Abdul Razak Alhassan is still fuming in the aftermath of his no contest with Cody Brundage at UFC Denver, and wants to run it back.
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] is still fuming in the aftermath of his no contest with [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 59, and he wants to run it back.
After Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) rocked Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) early in the first round of their middleweight bout on Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver, he followed up with an onslaught of strikes, two of which were deemed as illegal and to the back of the head by referee Dan Miragliotta.
Brundage was unable to continue after his five-minute recovery period, and the fight was ruled a no contest. That came much to the dismay of Alhassan, who insists there was no more than one illegal shot in the sequence, and said Brundage turned his head into it while fishing for a desperation takedown.
“I’m still pissed off about it,” Alhassan told John Morgan of Grind City Media. “Of course in that kind of situation where he’s turning and I’m trying to get my shots in – and even when I watched the video, it was only one time. And even that one was questionable when it hit him. I feel that guy, sorry for my curse, he just became a p*ssy. He decided, ‘I don’t want to fight any more. I don’t want to do it.'”
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Alhassan, 38, claims that he saw one of Brundage’s coaches from Elevation Fight Team urge him to choose not to continue during the recovery window, but not identify who. He ultimately thinks Brundage was trying to work himself into a disqualification win, citing what happened in his September bout with Jacob Malkoun at UFC Fight Night 228.
According to Alhassan, he is contemplating filing an appeal with the Colorado commission to have the no contest overturned to a win, but has not made any final decisions.
More than anything, Alhassan just wants to fight, and he will take any opponent on any date. He explained pre-fight that he has much rage to get out of his system after personal issues, and if he can get a rematch with Brundage, he has no shortage of motivation.
“I really want to contest this so bad (with the commission), but even if I don’t contest it, I want him back right away,” Alhassan said. “Let’s run it back and put a f*cking hole in his face.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
The UFC has now issued more than $4 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance to its fighters in 2024 after UFC Denver.
DENVER – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 59 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $180,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN 59 took place at Ball Arena in Colorado. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 59 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $31,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-59 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
A few strikes from Abdul Razak Alhassan went to the back of Cody Brundage’s head, leading to a quick no contest at UFC on ESPN 59.
The UFC on ESPN 59 main card opener between [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] ended quickly, but not in the manner anyone anticipated.
On paper, the middleweight bout promised to produce an explosive result as the dangerous striker Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) clashed styles with the aggressive wrestling of Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC). Indeed, the fight ended just 37 seconds into the fight, but as a no contest due to accidental illegal elbows.
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After referee Dan Miragliotta signalled for the fight to begin, the fighters touched gloves, and Brundage immediately shot in for a takedown. Alhassan countered with hard punches and elbows, rocking Brundage early. Brundage held on to the single leg as he scrambled to complete the takedown, trying to avoid damaging blows.
A few of Alhassan’s strikes went to the back of the head, for which he received warnings from Miragliotta. After another illegal shot landed in the heat of the intense moment, the referee paused the fight. Brundage was given time to recover, but could not continue.
Alhassan’s elbows were deemed accidental, likely because he was moving and actively defending a takedown while landing, and therefore the fight was declared a no contest.
Both fighters entered the contest seeking to avenge losses in their previous bouts.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 59 results include:
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ends in a no contest (accidental illegal elbows) – Round 1, 0:37
Check out the best photos from Abdul Razak Alhassan’s no contest with Cody Brundage at UFC on ESPN 59.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]’s no contest with [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver. (Fight and venue photos by Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports)
Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan could produce an explosive finish to kick off the UFC on ESPN 59 main card. Who will it be?
[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 59 from Ball Arena in Denver. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 2-2 UFC main cards, 2024: 54-51-2
Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan UFC on ESPN 59 preview
With a win here, Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) will avenge a loss to the highly-touted Bo Nickal, and also get back to .500 in his UFC tenure. Prior to the UFC 300 loss to Nickal, Brundage built steam with back-to-back first-round submissions of Jacob Malkoun and Zach Reese. … Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is also coming off a loss to a rising middleweight star in Joe Pyfer. Alhassan has traded wins and losses over his past four fights as he has struggled to build momentum.
Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan UFC on ESPN 59 expert pick, prediction
Despite having a perfect main-card opener like Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva, the UFC matchmakers opted to kick off this high-elevation main card with a couple of middleweights with suspect stamina and staying power.
Although this fight between Alhassan and Brundage is favored to finish inside the distance, I feel like this fight could easily turn into a slow and grueling slop fest if these guys can’t get to their games early.
I don’t disagree with Alhassan being favored and could see him getting a finish over Brundage early given that he’s the cleaner striker. That said, I suspect the wrestling dynamic could provide Brundage with some equalizers that help open up his offense.
You can’t be too confident backing either party here, but I’ll reluctantly take a flier on the underdog Brundage to force a stoppage by strikes in round 3.
Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan UFC on ESPN 59 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are siding with the former welterweight, listing Alhassan -170 and Brundage +138 via FanDuel.
Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan UFC on ESPN 59 start time, how to watch
As the featured bout, Brundage and Alhassan are expected to make their walks to the cage at approximately 10:05 p.m. ET (8:05 p.m. local time in Denver). The fight airs on ESPN and streams live on ESPN+.
Cody Brundage is the biggest underdog at UFC 300 – and the biggest underdog in UFC history. He’s not intimidated.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] is the biggest underdog at UFC 300. For that matter, he’s the biggest underdog in UFC history.
But as far as Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is concerned, ahead of the biggest opportunity of his career in an opening spot on the main card, Bo Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) might be a big middleweight prospect – but he’s still just another man.
“The odds are what they are, but sometimes I feel like it’s just more a narrative of what people think,” Brundage said at Wednesday’s media day ahead of the card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “At the end of the day, Bo Nickal’s never been hit – so for him to be that kind of favorite, it just seems insane to me. Obviously I’m a little biased, but that seems pretty wild. I know people think he’s like the second coming of Jesus Christ in MMA, but I just don’t see it.”
Online betting odds for Nickal range from 20-1 to 30-1. To put that in perspective, Amanda Nunes was around a 12-1 favorite when she was upset by Julianna Peña in 2021.
You can watch Brundage’s full media day session in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Cody Brundage defended his placement on the UFC 300 main card against Bo Nickal, who has just five MMA fights.
[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] is in an interesting position.
He’s about a week out from the biggest opportunity of his MMA career: a spot on the UFC 300 main card against a highly touted wrestling standout who will go into the fight as one of the biggest betting favorites in UFC history.
Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) opens the UFC 300 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Bo Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is about a 25-1 favorite in the middleweight fight – and can be found as much as 30-1 at one online sportsbook.
But he also thinks even if he pulls off what would be a historic upset, the focus still will be on Nickal.
“No matter what, you won’t ever prove those people wrong (who think I don’t deserve it),” Brundage told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ll go knock out Bo Nickal in the first round and everybody will be like, ‘Well, Bo was just too green. He didn’t have the experience. It was a fluke. There’ll be a ton of reasons. It won’t be that ‘Cody Brundage is way better than we thought … Cody Brundage is the next champ. Cody Brundage is’ all these things that they’re saying about Bo Nickal now. It’ll be more, ‘Well, it was a fluke’ or ‘Bo Nickal isn’t as good as we thought.’ I kind of am at peace with that. What other people say and the odds and things like that, it doesn’t really bother me. It doesn’t really influence my motivation.”
Brundage acknowledged the elite college wrestler is the reason their fight is on the main card, and that his popularity in his prior athletic pursuits help the cause of his placement on the pay-per-view ahead of the likes of former champion Jiri Prochazka, former champ Aljamain Sterling and the UFC debut of two-time PFL winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
Their placement has drawn the ire of a segment of the MMA fan base that thinks a card as prestigious as UFC 300, with as much star power as it has, features matchups more deserving of a main card slot. Even UFC lead play-by-play voice Jon Anik said the interest in Nickal seems to bear it out, and Brundage seems to agree.
“I know I’m on the main card. I could joke and be like, ‘You know, I carried Bo Nickal to the UFC 300 main card.’ But I know that’s not the case,” Brundage said. “I know he’s the reason we’re on the main card. I’m happy to be on the main card, obviously. All the fans complaining, at the end of the day, what that means is you get one fight that you really want to watch (for free), because if our fight sucks so bad it shouldn’t be on the main card, that means one fight that you think should be on the main card, you’re going to get for free.”
