As the sport of MMA gains more and more international influence, we’re seeing countries rally behind their fighters like never before.

With Ireland's connection to Conor McGregor as the prime example, it's clear how a top fighter can transform into a superstar seemingly overnight thanks to support from his or her homeland.

Although a long way from his birthplace of Ghana, Abdul Razak Alhassan felt the love before and even during his Performance of the Night knockout at UFC 220 in Boston this past weekend. However, this love didn’t come from fans. Instead, it was the support of fighters from his home continent.

Alhassan joined the Top Turtle MMA Podcast on FloCombat to talk about the support African fighters bring to each other.

“We keep in contact all the time," Alhassan said. "We message each other here and there about how we’re doing and stuff like that.”

This bond has become a support system for the fighters, who now train far from their home countries.

“[UFC welterweight contender] Kamaru [Usman] and I have known each other for a long time...before he got to the UFC and way before I got to the UFC," Alhassan said. "For us, we are like brothers. You don’t have to have the same blood to be brothers.”

And it was his brother who came through with words of encouragement before Alhassan stepped into the cage for biggest fight of his career against Sabah Homasi at UFC 220.

“Right before the fight, I saw Kamaru and [he] just talked to me, gave me a little advice," Alhassan said. “During the fight, I could hear his voice in my head, and that just calmed me down, made me fight calmer than I usually fight.”

Clearly, the advice paid off, with Alhassan taking home $50,000 of bonus money and the top play on SportCenter’s Top 10 countdown for his first-round finish.





But the celebration did not stop there for Alhassan and Usman, who got to watch their friend and heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou in the main event of a major pay-per-view.

“It was amazing [to see Francis]... We were all there to support each other, which is amazing,” Alhassan said. “Seeing one of our own get close to the belt, even if he didn’t get the belt, we know one day he is going to come back and get that belt.”

Even more than being proud of his chances of getting back, Alhassan was proud of what the Cameroonian native Ngannou did for a continent that is so often overlooked when it comes to MMA. Knowing that someone from an African country was in that position is inspiring, and it motivated Alhassan to keep pushing forward in his own career.

“Being the first [African] to get to that place is truly amazing," Alhassan said. “We were happy… not about the outcome, but because we were proud of him."