Hamdy Abdelwahab KO's Tyler Lee in 26 seconds at Freedom Fight Night pic.twitter.com/1qhuzuD4fX
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 20, 2022
The Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division will get a new addition when Hamdy Abdelwahab makes his organizational debut opposite Don’Tayle Mayes as part of the UFC 277 undercard this Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Abdelwahab, 29, replaced Justin Tafa on short notice and now finds himself on the verge of becoming the first Egyptian to compete in the UFC. Not surprisingly, the level of competition he has faced on his road to the Octagon does raise some eyebrows, as his five opponents have combined for a 9-10 mark. Abdelwahab, who represented Egypt in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics, has finished all five of his fights by knockout or technical knockout. He has been pushed past the first round just once and owns three sub-minute stoppage victories.
Abdelwahab debuted as a mixed martial artist in a bareknuckle match against Matthew Strickland at Gamebred Fighting Championship 2 in October 2021 and needed a mere 15 seconds to smash his counterpart with punches. After connecting with two right hands, he dropped Strickland to the canvas and hammered away until the stoppage was called. In his next outing at GFC 3 two months later, Abdelwahab took on Connor McKenna. That bout did not last much longer, as “The Hammer” finished McKenna in 33 seconds.
Abdelwahab faced his toughest test against Dustin Clements when the two men locked horns at Jorge Masvidal’s iKon Fighting Championship 1 on Jan. 21. The Egyptian fighter showcased his wrestling background throughout the match, pinning Clements to the mat for much of the encounter. In turn, Clements worked well off his back and prevented Abdelwahab from administering too much damage in the opening stanza. Round 2 saw furious back-and-forth striking exchange between the two behemoths, who were close to finishing one another. Clements seemed to have an edge on the feet, so Abdelwahab returned to his wrestling roots. Unfortunately, the conclusion was anticlimactic, as Clements suffered a leg injury in the third round. Abdelwahab, who appeared to be headed for a decision win, welcomed the TKO instead.
Operating out of the Killer B Combat Sports Academy, Abdelwahab put away Tyler Lee with punches in 26 seconds at GFC “Freedom Fight Night” on March 19. He then rematched Strickland at iKon Fighting Championship 3 in June, again winning inside one round. Abdelwahab now gets the chance to showcase his skills in front of a UFC audience.