LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 11: Cesar Almeida of Brazil defeats Abdul Razak Al of Ghana in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hit Hassan. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Middleweights Cesar Almeida and Abdul Razak Alhassan will face off on the main card of UFC Vegas 101 on Saturday, with the former kickboxing champion looking to improve his record to 3-1 under the UFC banner. was.
Almeida’s lighter MMA experience, coupled with his kickboxing prowess, made him a slight favorite over Alhassan, who has more than eight years of experience in the UFC.
Almeida pivoted on the outside early and landed a few solid leg kicks. Alhassan stepped forward, throwing wild right hands, but Almeida defended himself well. Almeida began to open up with kicks to the body and blocked Alhassan’s takedown attempts. Almeida stood in front of Alhassan for a moment and was clipped with a straight right that knocked him down. Almeida then scrambled to his feet and regained his composure. Alhassan moved forward to try to end the fight, but was met with a hard left hook that sent him called out.
One of the most violent knockouts I’ve ever seen, Alhassan was out for quite some time. The former GLORY kickboxer made a statement with this monster win over a true veteran of the sport. The fact that he regained his composure and landed the fatal knockout shot shows how patient and calm Almeida is. Almeida may have limited MMA experience, but he is extremely talented and has tremendous potential at 185 pounds.
In the post-fight interview, Almeida was overjoyed with his performance and expressed his desire to fight in Brazil. Look for Almeida to move up the rankings in 2025, as other kickboxing stars like Alex Pereira have crossed over to MMA and found great success.
Official results: Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan, round 1, 4:16 KO
