Hamdy Abdelwahab returns vs. Jamal Pogues at UFC Saudi Arabia
Hamdy Abdelwahab is set for his second UFC bout.
At the UFC Fight Night event Feb. 1 expected to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abdelwahab (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will meet Jamal Pogues (11-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a three-round heavyweight bout.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Egypt’s Abdelwahab aims to maintain his perfect undefeated record. He entered the UFC with a 100 percent TKO/knockout rate across gloved and bareknuckle MMA. He has not competed since July 2022, as he’s served a pair of suspensions handed out by UFC anti-doping partners.
Initially, Abdelwahab’s debut was a win by split decision over Don’Tale Mayes. However, after he tested positive for anabolic agent methenolone and subsequent “tampering”, the win was overturned to a no contest. Abdelwahab was suspended two years by USADA.
Following the conclusion of his USADA suspension in July, Abdelwahab was suspended an additional six months by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for an additional drug test failure, this time for exogenous testosterone. However, CSAD determined the failure was due to a tainted supplement.
Pogues, 28, debuted after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. He defeated Josh Parisian in his debut before a loss to Mick Parkin months later. In February, Pogues defeated Thomas Petersen. All three of those fights were unanimous decisions.
With the addition, the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup includes:
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues