UFC Vegas 14: Khaos Williams vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan Picks, Odds, and Predictions

Abdul Razak Alhassan and Khaos Williams fight Saturday in UFC Vegas 13 at the UFC APEX.

Abdul Razak Alhassan enters this fight with a 10-2 record and has won 100 percent of his fights by knockout. Alhassan has won six of his last eight fights and is coming off a July loss to Mounir Lazzez. Alhassan is averaging 4.54 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 48 percent. Alhassan is averaging 0.73 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 28 percent. Alhassan is coming off a decision loss at UFC on ESPN 13 where he landed 70 total strikes, 50 percent of his significant strikes and produced a takedown. The bout earned fight of the night honors, and Alhassan now looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. While the loss should be disappointing for Alhassan, the bout did allow him to knock off the rust due to being outside of the octagon for nearly two years. Alhassan is an athletic fighter with devastating power and a high work rate. Alhassan wants to stand in the pocket and thitem haymakers until his opponent drops and it’s worked for him up to this point. And while Alhassan’s striking gets most of the attention, he’s also a black belt in Judo, so his wrestling and grappling can’t go overlooked. This will be Alhassan’s first career fight in Las Vegas.

Khaos Williams enters this fight with a 10-1 record and has won 50 percent of his fights by knockout. Williams has won each of his last seven fights and is coming off a February win over Alex Morono. Williams is averaging 22.22 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 58 percent. Williams is averaging zero takedowns with an accuracy percentage of zero percent. Williams produced a first round knockout in his UFC debut at UFC 247, a fight where he landed heavy combinations and ended things in less than 30 seconds. Williams ha produced knockouts in two of his last three wins and hasn’t lost a fight in nearly three years. Williams has a brawler style to him, as he isn’t all that technical and swings for the fences often, but he has a mean right hook, a strong overhand and thitems leg kicks with a purpose. A bit wild on his feet, Williams is devastating when he connects and should be looking to close off the cage to increase his strike percentage. Williams has shown some wrestling in the past and does have a submission victory, but he’s at his best when he can put his athleticism and ridiculous power to good use. 

I can understand why Alhassan is the favorite here, as he’s a bit more polished and his power gives him an edge when you consider how wild Williams can be. Williams leaves himself open for counters and also has a reputation for tiring quickly. Alhassan should be favored, but this line is a bit surprising when Williams can do a lot of the same things on the feet. We’re getting a knockout artist and a brawler for nearly two times our money. Somebody in this fight is likely going to sleep. I want the guy who is giving me more value on my money. 

Give me Williams for the upset.