Brundage said Nickal might be experiencing the same phenomenon recently seen when Alex Pereira made the transition from elite kickboxer to MMA. He quickly rose up to beat Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title and now holds the light heavyweight belt.
Pereira headlines UFC 300 in a 205-pound title defense against former champ Jamahal Hill.
“I do think (Nickal) has a lot of star power,” Brundage said. “… Bo’s kind of similar to (Pereira). He has a ton of prestige and it’s a big following from his success in college wrestling, and those guys are going to tune in and watch him when he’s fighting. He had a huge following, and that always is what the UFC cares about. They want eyes on their pay-per-view. They want people to buy.
“Kayla Harrison-Holly Holm, that’s a great fight – former champ vs. other organization’s champ and Olympic champion. But if you ask me who’s going to get more eyes, Kayla Harrison or Bo Nickal, I think it’s probably going to be Bo Nickal. At the end of the day, it’s a business decision, and I think the lineup they put up for the main card is what they think would get the most buys.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Bo Nickal’s UFC 300 card placement has changed ever so slightly.
The UFC 300 bout order has been tweaked ever so slightly, but the change involves perhaps the most highly-debated initial placement.
During the UFC Fight Night 239 broadcast Saturday, the promotion announced [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] will now open the April 13 main card at T-Mobile Arena. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] will follow directly thereafter.
The change comes seven days after the promotion first revealed the full fight card bout order during the UFC 299 main card broadcast March 9. The initial order had Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) above Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) vs. Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), which sparked much discussion and debate among fans.
Brundage took the influx of online messages in stride, as he tweeted “Y’all mother f*ckers know I just work here, right?” Meanwhile, Nickal voiced confidence in the placement by saying his presence increases pay-per-view buys.
Y’all mother fuckers know I just work here, right? 😂 😂
Chael Sonnen expected better matchmaking for Bo Nickal’s next fight.
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] expected better matchmaking for [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s next fight.
Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) opened up as a whopping -1450 favorite in his upcoming fight against [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“In Bo’s last contest, he was a 24-1 favorite,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “It represented the biggest disparity, the biggest (betting) line, in the history of the UFC. Let’s look at numbers.
“Bo Nickal is 27 years old. He’s had five fights. His longest fight went 2 minutes and 40 something seconds. We’ve now got him in another fight on (UFC 300). He’s a 14-1 favorite. Now, 14-1 favorite is about half as big of a favorite as he was in his last fight, but I can assure you he will be the biggest favorite on the card.”
Sonnen pointed to Khamzat Chimaev, Conor McGregor and Brock Lesnar as examples of stars who have been fast tracked to the top. With Nickal a massive favorite once again, Sonnen questions why he isn’t getting the same treatment.
“Why are we doing this? There is no reason to do this fight,” Sonnen said. “I’m just trying to understand. Is this a numbers situation? Do we need to get Bo X amount of fights before he goes in for a title? Do we need to get Bo X amount of fights before he goes into a top-five (matchup)? Do we need to get him X amount of fights before he goes into a rankings match?”
Nickal landed on the UFC’s historic 300th pay-per-view event – a card UFC CEO Dana White promised would be stacked top to bottom. In his two UFC fights, Nickal opened up the pay-per-view main card, but Sonnen wonders where he’ll be placed for UFC 300.
“If he’s not put on the main card, we’re going to have to look around and go, ‘What are we doing it for?'” Sonnen said. “Why would we do a squash match, according to the oddsmakers, with an undefeated star who’s 27 years young against Cody Brundage on an undercard?”
Cody Brundage thinks Bo Nickal is worthy of all the hype and massive favorite status at UFC 300 but likes his chances at an upset.
[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] had a gut feeling his next fight would be against [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] at UFC 300, so when the offer officially came through, he was all about it.
Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is arguably the most highly touted prospect in all of MMA. The former three-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion has had high expectations placed on him since his professional debut less than three years ago, and so far he’s delivered by finishing every opponent, including four in 62 seconds or less.
Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) will be the next test, because he will fight Nickal in a middleweight bout at the historic UFC 300 event, which takes place April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
The Factory X fighter represents the most successful UFC opponent Nickal has faced to date. Brundage knows for a fact that Nickal hasn’t shared the octagon with someone who has seen and done what he has, and given he’s fresh off a slam knockout win over another unbeaten Dana White Contender Series veteran in Zach Reese earlier this month, all the confidence is there.
“Part of it is the same as the guy I just fought – he’d never been in a real scrap,” Brundage told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “He’d just kind of steamrolled everybody that he’d ever fought, and I feel like once you get into that first real fight, it’s different. You’ve got to figure some things out about yourself. Bo doesn’t even know the fighter he is right now. He’s a hammer, and he’s really good. He’s talented. I take nothing away from the kid. I think he’s a good fighter, and he’s done exactly what he should do against the people that he’s fought, but I feel like I’m far and away the toughest test of his career.
“I come from a wrestling background. Obviously I’m not a three-time Division I national wrestling champion, but I come from a wrestling background. I’ve been through the college grind of wrestling, and I’ve had success at the highest level. He’s never even been cracked, really. You don’t know who you are as a fighter. You don’t know how you’ll respond, because it’s never happened. It’s my job to put him there and see how he responds. I was able to do it with this last kid. I think I’ll be able to do it with Bo. I’ve fought some really talented, scary dudes. Some dangerous dudes, and no one’s really run me over yet, and I don’t think Bo’s going to be the first to do it.”
How ‘championship level’ is Nickal?
Brundage, 29, said his primary goal For UFC 300 is to figure out the unknowns about Nickal’s game. If that happens, he believes the desired result will come with it.
Nickal, 27, has faced minimal resistance from any of his opponents this early in his career nor has he encountered any type of adversity. His accomplishments in MMA don’t align with the high regard some people hold him in, and for Brundage, that’s a perfect situation.
“For me, when I look at the fight, you’re talking about a guy with championship-level clout around his name,” Brundage said. “He’s got the clout of a UFC champion without the skills. His wrestling is obviously next level. His wrestling is championship level. But I wouldn’t say his jiu-jitsu is championship level. I wouldn’t say his striking is championship level. We don’t know if his chin is championship level. We don’t know if his cardio is. There’s a lot unanswered.
“So, for me, when they called for the fight, you’re talking about a championship-level fight, in terms of attention and clout, with a guy who doesn’t have those skills necessarily.”
Betting odds misleading?
Although Brundage sees a path to victory and potential opportunities to exploit his next opponent, the oddsmakers don’t hold the same belief in his chances of putting the first blemish on Nickal’s record.
Nickal opened as a gigantic -1450 betting favorite for UFC 300, but Brundage isn’t fazed by the odds. He understands it, in fact, but expects the fight will be far more competitive than the line indicates.
“I feel like that’s the lowest (favorite) he’s been so far, so I guess kudos to me,” Brundage said. “I don’t think it’s disrespectful. I think I haven’t done a great job necessarily of showing my full potential in the fight. I’m getting there. I’m figuring it out. I think when I get there, people will look back and be like, ‘Wow, these odds were crazy.’ But for what it is right now, I feel like the odds make sense. I’m very confident in my ability to win the fight and the things I bring to the table.
“I think it’s the smallest favorite he’s been, and I’ve been the underdog in every single one of my UFC fights except for one. So this will be my ninth fight, and I’ve been the underdog in eight of them, so I’m pretty comfortable in that role. I’m not worried about it. I feel like it makes the story even better for me.”
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The time is now
In the big picture, Brundage said there’s no better time to get this fight. Nickal has stated in multiple interviews over the past year that everyone at 185 pounds should be pushing to fight him as soon as possible because he’s only going to improve moving forward.
Brundage agrees with that sentiment. He thinks now is the most likely time Nickal will take a loss, and he relishes the chance to give it to him.
“Do I want to fight him now, or do I want to fight him five years from now when he has five years to figure out those things and to get to that championship level and be through the fire a little bit?” Brundage said. “Like no, I want to fight him now and be the first one to do that to him. Because I feel like all those things are advantages to me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
