To Al-Hassan ‘quit’ is just a bad four-letter word, MMA fighter won’t back down in AFC’s Anarchy card
Former UFC fighter faces Cold Lake’s Chemelli
Quit? Never.
Razak Al-Hassan swears he doesn’t know the meaning of the four-letter word.
A mixed martial arts fighter who will compete for the vacant light heavyweight title on Saturday’s Aggression Fighting Championship’s “Anarchy” card at the Shaw Conference Centre, Al-Hassan never gives up — even if someone is attempting to turn him into a walking blood clot or trying to break his arm into a million pieces.
The latter is what happened in Al-Hassan’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut in 2008, when he was a rising star in the fight game.
California’s Steve Cantwell had Al-Hassan in an arm bar that night. Cantwell put so much pressure on Al-Hassan’s elbow that the three bones that make up the joint ripped apart leaving them bending grotesquely in different directions. But quit? No chance. “Honest to God I was so in the zone that I didn’t feel it,” said the 11-4 Wisconsin fighter who will take on Cold Lake’s Tim Chemelli (10-3). “It was only when I went to the locker-room that my arm started bothering me.
“It was my UFC debut. I was doing everything to get out of it.”
It was the referee, looking at what was left of Al-Hassan’s elbow, who tapped Al-Hassan on the shoulder telling him the fight was over.
If it wasn’t for the referee stopping the bout, Al Hassan said he would probably still be on the mat trying to get out of the extremely painful hold.
“It’s the way I take every fight. I don’t want any regrets. I don’t want to quit and then wonder if I could have got out (of the hold). Maybe I could have moved my arms. Or maybe I could have moved my hips in a different way.
“I didn’t want to tap out and wonder if I could have got out. It’s the same in everyday life. Why not go to the end?
“Do I want to be known as the guy who wouldn’t quit? Definitely. In a fight it’s him or me and I definitely don’t want it to be me. I’ll do everything in my power not to give up.”
Now 30, Al-Hassan won his first seven fights — most of them quickly. But after he lost to Cantwell and then, almost a full year later, lost a split decision to Kyle Kingsbury — a fight Al-Hassan still believes he won — the UFC lost his phone number.
“I still want to get back to the UFC. I’ve grown so much. I’ve never been destroyed. I’ve never been knocked out. And, I don’t want to make excuses but I feel I’ve been on the wrong end of some decisions. I want this fight to be the start of my jump back to the UFC.”
Al-Hassan hasn’t fought since Aug. 13, 2011.
“I had some injuries that had to heal. But mostly I was just burned out. I needed to take some time off. I needed to get my head back into fighting and I needed to get the fire back again.”
The Al-Hassan/Chemelli fight is one of the eight bouts on the card, headlined by Edmonton’s Ryan Ford (19-4) vs. Brendan Tierney (10-4).
While Al-Hassan is trying to make it back to the UFC, Ford is trying to get to the UFC stage for the first time. “He’s the best welterweight not currently in the UFC,” said the card’s promoter Moin Mirza.
The son of Al Ford, a former Canadian lightweight champion who was once ranked No. 3 in the world, Ryan said “If the UFC hasn’t looked at me yet they must be blind.
“I’ve got a better record than half of the UFC’s guys.
“I’ve won three in a row and seven of my last eight. Not one of my fights are boring. Win or lose I give a fight-of-the-night performance,” said Ford, who trains with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in Montreal. “All I can do is keep winning.” STOCK REPORT: In other fights, Edmonton’s Sheldon Westcott (6-1-1) takes on Nic HerronWebb (12-3); Sherwood Park fan favourite Stephen Beaumont (6-1) fights Tim Jenson (7-1); Simon Shirt is up against Fort McMurray’s Steve Dubeck and Teddy Ash meets Terik Carter. There are also two amateur fights on the card which begins at 7 p.m. Limited tickets are available at the door.