Abdul Razak Alhassan attacked opponent Cody Brundage on Sunday after their UFC Denver bout was declared a no contest due to an illegal strike just seconds into the first round.
The disappointing result came after Brundage lunged for an early takedown and Alhassan began responding with elbows and hammerfists. Referee Dan Miragliotta quickly issued a warning after Alhassan landed a flurry of blows to the back of the head.
After Brundage shifted and grabbed a leg, Alhassan landed several more elbows, at least two of which landed in the back of the head, forcing Miragliotta to stop the fight and issue another warning for illegal striking. Unfortunately, Brundage was so severely knocked unconscious by the blows that after several minutes of trying to recover he was still unable to continue, and the bout was called off.
Miragliotta ultimately declared the bout a no contest due to an “accidental” blow to the back of the head, but Alhassan doesn't believe Brundage was actually that injured.
“I'm sorry to all the fans and everyone involved,” Alhassan said in an Instagram Story on Sunday. “I really wanted this fight. I really wanted this fight. Right now I have so much anger and energy that I wanted to use but couldn't. It's a crazy day.” [Donald] Trump got shot and I got robbed.
“He definitely could have continued the fight, but he just decided to be an idiot and not want to fight anymore. That's the way it is. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Known as a fast starter, Alhassan quickly overwhelmed Brundage with strikes as the bout began, but when Brundage attempted a takedown, his head was buried close to the canvas, giving Alhassan little room to land accurate, legal strikes. While not all of the shots landed on the back of the head, there were enough of them that Miragliotta was forced to take action.
When Brundage was unable to continue, Miragliotta conferred with the other cageside judges and officials and ultimately made the decision to call the bout a no contest.
