Jacob Malkoun completely dominated Abdul Razak Alhassan tonight at UFC On ESPN 22 with his grinding clinch work and repeated takedowns.
Round One:
Leg kick for Alhassan and then attempts a head kick and misses. Malkoun in on an early takedown and lands it. Alhassan scrambling and gets to one knee against the cage.
Malkoun trying for a guillotine choke from this position, but Alhassan gets up and lands vicious elbows as he does so. Malkoun stays clinched up though.
They go back to striking range, but Malkoun immediately tries to go back to the clinch. It doesn’t work out for him this time though and Alhassan gets space and then lands a winging punch.
Malkoun straight back into the clinch again and works a single-leg. Alhassan immediately gets back up, and then is brought down again. Alhassan rises again. Malkoun weighing heavily on him as he looks to drag him back down yet again.
Alhassan defending for now, but then is tripped to the mat. Malkoun lands in half-guard. Alhassan gets to his knees. Malkoun gets a hook in and lands a couple of punches, but then Alhassan does stand. A trip takes Alhassan back down, then gets back up.
For the umpteenth time in the round Malkoun lands another takedown. He thinks about a guillotine choke as they stand again.
This time Alhassan gets some space and lands a body kick. He lands that again. Now a third connects. And a fourth. He tries one upstairs now, but it just misses, and that’s the end of the round.
Round Two:
Jabs exchanged. Outside leg kick for Alhassan. Malkoun lands his latest takedown. Alhassan up, Malkoun slams him straight back down.
Alhassan with a guillotine choke, but Malkoun easily gets out of that and is now in half guard in the center of the Octagon with four minutes remaining in the round.
Malkoun looking for a choke, but the tiring Alhassan manages to escape. Alhassan tries to scramble up, but Malkoun works another guillotine attempt. Malkoun opts to move to side control as Alhassan just tries to survive and get this fight back to the feet.
Alhassan gets to his knees, but Malkoun gets an anacanda choke. He gives that up, but is back in side control. Alhassan to his knees and having to be mindful of another potential choke attempt.
Alhassan does stand, but Malkoun just won’t give him any room to operate, pressing him immediately up against the cage.
Finally some space for Alhassan. He lands a couple of body kicks. How much does he have left in the tank now though to find a finish with strikes.
Malkoun not eager to find out so he goes back into the clinch to run out the remaining seconds of the round.
Round Three:
Malkoun with a nice flurry of punches down the pipe and then into the clinch. Brief moments of space, but Alhassan doesn’t do anything with it and then Malkoun takes him down.
High half-guard for Malkoun. Alhassan to his knees. Malkoun tries to work a guillotine but slips out.
Alhassan has to let his strikes go, but he’s tired and finds himself quickly back in the clinch.
Back to striking range again. Malkoun with a straight right and then a nice left hook, then clinches up against the cage again.
Malkoun moves to the side and lands foot stomps. Alhassan free for a moment and seems to stagger as if his foot might be hurt. Hard to say if that’s true or not as Malkoun then takes him down.
Malkoun with a little ground and pound and then drives in to stop Alhassan from scrambling up.
Alhassan does stand against the cage. Malkoun clinches to his back. He lands a punch and then back to a single leg. Final 10 seconds and Malkoun backs up. Body kick for Alhassan. Malkoun pulling guard and Alhassan tries to drop down with a big punch and completely misses and thumps onto the mat.
Decision:
No doubt about the winner here with Malkoun earning a clean sweep unanimous decision victory (30-27 x3).
