MMA comebacks don’t always go to plan.
Olympic wrestler Hamdy Abdelwahab returned from a near-two-year suspension to feature on the opening prelim of UFC Saudi Arabia – Israel Adesanya’s comeback card – only to walk away with a controversial result.
Abdelwahab debuted in the UFC in 2022 against heavyweight mainstay Don’Tale Mayes. It was a short-notice booking for Abdelwahab, who showed promising striking and grappling skills. He won the fight by decision, but the result was overturned in light of a failed drug test.
Now, having had a whole camp to prepare for Jamal Pogues at UFC Saudi Arabia, fans were cautiously optimistic about Abdelwahab’s return and weren’t too pleased with the outcome. Abdelwahab won a split decision, but fans immediately disputed the result.
Fans react to Hamdy Abdelwahab defeating Jamal Pogues at UFC Saudi Arabia
Fans on Verdict scored the fight unanimously for Pogues.
One user was outraged. “How the f*** did Hamdy Abdelwahab win? What a f****** robbery, he was literally a punching bag for 3 rounds. Tired of this Saudi Arabia bulls***.”
“Awful judging. All over the place,” Another wrote.
One user thought it was 100 percent in Pogues’ favor, “Pogues was absolutely robbed, what did Cartlidge smoke this morning, the one round he scored for Pogues was the one round he 100% lost,” They wrote.
Another dejected user commented, “I woke up at 9 am today to watch Jamal Pogues fight Hamdy Abdelwahab. Hope everyone else is making exhilarating life choices like I am.”
Hamdy Abdelwahab takes dicey decision over Jamal Pogues at UFC Saudi Arabia
It takes two to tango, and neither fighter looked very impressive on the night.
Abdelwahab looked promising in round one, imposing his elite wrestling skills on Pogues. The Egyptian heavyweight demonstrated excellent back-taking skills but could have gassed himself out by punching Pogues’ guard. Bafflingly, Abdelwahab wouldn’t chase a takedown for the rest of the fight.
Pogues worked at range with a crisp jab, which he occasionally swapped out for a sucker-punch. He was landing at will, pushing Abdelwahab’s head back, but never truly capitalized on the fundamental flaws Abdelwahab was exhibiting. Pogues’ best moment came when he pumped the jab and threw a same-side head kick, which landed flush; Abdelwahab ate the kick and continued plodding forward.
Eight of 13 media members scored the fight for Pogues, and just under a quarter of fans scored the fight for Abdelwahab, per MMA Decisions.