Razak Al-Hassan has a plan he wants to put in motion. To do so, the hard-hitting 28-year-old has decided to make it happen in the Maximum Fighting Championship.
Fresh from signing an exclusive four-fight deal, Al-Hassan (10-2) has agreed to make his debut at MFC 27: Breaking Point in a showdown against crowd-favorite Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis (12-5). The fight will be one of the featured bouts on the HDNet-televised main card of the event slated for Friday, November 12 at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta.
Al-Hassan, who trains under Duke Roufus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been searching for the right platform to showcase his talents and desire to succeed. “Razor” feels that finally the search is, at long last, over with and now it’s his time to shine.
“The MFC is one of the best organizations anywhere and I’m coming there to establish my legacy in this sport and to become one of the best 205-pounders around,” said Al-Hassan.
First and foremost when it comes to building that legacy is for Al-Hassan to be the kind of fighter he wants to be. It’s a unique blend of strategy and explosiveness.
“Being in this sport it’s an opportunity to be exciting. It’s not just good enough to win and not be exciting,” he explained. “That doesn’t do anything for the sport and it doesn’t do anything for the fans. Look at a guy like Jon Fitch. He’s a good fighter but he’s not exciting. Personally I don’t want to watch that guy fight.
“You’ve got to find the right balance between putting on a good show, being someone the fans want to watch fight. You don’t want to be reckless but you don’t want to be too cautious either and just win. I think I’ve found that balance and everyone – me and the fans – are going to walk away happy.”
Al-Hassan is not only proud of what he’s already accomplished and what’s to come in his career, but he is also steadfastly proud of heritage. His parents moved to the United States from Ghana to pursue their own education, and Al-Hassan was born into a home with strong values. A visit to his parents’ home country in 2003 reaffirmed Al-Hassan’s strong support system.
“It was a great experience,” he recalled. “The majority of my family is still there – uncles, aunts, cousins. It was really important for me to do that. I’m proud of what my parents did and proud what we’ve done.”
Al-Hassan’s growth as a fighter since turning pro in late 2006 would reach its ultimate peak with a title in the MFC. That is not just part of Al-Hassan’s legacy plan but a mission he intends on completing with astounding results.
“To hold the first title of my career in the MFC would be huge,” he said. “I want to go through my opponents in the same dominating style that someone like Antonio McKee has – only be a little more exciting, but to have that same kind of reign. I’m confident with everything I’m going to do that when it’s all said and done I’m going to be one of the best 205-pounders ever.
“This is the right platform for me to do it. I’m going to be able to showcase myself perfectly in the MFC and on HDNet. It’s a great shot for me.”
Al-Hassan is a winner of three straight fights with seven of his 10 career wins coming inside the first round. Seven of Al-Hassan’s victories have come via submission including four by rear-naked choke.
Lewis has won eight of his last nine fights and rebounded from a loss to Emanuel Newton by demolishing Mike Nickels in just 1:30 at MFC 26. Eight of Lewis’s 12 victories have come by KO/TKO including the fight that pushed him into the upper echelon of the division – a first-round destruction of Marvin Eastman at MFC 23.
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