UFC Denver: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage Prediction, Pick and Odds

To kick off the main card of UFC Denver, middleweights Cody Brundage and Abdul Razak Alhassan will meet in the cage in a fight that is widely expected to end within minutes.

The crowd will likely be behind Brundage (10-4, 4-5 in UFC) as the local fighter coming off a showcase spot on the main card of UFC 300 against Bo Nickal. Though coming off a dominant loss to the biggest prospect in the division, Brundage entered that fight off back-to-back wins including a slam knockout of Zach Reese that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Regardless, Alhassan (12-6, 6-6 in UFC) will be the betting favorite despite being eight years older and competing for the first time since October 2023. 'Judo Thunder' will also enter the fight off a loss to a highly-touted prospect after being submitted by Joe Pyfer at UFC Vegas 80. As the literal definition of a knockout artist, Alhassan has won each of his victories by first or second-round knockout.

Track Jaren Kawada's daily picks and betting record on BetStamp here.

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage odds and round total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Moneyline:

• Abdul Razak Alhassan -170
• Cody Brundage +142

Total Rounds:

• 1.5 (Over +120/Under -154)

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage best bet

This fight is not expected to last long and there are very few ways in which it does. When Alhassan fights, he either wins by knockout in the first round or has tended to lose by decision, typically by getting out-wrestled.

Brundage has the wrestling ability to follow the game plan set by Jacob Malkoun and Joaquin Buckley to push a pace on the 38-year-old powerhouse but has only won one fight in his career by decision. Despite being a former collegiate wrestler, Brundage loves to engage in brawls almost as much as Alhassan does.

With nobody expecting the fight to last much more than a round, both fighter's strike totals are set extremely low. Alhassan's in particular is set at 19.5 on DraftKings, a number he has cleared just four times in 12 UFC fights (33 percent). Likewise, Brundage has only allowed 20 or more significant strikes twice through 10 fights in the UFC — a 20 percent clip.

Of the 12 knockouts in Alhassan's career, 11 have been in the first round with his only second-round finish coming 28 seconds into the frame. With this fight being in altitude, expect the Ghanaian's cardio to fall off even quicker, perhaps even by the end of the first round.

With the way Alhassan fights, he will almost certainly need an early knockout to leave Denver with a win. Brundage has been knocked out twice in the first round in the UFC and in both cases his opponents needed just 15 strikes to do so.

While Brundage's average fight time is just as short as Alhassan's, his wrestling is the only way this fight lasts longer than seven minutes. Even if that does happen, Alhassan will not be landing any significant strikes off his back. Asking a high-power, low-output fighter to land 20 significant strikes in a brawl in Denver altitude is asking for too much.

Prediction: Brundage by submission in round two

Best bet: Abdul Razak Alhassan Under 19.5 significant strikes

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.