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Abdul Razak Alhassan took aim at opponent Cody Brundage on Sunday after their fight at UFC Denver was declared a no-contest due to illegal blows landed just seconds into the opening round.

The disappointing result came after Brundage rushed forward looking for an early takedown and Alhassan began unloading elbows and hammer fists in response. Referee Dan Miragliotta issued a warning almost immediately to Alhassan for landing blows to the back of the head in the rapid-fire sequence.

After Brundage adjusted and grabbed onto a leg, Alhassan landed several more elbow strikes with at least a couple more hitting the back of the head, which caused Miragliotta to pause the fight and issue another warning for the illegal blows. Unfortunately, Brundage was badly dazed from the strikes and after a few minutes trying to recover, he was still unable to continue and the fight was waved off.

Miragliotta ultimately declared the fight a no-contest due to “accidental” blows to the back of the head, but Alhassan isn’t buying that Brundage was actually that hurt.

“Sorry to all my fans, all my people,” Alhassan said in an Instagram Story on Sunday. “I wanted this bad. I wanted this win. I wanted this fight so bad. I have so much anger and so much energy in me right now that I wanted to use but I wasn’t able to use it. I guess today is a crazy day. [Donald] Trump got shot and I got robbed.

“I know definitely he could have continued. He just decided to be a p*ssy and didn’t want to fight anymore. It is what it is. I hope him a speedy recovery.”

Well known as a fast starter, Alhassan wasted no time bludgeoning Brundage with strikes as soon as the fight got started. However, with Brundage going for a takedown, his head was buried near the canvas, which left Alhassan little room to throw accurate strikes that weren’t illegal. While not every shot went to the back of the head, enough landed illegally that Miragliotta had no choice but to take action..

When Brundage was unable to continue, Miragliotta consulted with other referees and officials at cageside before ultimately deciding on a no-contest.

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Tracy Cortez had a big task in front of her with a short-notice main event bout against former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night Denver.

Though she managed to go the distance, Cortez was largely dominated from the opening minute of the contest, going on to lose via unanimous decision.

While coming up on the short end and not getting the result she’d hoped for left a better sting, Cortez told ESPN MMA’s Megan Olivi that she felt proud of being able to last a full five rounds with someone as highly regarded as Namajunas.

Cortez added that perhaps the fight could have played out differently with a full fight camp.

“I took it on two weeks’ notice, unprepared,” Cortez said. “I gave it all I have. I know if I were to have had a full camp, prepared…I mean, my cardio was there. I think I would have done a lot better with a good gameplan.

“But I think I proved myself tonight that I can go full fives [rounds]. Looking forward to the next one,” Cortez added.

Tracy Cortez Feels Early Pacing Of Self May Have Cost Her Fight

Cortez was dropped early into the first round, with Namajunas putting on a beautiful striking display. The #11-ranked contender tried to battle back in the second round with her grappling skills, but Namajunas’ strikes remained on point and she showed her grappling ability in the third to counter Cortez.

The late-notice replacement fighter looked for a mountain of offense in the fifth round, but it wasn’t enough.

“Because it was five fives, I was really trying to pace myself the first and second round,” Cortez said. “I just realized…give it all I have. It’s all or nothing. I think I waited a little too long to really push it on her.”

Cortez isn’t letting this loss deter her, however. She wants to use this experience and get back into the cage as soon as possible.

“Last time I fought, I went on a killer streak,” Cortez noted. “I’m not here to prove [to] the world, I’m here to prove [to] myself.”

• Read More: 4 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez

Continue Reading Tracy Cortez Gives First Reaction To Rose Namajunas Loss At UFC Fight Night Denver: ‘If I Had A Full Camp…’ at MMA News.

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Conor McGregor just passed three years out of action with the anniversary of his last fight against Dustin Poirier happening back in July 2021 and there’s still no word on when he may compete again.

Of course, the Irish superstar was supposed to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June but he dropped out of the fight after revealing that he suffered a broken toe in sparring. McGregor later stated that unlike the past when he fought through similar injuries, he refused to risk performing at less than 100 percent in his first fight back after suffering a horrific broken leg in that matchup against Poirier.

Because time keeps ticking away, McGregor’s continued absence has provided a lot of skepticism about whether or not he’ll actually fight again. Former PFL champion Brendan Loughnane, who spent several weeks training with McGregor this past year, promises there’s no question that the Irish superstar will eventually make his return.

“Of course, he wants to fight,” Loughnane told The MMA Hour. “Money doesn’t matter to Conor. Conor is an out and out scrapper. Conor just wants to fight. I was in the training room with him, four to six weeks whatever it was, training everyday. Fighting each other. This guy is hungry for it.

“He doesn’t have to do this now. He’s touching billionaire status. He’s doing this out of the love of the sport. The guy loves it through and through. He’s a martial artist. He wakes up everyday, this is what lights the fire inside people like him and me.”

As far as pulling out of his bout in June with the broken pinky toe, McGregor has faced plenty of criticism for bowing out rather than fighting through the injury.

Loughnane couldn’t disagree more, especially given McGregor’s long history in the UFC where he’s taken more than a few fights when he was banged up, bruised or dealing with some kind of injury that could have easily led to his removal from a card.

