UFC's Abdul Razak Alhassan vents on past sexual assault accusations: 'It f*cked me up mentally'

Simply over 4 years in the past, Abdul Razak Alhassan acquired a verdict that cleared his title of sexual assault allegations.

Listening to “not responsible” from a Texas jury was a large aid. Nevertheless, the UFC middleweight has struggled mentally with all the state of affairs as a result of it’s nonetheless hooked up to him regardless of being cleared of the costs. Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) admits that transferring previous the accusations has been tough because it has modified him as an individual and fighter.

“I actually don’t speak about this a lot, however there was a time in my life that some unhealthy accusation occurred to me, and I’m not going to lie, it f*cked me up mentally,” Alhassan began at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 59 media day (by way of Full Ship MMA). “I swear to God. All my fights, I attempt to come again and attempt to discover that ‘me.’ I couldn’t discover it, it doesn’t matter what I do.

“I’d be strolling in there, and I f*cking really feel ashamed. As a result of that’s the most evil, essentially the most disgusting factor you can connect. For any individual who – I’m a really prideful individual. To even have one thing to connect my title, it’s very disgusting. I attempted to neglect about it. I attempt to work on it mentally.”

Previous to coping with the authorized points, Alhassan was 10-1 as knowledgeable fighter, along with his lone loss coming within the UFC by cut up determination. He was extraordinarily assured, and constructed a three-fight successful streak of first-round knockouts within the UFC.

Then, every thing modified.

Alhassan was burdened by false accusations of rape two weeks after he knocked out Niko Value in September 2018. He wouldn’t return to the cage till July 2020, over three months after being cleared. When he returned, issues weren’t the identical. He misplaced three straight, together with lacking weight for the primary two. “Stuff simply went south,” as Alhassan put it.

In on a regular basis life, Alhassan has modified how he operates round girls. He says he now information every thing for his security and that his telephone is stuffed with audio recordings of interactions, even of essentially the most routine occasions.

“I report every thing, I swear to God,” Alhassan stated. “I stroll into an elevator proper now, and if a girl walks in that with me, I flip my digital camera on immediately. If I open my telephone, my audio proper now, I swear I’ve so many audios in my telephone as a result of I’m scared. I’m fearful of what’s going to occur. Somebody’s going to do the identical sh*t to me? I’m apprehensive.”

Alhassan returns to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver to tackle Cody Brundage. It’s a possibility to return to the win column after an October loss to Joe Pyfer. Though Alhassan misplaced to Pyfer, he believes the outing lastly bought issues again on monitor for him mentally, as he passionately vented his frustrations.

“In my head I used to be considering to myself, ‘I mounted myself. I mounted it,’” Alhassan stated. “However I swear to God, I by no means (did) till – I’ll thank Pyfer for that final combat. After all, I used to be injured for that final combat, however hey, you continue to should become profitable. And I got here in there, however after that combat, I really feel like that man made me discover that f*cking demon in me.

“That ‘f*ck every thing I’ve been fascinated about myself.’ I’m going to cry. I’m going to do something I’ve to do, however I’ll by no means surrender. And that is that f*cking time, I swear to God I can not wait to place my hand on this motherf*cker. I swear, all of the anger I’ve in me, all of the anger  – I’m going to unleash it on this motherf*cker, I swear to God. All of the revenge I didn’t get on these evil motherf*ckers, that revenge that the regulation didn’t permit me to get from that – these b*tches. I swear, I’m going to unleash it on this motherf*cker. I swear to God.”

Alhassan issued a warning to Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC), however later clarified he has no private points along with his upcoming opponent and wish to exit to eat or practice with him after they meet within the cage.

For Alhassan, it’s purely enterprise, and this combat is just one other a part of the method of overcoming the accusations that precipitated him a lot psychological trauma.

“I’m telling you this now, should you’re watching wherever the f*ck you’re, you higher kill me in that f*cking ring,” Alhassan stated. “You higher knock me the f*ck out that I can not transfer, however I swear to God, you’ll f*cking remorse that you just fought Razak, I swear to God. I’m going to unleash that f*cking demon in me.”

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