![Abdul Razak Alhassan (left) suffered a scary stoppage loss against Cesar Almeida (right) [Images courtesy: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/fdbf4-17383521562928-1920.jpg)
The UFC Vegas 101 event went down at the UFC's Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Jan. 11, 2025. It was the very first UFC main roster event of the 2025 calendar year, and it happened to feature -- what many believe -- is a potential knockout of the year contender.
Brazilian kickboxing savant Cesar Almeida staged a valiant comeback in his thrilling encounter against fellow KO artist Abdul Razak Alhassan. Given that Alhassan was the first to secure a knockdown in the fight and appeared to be on the verge of knocking out Almeida, only to get caught and put out cold, this particular stoppage is our pick for UFC KO of the month for January 2025.
UFC knockout of the month for January 2025: Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
Cesar Almeida extensively competed in kickboxing, even facing fellow kickboxing wizard Alex Pereira thrice in that sport. Almeida went 1-2 against 'Poatan' in as many matches. Many fans and experts acknowledged Almeida's striking skills, for not only having gone the distance with the fearsome Pereira but also having bested him once, under a kickboxing striking-centric ruleset nonetheless!
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Meanwhile, heading into his MMA bout against Almeida at UFC Vegas 101, Abdul Razak Alhassan was hailed as a dangerous striker in his own right. The Ghanaian boasts 12 victories as a professional MMA fighter, with all of them coming via KO/TKO. Though he's had his fair share of defeats, and even been knocked out, Alhassan has long been regarded as a skilled striker with devastating KO power.
Their middleweight match at UFC Vegas 101 was scheduled for three rounds, but it didn't even go past the first. The fight started with Alhassan attempting to mix things up, attempting a few takedowns. It's a common strategy that's used in MMA, especially against full-time boxers/kickboxers who transition to MMA, in order to make them wary of the takedown and open up striking opportunities.
It seemed to work well for Alhassan, who ended up landing some good punches, eventually knocking his Brazilian foe down with a thunderous right hand to the head. To his credit, Almeida defended well on the mat and tried his best to mitigate the impact of the ground and pound strikes he received.
The fight got back to the feet, and Alhassan aggressively pursued a knockout finish against the fence. Just when it seemed as though a win for the Ghanaian combatant was a foregone conclusion, Almeida unleashed a vicious left hook that KO'd Alhassan instantly. The fight was stopped at the 4:16-minute mark of round one, and Almeida was deemed the winner via KO.
Alhassan was out cold for some time, but he recovered, walked out of the octagon, and was reportedly taken to a hospital for a check-up. After the terrifying knockout loss, he subsequently took to Instagram and reassured the MMA community he was safe. Meanwhile, Almeida indicated that he'll recover from the fight, eventually resume training, and continue climbing the ladder in the 185-pound division.
Intriguingly, Almeida later posted a video to his Instagram handle, featuring the KO finish and some training drills he'd partaken in, wherein he'd sharpened his left hook on the pads.
Watch Almeida's KO win over Alhassan, and his left hook drill footage, in the video below:
