). "A.R.Alhassan out. Jamie Pickett will now fight Denis Tiuliulin at #UFCVegas58 on July 9th" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 June 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Jay Anderson (2022-11-29). "Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Claudio Ribeiro Set for UFC Vegas 67". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ Val Dewar (2023-01-14). "UFC Vegas 67: Abdul Razak Alhassan Notches Another Knockout Victory, Stops Claudio Ribeiro". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
- ^ Zdun, Hubert (2023-02-23). "Abdul Razak Alhassan zmierzy się z Bruno Ferreirą na majowym wydarzeniu UFC | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-02-26.
- ^ Krishna Venki (2023-04-21). "Middleweight fight moved and reportedly added to UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov" (in Polish). sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ Calhoun, Curtis (2023-08-24). "Joe Pyfer set for October 14 UFC return, Opponent Revealed". Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2023-10-07). "UFC Vegas 80: Joe Pyfer Improves to 3-0 in UFC, Submits Abdul Razak Alhassan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ "Report: UFC fighter Abdul Razak Alhassan indicted on March sexual assault charge". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ Marrocco, Steven (2020-03-04). "UFC fighter Razak Alhassan's sexual assault trial under way, alleged victims testify". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ^ "Jury finds UFC welterweight Abdul Razak Alhassan not guilty of sexual assault". MMA Junkie. 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2020-03-07.