UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREDICTION: ABDUL RAZAK ALHASSAN VS JOSH FREMD

Saturday, October 12, 2024

06:00 PM EST

UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Streaming: ESPN+

UFC Fight Night 244 will have a middleweight division bout scheduled as the main card event. This bout will be between [#76 MW] Abdul Razak Alhassan and [#109 MW] Josh Fremd at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, United States. Both fighters are seeking a form of redemption since recording just two wins in five bouts with the last being a year ago. All odds are available via fightodds.io.

FIGHTERS BREAKDOWN

ABDUL RAZAK ALHASSAN

For eight years Abdul Alhassan has been under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotions and has had a fair share in terms of victories and losses. His professional record in the UFC reads six wins, six losses and one no contest. He suffered a heartbreak in his last fight which was held on July 13, 2024 against Cody Brundage. Alhassan was dominant in the early seconds of the first round but accidentally hit Cody in the back of the head, leading to a No Contest. Prior to this feat, he suffered a defeat to Joe Pyfer on a co-main event bout a year ago. He suffered a terrible loss against Jacob Malkoun on April 17 , 2021 via Unanimous Decision. His victory on November 19 2016 against Charlie Ward won him the Performance of the Night award. 

His Bellator MMA promotion record reads two wins against Matt Jones and Bryce Shepard-Mejia due to knockout by punches. During his spell in MMA, he was on Rocks Xtreme MMA 12, Rage in the Cage OKC 47, XKO 20 and Legacy FC 61. Various losses Alhassan recorded during his career were against Jacob Malkoun, Khaos Williams, Mounir Lazzez and Omari Akhmedov.

JOSH FREMD

Josh Fremd started his professional fighting career far back in 2017 at the Bellator MMA promotion. He then joined Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) and spent just a year there. During that spell he fought five times winning four and losing one. In 2022, he joined UFC and has won twice and lost four times. He is coming into this bout after suffering two consecutive defeats. His last fight was on July 13, 2024 in UFC where he faced Andre Petroski in a preliminary card fight and lost due to unanimous decision. He also lost to Roman Kopylov via a liver punch Technical Knockout. 

He fought thrice each in both 2021 and 2022 with more defeats coming in the latter. The two defeats suffered were against Tresean Gore due Guillotine choke submission in the second round and Anthony Hernandez via Unanimous Decision. The vacant LFA Vacant Middleweight Championship was up for grabs on May 21, 2021 but Fremd lost his chance to it after a defeat against Gregory Rodrigues via TKO by punches. At the Pinnacle FC 16  main event in 2018, He lost to Robert Gidron by unanimous decision. He also lost his GOTC Middleweight Championship belt to Dino Juklo. This was in the first round due to an Armbar submission. 

WHAT TO EXPECT?

Both fighters have a pedigree of creating a performance in this interesting match-up with a good striking ability. Alhassan is favored by the bookies while Fremd comes into this bout as an underdog.  Alhassan has twice weighted in above the contracted limit and recorded more losses in recent times. Both fighters are looking for their first wins since it has been over a year since they recorded one last. Fremd has also weighed-in above contracted limit once in his unanimous victory against Jamie Pickett. This is an open match-up with both fighters not having too many significant advantages to the other. Fremd has had more fights in two years consistently than the “Judo Thunder”. This means he will put up a show to not be taken down easily. Given also by height advantage getting a knockout in this bout would likely not be expected. Although Alhassan is older, he has recorded more success in UFC compared to Fremd. Mainly on this ground, I see him winning coupled with being favored by the bookies. I believe the judges will be the decisive factor in this fight.

EITHER BY SUBMISSION OR DECISION

FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE

Joshua Okeke

Joshua Okeke’s journey in sports writing began with lively debates about football’s greatest players, eventually leading to a career with top publications in the US and India. His work has been featured on the front pages of newspapers like Nordonia Hills, praised for its clarity and engagement. Specializing in SEO, sports analytics, video editing, and digital content management, he crafts articles that resonate with fans, simplifying complex topics. Committed to helping aspiring writers and promoting remote opportunities in journalism, he shares practical advice on LinkedIn while pursuing a master’s in Mining Geophysics.