UFC 321 fighter cut after lopsided victory in Abu Dhabi

UFC fighters don’t usually get cut from the promotion’s roster following victories, but that’s not a hard a fast rule. Every now and then, fighters will receive their walking papers even if they were victorious in their most recent Octagon appearance.

That, unfortunately, is the reality for one of the winners of last Saturday’s UFC 321 event.

UFC 321 went down on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. There were a couple of clear winners on the undercard for the event. That includes Egyptian wrestling specialist Hamdy Abdelwahab, who picked up a decision victory over fan favorite Chris Barnett at heavyweight. It certainly wasn’t a very exciting performance from the Egyptian “Hammer,” but it was one-sided. Unfortunately, it was still not enough for him to keep his job with the promotion.

According to automated roster-minder roster.watch, Abdelwahab has been removed from the UFC following the victory (via Al Zullino).

While Abdelwahab’s release is a bit unconventional, it’s not a total surprise. According to MMA Mania, his first UFC contract—a four-fight deal—concluded after the Abu Dhabi card. The promotion’s decision-makers evidently decided he wasn’t worth keeping around with a new contract. That makes some sense, given that he failed a drug test after his first UFC win, then went 1-1 before beating Barnett.

One other fighter released after UFC 321

Abdelwahab was not the only UFC fighter to lose his job with the promotion after Saturday’s card.

Kazakh flyweight Azat Maksum is also done with the promotion following a decision loss to Mitch Raposo. It was Maksum’s third Octagon loss in a row, and his poor results were compounded by the fact that he missed weight for his last fight.