MMA Preview – Joe Pyfer vs Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night 229
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JOE PYFER VS ABDUL RAZAK ALHASSAN FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 229? Saturday 7th October, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 229? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 229? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 229 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 229? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
JOE PYFER VS ABDUL RAZAK ALHASSAN LOWDOWN
Joe Pyfer (11-2) returns to stamp his name on the middleweight map. He first appeared on the Contender Series when he suffered that gross elbow dislocation after Dustin Stolzfus (2020) slammed him on it. He returned for another shot against Osman Diaz (2022) and TKO’d him in the second round to set up his debut against Alen Amedovski (2022). He made light work of him knocking him out of the UFC. He returned in April this year to string together his fourth knockout in a row since the elbow injury putting Gerald Meerschaert away in the first round.
Now, he faces fellow knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-5). He has been very inconsistent in his UFC career going 6-5 but when he has been on, he has been a destroyer. In fact, all of his wins have come via first-round knockout besides his latest second-round knockout over Claudio Ribeiro back in January. That came after a split decision loss to Joaquin Buckley (2022) and now he would love to build a streak.
JOE PYFER VS ABDUL RAZAK ALHASSAN PREDICTION
If Alhassan was able to pace himself and use his high-level judo to set up his power shots or at least a takedown, he could threaten most fighters in the division. However, he only relies on his hands and if he does not land an early knockout, he will lose a decision.
We can see him adopting his usual strategy here. Pyfer is also explosive and very aggressive. Alhassan will be waiting for him to rush in and unleash hell with his hands.
However, this is not a great stylistic match-up for Alhassan. Pyfer is also a very strong wrestler and we expect him to press forward and throw bombs, but use his striking to set up the takedown.
An early Alhassan knockout is always worth a punt when he is such a heavy underdog, but Pyfer should get this done with the help of his wrestling and may even hand the Ghanaian his first submission loss.
Prediction: Pyfer via Submission
Value bet: Alhassan via KO/TKO