Actually taking a step back and realizing that he shouldn’t fight compromised after three years away from the sport shows that McGregor is approaching his return the right way.

“The fact that he got the injury and he pulled out shows me he’s in a good place,” Loughnane explained. “Because it’s like going through these fights injured, he’s done it before, it’s well documented he’s done it plenty of times before. Do it when you’re healthy. There’s so much on the line now. Do it while you’re healthy. Let it heal up.

“It’s well documented that he’s done it so many times with very, very bad injuries. It’s even the knees, the leg, he’s gone in there. I’m glad that he did it, showing maturity and I can’t wait for his comeback.”

Loughnane initially connected with McGregor when they were both in Dubai but it turns out there was a planned reunion that was supposed to happen prior to UFC 303.

Unfortunately, McGregor’s injury nixed those plans but Loughnane welcomes the chance to train with him again if he gets the call.

“I was supposed to fly there the next day straight from my [fight] with one of his coaches,” Loughnane revealed. “We were getting on the flight, booking flights, we were going to get on the first flight at 6 a.m. out from Sioux Falls straight to Vegas to the fight and then obviously it didn’t happen. I’m really looking forward to that comeback.

“I’m here in the U.K. now. I’m only a short flight to Ireland. Me and John [Kavanagh] have a great relationship. Me and his other coach, we have a fantastic relationship, his camera man, I know the whole team training and I am always up [for it]. Why would I not be up for training with Conor McGregor? He rings me or messages me, and I’ll be a part of it. I’ve got my own camp coming up. I always need hungry bodies myself so it would be great.”

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Tracy Cortez left it all in the octagon on Saturday night as she suffered her first loss in the UFC after falling to Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision in a five-round fight.

A couple of weeks ago, Cortez was preparing for a completely different fight against Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 94 on July 20, but she wasted no time accepting a short-notice offer to save the UFC Denver main event after Maycee Barber was forced off the card due to health issues. Despite very little time to prepare, Cortez still managed to go all 25 minutes with a two-time strawweight champion in Namajunas, who has now won two straight fights at fyweight.

Cortez was after much more than a moral victory.

“I took it on a two-week notice unprepared and I gave it all I had,” Cortez said during the UFC post-fight show. “I know if I were to have a full camp, prepared, I mean my cardio was there, I think I would have been a lot better.

“We had a good game plan but I think I proved myself tonight that I can go five [five-minute rounds]. Looking forward to the next one.”

When the fight first started, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz noted that Cortez was a strong wrestler and that could play a part in her game plan to negate Namajunas’ speed and skill on the feet. While she did score an early takedown, Cortez actually found herself planted on the ground several times by Namajunas during the five-round fight.

It turns out Cortez actually suffered an injury in the fight that made grappling a tougher struggle than she initially anticipated, but she offered no excuses to take away from Namajunas’ victory.

“I hurt my toe, no excuses, I know it was kind of hard for me to get up,” Cortez said. “But I was pretty upset that she took me down the way she did.”

Cortez, who actually chopped off about six-inches of her hair to make weight on Friday, also admitted that because she was fighting in a main event in the UFC for the first time and doing it on short notice that she wanted to make sure she had enough in reserve for all five rounds.

Looking back, that led to a slower start than what she wanted and that ultimately allowed Namajunas to settle into her own rhythm, which included a knockdown in the opening round.

“I was trying because it was five [five-minute rounds], I was really trying to pace myself the first and second round,” Cortez said. “I just realized, this is give it all I have. It’s all or nothing. I think I waited a little too long to really push it on her.”

In the end, Cortez lost a unanimous decision on the scorecards, but she gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge that she’ll undoubtedly carry forward in her career.

She expects the setback to be temporary with hopes that the UFC will find her another fight sooner rather than later so she can wash the bad taste of defeat from her mouth.

“I want to get right back in there,” Cortez said. “The last time I fought I went on a killer streak. I want to prove myself again. I’m not here to prove to the world, I’m here to prove myself.”

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Doubt
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The names involved may not be recognized by most western audiences, but fight fans might want to start getting familiar with Ryuki Matsuda.

The 18-year-old kickboxer cut his teeth on the amateur circuit in Japan, fighting dozens of times and winning most of those bouts. He turned professional in 2021, quickly racking up an 11-0 professional record before opting to transition into the rules of Muay Thai. His first Muay Thai match came against fellow Japanese kickboxer Issei Ishii and resulted in a draw.

Despite the draw, Matsuda took a major step up the ladder in his second match, challenging Rajadamnern Stadium Bantamweight (118 lbs) champion Khunsueklek (81-7-3) in his second Muay Thai match. The Rajadamnern Stadium Title is one of the most prestigious straps in Muay Thai. Khunsueklek is just 18 years of age himself, but the Thai champion entered his second title defense riding a 41-fight win streak and was ranked highly on pound-for-pound lists.

Matsuda’s movement and power punching proved too much for the more experienced champion, however, resulting in a second-round knockout win for the Japanese talent. It’s a stunning upset win and likely just the beginning of a very decorated combat sports career from the young kickboxer.

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