Athletes
Abdul Razak Alhassan: Never Look Back
After Finally Freeing His Mind Of The Turmoil Of His Recent Past, Abdul Razak Alhassan Is Ready To Show The World The Real “Razak”
Abdul Razak Alhassan has freed himself from the darkness of his recent past, and firmly looking forward as he looks to kick off a new chapter in his UFC career.
Abdul Razak Alhassan has freed himself from the darkness of his recent past, and firmly looking forward as he looks to kick off a new chapter in his UFC career.
Alhassan takes on Cody Brundage in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez on Saturday night, where he plans on proving a number of points with a strong showing at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
UFC DENVER | Main Event Spotlight: Namajunas vs Cortez
Four years ago, Alhassan was acquitted of sexual assault charges after being accused and indicted two years earlier. With the darkest period of his life put behind him, he attempted to return to competitive action, but something was missing.
“It messed me up so bad,” he admitted.
“I thought I was healed and I’d come past it. But it keeps killing me inside, no matter what. I’m sure people notice it. When, after all that happened to me and I came back to fighting, things were not going good. I did my best to do it, but it f****d me up so bad.
“It got to a point I decided to sit down and really, really dig into it and heal myself to bring the prideful guy that I know, the ‘let’s go get it’ guy – bring it back.
“So that was the necessary healing and I found that (competitive) demon again. And I’m ready to just unleash it on somebody.”
But, despite going through a lengthy mental process of renewal, his last outing ended in defeat, as he lost a technical submission to Joe Pyfer last October. It was a body blow to Alhassan’s hopes of building a win streak and brought him to tears.
2024 HALF-YEAR AWARDS: Knockouts | Submissions | Newcomers | Fights | Fighters
But, with the backing of those closest to him, most notably his sister, Alhassan brought himself back.
”My sister, when I was crying on the phone, she's like, ‘Look. Be sad. Be mad. But never give up. No matter how bad you think it is. It will get better at some point.’
“So that's why I said she lifts my spirit up. That healing that I was looking for, that I was chasing – she's part of the reason why I found that healing.”
Abdul Razak Alhassan | Top Finishes
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Abdul Razak Alhassan | Top Finishes
/
Now Alhassan has his head up, a smile on his face, but a fiery determination in his eyes. This weekend, he’ll face Brundage with the full intention of finishing him in swift fashion.
The pair train at different gyms in Colorado – Alhassan at Team Elevation, Brundage at Factory X – and the competitive rivalry between the two teams will be on show when they face off on Saturday night.
“It's not like the gyms cross train to know each other,” Alhassan explained.
Order UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2
“Every coach wants to know, I'm the best, my best guy is going in (to fight). So you don't want to lose to that.”
Alhassan then issued a warning to his opponent that he’s in for a rude awakening on fight night.
“He should know he's not even close to my damn level. Not even close. He can think what he wants,” he stated.
“I know he's gonna come in and try to sniff my crotch the whole damn fight. So I’ll make him regret it. Just like he doesn’t want to lose to the other gym. It’s the same way (with me). I’ll prove to him that the better gym is over there (at Elevation). No disrespect to his coaches or anything else.”
While Alhassan is keen to give his team bragging rights over Brundage’s gym, the Ghanaian’s main motivation is to show the world the real Alhassan. He said it’s not something he’s been able to show in recent fights. But now, he says, he’s ready to unleash his full potential on fight night.
Joining Us For UFC 304 In Manchester? Get Your Tickets!
“I found myself – the Razak that I know. If (Brundage) wants to go for 15 minutes, he will die for 15 minutes,” he stated.
“The best shot he has right now is when I hit him, he should just sleep right there so I don’t murder him. Because the point is, I’m going in with the killer instinct. I’m going to take him out...there is a whole different level to this. I’m going in there to finish him.”
Just watching Alhassan deliver his answers, you can visibly see him getting more psyched up for the task at hand. And the chance to do it in front of a packed Colorado crowd at the Ball Arena after six prior fights at the UFC APEX only fires him up even more.
“It’s been a long time since I fought in an arena,” he said.
“All of (the recent fights) have been in the APEX. I hated that. I cannot wait for that energy in there to bring the monster out, to show people that.
How To Watch This Season Of The Ultimate Fighter
“You might think I’m getting older, but I swear to God I’m even more vicious now than you’ll ever think of.”
For Alhassan, the past is now firmly in the rearview mirror, and the only way is forward.
“Everything is behind us. We’re going forward. We don’t look back.”
UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs Cortez took place live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on July 13, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!