UFC Denver video: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage ends in no-contest after illegal blows

Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage barely got started at UFC Denver before the fight was over just 37 seconds into the opening round.

As expected, the middleweights wasted no time getting the action started with Alhassan thwarting a takedown attempt and then unloading a barrage of punches and elbows on a scrambling Brundage. Despite repeated blows, Brundage still managed to grab onto Alhassan’s leg for a potential takedown.

That’s when Alhassan began unloading elbows in succession with referee Dan Miragliotta warning him to watch shots to the back of the head. As he continued raining down shots from above, Miragliotta finally saw enough to pause the action and he admonished Alhassan for repeatedly landing illegal shots with Brundage reacting as if he just lost the fight.

It wasn’t until the referee explained to him that he took illegal shots to the back of the head that Brundage tried to recover, but he was clearly still dazed as he sat down on the canvas.

Eventually a pair of ringside physicians came into the octagon to check on Brundage, who was clearly still struggling with the aftereffects of the punishment he absorbed. The physicians eventually ruled that Brundage could not continue and the fight was waved off.

Miragliotta then declared the fight as a no-contest due to “accidental blows to the head.”

It’s an unfortunate ending to what started as an exciting matchup between two well-known finishers. Now both fighters go home with a no-contest on their records and miss out on the chance to earn a win bonus.