UFC Saudi Arabia began with a robbery! Well, that’s what Jamal Pogues seemed to think after his bout against Hamdy Abdelwahab ended with a defeat via a split decision. ‘The Stormtrooper’ did give tough competition to ‘The Hammer’ in the first 2 rounds. But the final decision lay with Ben Cartlidge, Sal D’Amato, and Tony Weeks. Cartlidge and D’Amato scored the fight 29-28 in the Egyptian’s favor. But Weeks had scored the bout 27-30 in favor of Pogues. Clearly disappointed with the decision, Pogues lashed out at the judges soon after the fight in an emotional video. 

‘The Stormtrooper’ took to social media and released a video where he was apparently crying for his loss. He said, “I’m gonna let everybody know, you know we got robbed. It’s not really much to say when you fight in people’s f—ing country and s—. They go pick the hometown guy. I know I won 2 and 3. Other than that, man, I really don’t know what’s next.”

The tougher thing is that UFC Saudi Arabia was Pogues’ last fight in his current contract. It was still unclear whether the UFC would re-sign him, overlooking his last defeat. Nevertheless, he seemed to have his plans set for the instant future. He continued, “We’ll see what the UFC will do, if they re-sign me or not. If not, man, I appreciate everything about this job. F— manners. Go back home, heal up and just hang out with my family, man.” 

But ‘The Stormtrooper’s rant went on. “We’ll see where God takes me next but I know I won the f—ing fight. We gotta get this s— overturned. I’m going to the commission. F— this s—. Everybody in the world saw me win that f—ing fight, man. I don’t know what to say. I don’t give a f— when I say f— Hamdy. And anybody out there who wants to get me because  I know I won that f—ing fight.” The only question that remained was whether Dana White and Co. would keep him on the roster or not. 

So how exactly did the fight between Hamdy Abdelwahab and Jamal Pogues actually go? Was ‘The Stormtrooper’s performance truly worth getting a win at UFC Saudi Arabia? Let’s take a look at how the fight proceeded between the two.

How did the fight between Jamal Pogues and Hamdy Abdelwahab proceed at UFC Saudi Arabia?

The heavyweight bout commenced the much-awaited event with ‘The Hammer’ and his opponent exchanging kicks and then a couple of jabs. But it was the instant takedown by Abdelwahab that attracted ‘oooohs’ from the crowd. But soon, Pogues went back to his feet after eating a few hammer fists. And now, it was the American’s turn. A jab, a cross, a kick, and then another kick showed that Pogues was capable of troubling ‘The Hammer’. Cartlidge and Weeks gave ‘The Stormtrooper’ full points, but D’Amato gave him 9, and 10 to his opponent. 

Round 2 showed a similar trend with Abdelwahab gaining early control at the center of the cage as Pogues sent 2 jabs up front. But he was warned about extending his fingers, as they circled each other, trying to find an opening. This round lacked luster and ended with Cartlidge and D’Amato scoring it 10-9 in favor of the Egyptian.

Even though the gas tank was almost empty, the energy that the fighters showed in the third round was indeed commendable. But it ended with the scores reciprocating the 2nd round. And the rest is history. The first fight of the evening was brought to scrutiny as a Middle Eastern fighter got the win over an American. Such an incident happened earlier when Judge Howie Booth made a controversial decision at UFC 305 favoring a hometown fighter. Well, the Western Australian Combat Sports Commission removed the judge from the event. And Pogues hoped he could avail the same benefits. 

Do you think Pogues was the one who truly won the fight? Or did Abdelwahab win the bout fair and square? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.