Abdallah Abou Hamdan, a familiar name to Middle Eastern MMA fans who so comprehensively took apart Karim Khalifa at Desert Force 5, is back! This time he faces knockout artist Mahmoud Salama at the Desert Force Finals. Salama (3-3) who fights out of the Egyptian Top Team and has competed in a number of different MMA organizations is a feared force on the Egyptian MMA scene .
Arabs MMA reporter contacted the Lebanese fighter Abou Hamdan and discussed his upcoming fight at the Desert Force Grand Prix Finals .
All our readers on Arabs MMA are thrilled that you are back. Where have you been hiding and what have you been up to?
Last time I fought in Desert Force I was based in Miami, Florida. Since then I have move to Melbourne in Australia. My absence was due to unfortunate injuries to my knee and rib but I have made a complete recovery now and excited to be back in Desert Force! Its always my favorite promotion and its always cool to fight in my home area between my people.
Indeed we cant wait to see you in the cage again! Your upcoming opponent, Mahmoud Salama, is a tough one. Have you seen him fight?
I don’t know Mahmoud Salama. For me he is just another opponent
He is a KO artist with vicious power. He won 3 of his fights by TKO but has equally lost 3 by submission. Does this factor into your game plan? Do you think you will look to stand and trade or lure him into the submission?
Again I don’t know much about him. I do know though that I have as many KO wins as I do submission wins in my MMA career. So when I go there (to the fight) I don’t like to have a strategic plan, I go wherever the flow of the fight dictates me. The only strategy I have when I get in to any is to destroy my opponent whether he is a submission artist, KO beast or a dancer.
Whats your goal going into this fight?
The same as with any one of my past fights. The goal is to win!
Being an MMA athlete is a tough career with lots of bruises along the way. What pushes you forward in every fight and what motivates you?
Maybe its my love for the competitive nature of the sport. That, and the desire to go as far as I can in my life in everything I do.
How do you see this fight going? Simple breakdown would do
When I am preparing for a fight I spend my days and nights dreaming about the different scenarios and outcomes. I sometimes wake up and find that I am placing a triangle choke on my girl! Running, training, sparring, I am always dreaming about it. My thoughts are always the same. I am going to knock that obstacle out and keep moving forward to the next fight/competition.
Are you impressed by any particular fighters performance lately in Desert Force or any Arab based promotion?
Sure! I wont mention names but there are 2 fighters in Desert Force I would love to be the manager of, one from Lebanon and the other a young fighter from Jordan.
Do you think you can be the champ 84 KG? Any thoughts on the division and anyone whom you think could be a threat to you?
Well I don’t think I can have anything God didn’t want me to have. I am training hard, doing my homework and I have the will to destroy any rude fighter that tries to block my way and the rest is up to god. In 2012 alone I fought as a welter-, middle-, and light heavyweight. For the fight is a fight. Its up to the fighters to make the difference not the division.
Let me add real quick that one of the most important things I learned in my fighting experience is that no fighter can do it alone or climb to the top without any help. I am very fortunate that I found a great team and great friends who support me. I want to thank my manager Chuck Wichert, my Sponsor Samer Halimeh, my head trainer Peter Hatton, Eyad Malaeb, the wrestling guys from in2fitness and all my brothers and training partners in Melbourne for being there for me.
Check out Desert Force rumored fight card. Stay tuned on arabsmma.com !
