UAE Warriors 7 took place on July 5th at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi with two titles up for grabs in the feature bouts. Chi Lewis-Parry demolished Mahmoud Hassan and Amin Ayoub strangled Youssef Wehbe to become the inaugural kings of the heavyweight and lightweight divisions, respectively.
The headliner originally had Ben Adwubi pitted against Chi Lewis-Parry but the former pulled out about a week from the event and Hassan bravely stepped in to take the spot.
From the onset, Hassan rushed forward with his chin high in the air looking to land some haymakers. Lewis-Parry opportunistically took one step back and connected with a straight right counter that leveled his opponent.
While the Egyptian laid on his back with both hands covering his face, ‘Chopper’ threw down two more heavy shots that would end the contest after just eight seconds.
Lewis-Perry keeps his unbeaten record intact, improving to 8-0-2-2 and picks up his first MMA title. His adversary, Hassan, losses his for the sixth time in a row and drops to 1-6.
Lightweight rematch
The co-headliner was a rematch between Lebanon’s Youssef Wehbe and reigning welterweight champion Amin Ayoub for the vacant lightweight title. Just like the first encounter at Phoenix FC 6 last year, it was the former who prevailed courtesy of a slick submission.
Instead of testing Wehbe on the feet, Ayoub wanted to play out the fight on the ground which actually lost him the first round. The Lebanese lightweight came out from the onset and took center stage, stalking his opponent from distance.
During an exchange, Ayoub took his foe to the mat without much resistance. He kept a dominant position until trying for a choke that gave the advantage to Wehbe who was able to slip out of submission attempts and land some punches at a sporadic rate.
Going into the second round, Ayoub did not deviate from the game plan and caught a kick to put Wehbe on his back once again. This time around, the 23-year-old Frenchman was more patient with his attacks and worked for the arm triangle with textbook technique.
Wehbe showed his grit by not tapping on the first try so Ayoub made a slight adjustment and put him to sleep.
Ayoub (13-4) makes promotional history by becoming the first ever lightweight and welterweight champion. This young talent has won five straight fights while Wehbe (7-7) came up short in his second his attempt to capture a title in the region.
Next challenger
Moments after getting both belts draped over his shoulders, lightweight contender Bruno Machado (13-9), who stopped Rami Aziz (8-5) earlier in the night, stepped into the cage and challenged Ayoub who courteously accepted.
Other notable victors on the night were Mohammad Fakhreddine (11-3) who ended Dan Vinni (16-16) with a vicious liver kick in the first round and Trent Girdham (11-2) who picked up his second straight finish with the promotion by choking out Hamza Bougamza (2-2).
UAE Warriors 7, Abu Dhabi, July 5th
Chi Lewis-Parry def. Mahmoud Hassan via KO (Punch) at 0:08 of Round 1 (Wins Heavyweight Title)
Amin Ayoub def. Youssef Wehbe via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:22 of Round 2 (Lightweight Title)
Mohammad Fakhreddine def. Dan Vinni via Submission (Kick) at 2:01 of Round 1
Bruno Machado def. Rami Aziz via Submission (Strikes) at 3:14 of Round 1
Trent Girdham def. Hamza Bougamza via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:00 of Round 2
Jaures Dea def. Kantharaj Shankar via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
Jason Ponet def. Ahmad Labban via Decision (Split) at 5:00 of Round 3
Siyovush Gulmamadov def. Adamson Torbiso via Submission (Neck Crank) at 3:45 of Round 1
Dan Collins def. Pepito Masangkay via TKO (Punches) at 4:25 of Round 1
Alexandru Chitoran vs Hussein Fakhir Abed declared No Contest (Groin Injury) at 1:23 of Round 1
Marcos Paulo Costa def. Mohammad via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
Rey Nacionales def. Marcelo Pontes via TKO (Punches) at 4:12 of Round 1
