Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady is moving forward in his quest of making it to the UFC. ‘The Pride of Palestine” is set to take on the Cage Warriors lightweight title holder, George Hardwick. The bout is scheduled to take place on the second week of Dana White’s Contender Series on August 15. Like all of UFC’s programming, it will air on UFC Fight Pass.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady’s quest for a UFC contract
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady is a Middle East MMA circuit veteran, who made his way from Desert Force to Brave CF.
At Brave CF 18, he competed for the Brave CF lightweight championship and successfully dethroned the reigning champion, Lucas Martins. The triumphant homecoming of the Palestinian fighter was celebrated with a hero’s welcome and garnered extensive media coverage.
Unfortunately, Al-Selwady’s reign as champion was short-lived, as he faced defeat against Luan Santiago at Brave CF 23. This marked the first instance in his career where he experienced back-to-back losses, with the subsequent defeat coming from Dumar Roa at Brave CF 29.
The Palestinian was forced to put his fighting career on hold due to the world’s pandemic. However, he was able to resume it after two years hiatus as he switched his focus to the USA regional circuit.
There he stacked up a four-fight winning streak. Most recently he defeated Michael Murphy at Fury FC 75. At Fury FC 69, he delivered a decisive blow to Chris Pecero, ending the fight in the opening round. It’s worth noting that he remains undefeated in Fury FC, having previously emerged victorious against Nick Compton. Additionally, Al-Selwady had a successful debut in LFA, where he secured a first-round TKO against Jake Sebastian.
In all his post-fight interviews he made his intentions of joining the UFC ranks perfectly clear and now he will get his chance.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. George Hardwick
The Palestinian fighter holds a 14 – 3 MMA record. As mentioned earlier, he rides a four-fight winning streak. Most of his wins came by way of KO or TKO finishes. He also was on receiving end of his opponent’s blows on three different occasions.
The Britishman sports an impressive 12 – 1 record. He’s the current Cage Warriors lightweight champion with two successful title defenses. Most recently he has defended his belt against Yann Liasse at Cage Warriors 152. Hardwick enjoys an eight-fight winning streak which includes wins in both Cage Warriors and Bellator. He finished most of his opposition by KO or TKO.
Without a doubt, Hardwick will be a difficult test for Al-Selwady. He has a high finish ratio and lost only once by the judges’ decision. On the other hand, a win over a top prospect with a proven track record as a champion could elevate ‘The Pride of Palestine’ right to UFC fighter status. Definitely, this fight won’t go the distance taking into consideration that both fighters are finishers.
