The UFC Vegas 67 card saw some huge changes made to it. The main event fight between Kelvin Gastelum and Nassourdine Imavov had to be scrapped just days ahead of the event. Sean Strickland had to be called up as a late replacement after Gastelum withdrew due to injury. However, the main event for the prelims, Claudio Ribeiro vs Abdul Razak Alhassan will proceed as scheduled.
This is set to be an exciting end to the prelims card and a good crowd warmer for the main card. Abdul Razak Alhassan is a UFC journeyman with a 1:1 win-loss record in the UFC. In his 10 UFC fights, he has won 5 and lost 5.
Ribeiro vs. Alhassan#UFCVegas67 pic.twitter.com/HZdndhu7rZ
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On the other hand, his opponent Claudio Ribeiro will be making his debut in the UFC. He earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Ribeiro joins fighters like Sean O’Malley and Kevin Holland in doing so. The Brazilian has a 10-2 professional MMA record, having knocked out Ivan Valenzuela on DWCS.
Ribeiro vs Alhassan head to head stats
Stats | Claudio Ribeiro | Abdul Razak Alhassan |
Wins | 10 | 11 |
Losses | 2 | 5 |
Height | 1.85 m | 1.78 m |
Division | Middleweight (185lbs) | Middleweight (185lbs) |
Reach | 1.96 m | 1.85 m |
Age | 30 | 37 |
Ribeiro vs Alhassan fight breakdown
Claudio Ribeiro has all the momentum behind him. With a perfect left hook knockout on the Contender Series under his belt, he is riding high. Ribeiro has good striking with good power. He is primarily a boxer who likes to push forward and has decent conditioning. He has finished 4 of his last 5 fights in the first round.
Whereas, Alhassan is a well-rounded fighter with high punching power and at times, low output. Alhassan has good grappling and takedowns but on the flip side, his takedown defense has been atrocious at times. However, he is very dangerous on his feet. All of his finishes have been due to strikes, proving just how explosive he can be.
This fight will ultimately come down to what game plan the fighters implement. With a 3′ height and 4′ reach advantage, Ribeiro should be able to find success on the feet. However, that doesn’t mean Alhassan and his power should be counted out.
Who will be the winner at UFC Vegas 67?
This fight seems like a good first test for Claudio Ribeiro as he makes his UFC debut. A wily veteran, Alhassan surely has a leg up on Ribeiro in terms of experience. He recently went the distance with Joaquin Buckley, narrowly losing a split decision. Buckley is one of the best, unranked middleweights in the UFC and is certainly no slouch in the cage.
However, if Ribeiro is able to employ his height and reach advantage well, staying on the outside and being elusive, he should be able to mitigate some of Alhassan’s power. On the other hand, if Alhassan manages to close the distance well and get Ribeiro to the ground, he should be able to win the bout decisively.
Alhassan, though, has been known to stand and trade with his opponents sometimes. And doing this with Ribeiro, who has a size and reach advantage will not end well. If Ribeiro can also mix in some takedowns during the bout, he should have no problems coming away with the win. He must stay wary of Alhassan’s grappling though. All in all, Alhassan does have more tools to win. However, his tendency to stand and trade along with his bad takedown defense ultimately skews this fight toward Ribeiro.
Prediction: Claudio Ribeiro to win via KO/TKO