Why Hamdy Abdelwahab Feels He Is Representing “The Whole Middle East” in UFC 321 Heavyweight Match
Hamdy Abdelwahab is poised for a big matchup at UFC 321 in terms of his career advancement but there is a certain element of partisan pride squarely focused on in this situation as well. Abdelwahab spoke with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie ahead of his clash on Saturday with Chris Barnett in Abu Dhabi at the UFC’s next pay-per-view offering.
Heading into the preliminary portion of the card here at Etihad Arena, Abdelwahab feels he has a lot to prove as he deals with the residual ring rust of a failed drug test from 2022 which has kept him sidelined for close to three years. The Egyptian fighter realizes he is in a high pressure situation to perform and Abdelwahab feels like he needs to show out not just for himself, but for his compatriots.
Explaining his mindset heading into this intriguing heavyweight fight, Hamdy Abdelwahab said,
“It’s not just Egypt, it’s the whole Middle East. MMA is a created sport. It wasn’t like wrestling or boxing that’s been around for decades. The Middle East is coming up strong with organizations. Egypt is one of the big countries in the region for martial arts. It’s going to grow. In Dubai, jiu-jitsu is even a school subject. In a couple of years, this will be something really big. We’re coming as Middle Easterners, Arab or African, and inshallah we will be full of champions.”
Hamdy Abdelwahab: ” I want to show people that what they saw from me before”
Hamdy Abdelwahab has expressed having some confidence issues coming back after this layoff and not feeling like his efforts have been reflective of what he is able to do. The 32-year-old expressed the full scope of how he has been feeling with his prior efforts in 2025 and how he expects to turn the page in this subsequent contest this calendar year, Abdelwahab stated [via MMA Junkie],
“I fought in February in Saudi Arabia. I’m not going to lie to you: I felt the cage was so big. I felt lost. I was confused. Every single time the round was over, I’m confused where my corner was. I went to the wrong corner. That was because I was away for too long. Yeah, I also train in a cage, but it’s way different when you train in a cage then you step into a UFC cage between all these people watching you, supporting you, and you don’t want to disappoint them.”
“This is what made me feel really upset and disappointed in myself because I have so much more than I showed in the last performance. All I can say is every fighter has his own situations, personal stuff. Not everything can happen in the training room. Sometimes you have some other stuff in your personal life that can affect you so bad.”
“I’m not making excuses, but it wasn’t my day last fight. Step by step, I’m getting ready for all this. I’m trying to get back, and I want to show people that what they saw from me before. I also want to show the UFC and the UFC fans that I deserve to be there. It didn’t just happen by luck.”
