Middleweights Cesar Almeida and Abdul Razak Alhassan threw down on the UFC Vegas 101 main card on Saturday, with former kickboxing champ Almeida looking to improve to 3-1 under the UFC banner.
While Almeida’s MMA experience was on the lighter side, adding in his kickboxing prowess, he was a slight favorite over Alhassan, who had over eight years experience in the UFC.
Almeida circled early on the outside landing a few solid leg kicks. Alhassan pressed forward throwing wild right hands but Almeida protected himself well. Almeida started opening up with kicks to the body, before defending a takedown attempt from Alhassan. Almeida briefly stood in front of Alhassan and got clipped with a straight right hand, knocking him down. Almeida then scrambled to his feet and regained his composure. Alhassan pushed forward trying to finish the fight and ran into a viscous left hook that knocked him out cold.
One of the most violent knockouts you’ll ever see, Alhassan was out for a considerable amount of time. The former Glory kickboxer made a statement with this monster win over a true veteran of the sport. Regaining his composure and landing a lethal knockout shot shows just how patient and composed Almeida is on the feet. Almeida may have limited experience in MMA but he is massively talented and has tremendous potential at 185 pounds.
In his post fight interview Almeida was elated with his performance and expressed a desire to fight in Brazil. With other kickboxing stars like Alex Pereira crossing over to MMA with massive success, look out for Almeida to rise up the rankings in 2025.
Official Result: Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan by KO, Round 1, 4:16
