UAE Warriors 41 delivered a solid fight card with a few effective finishes. Ahmed Sami submitted Mohamad Osselli and Jalal Al Daaja manage to do the same to Mahmoud Mando. Mark Gregory Valerio made a list of the top 5 quickest knockouts in promotion’s history by finishing Hussein Salem. Ilias Bulaid and Mostapha Ibrahim Radi also made quick work of their opponents.
UAE Warriors 41 main event: Ahmed Sami vs. Mohamad Osseili
The catchweight bout between Ahmed Sami and Mohamad Osseili served as UAE Warriors’ 41 main event.
Sami was first to throw a punch, but Osseili replied with his own. The Egyptian fighter tried to force his opponent back with another punch and a high kick – with both strikes missing their target. This allowed Osseili to push his opponent back to the fence. However, Sami circled around toward the center of the cage. There he took his opponent down after being hit with a middle kick. Osseili found himself grounded as the Egyptian fighter pressured him to the ground. However, ‘The Future’ finally managed to stand up, only to be taken down again. This time with his back exposed to Sami. The Egyptian was more than eager to take it and dish out a few punches and attempted locking in a Rear – naked choke. It was more of a jaw crank, but the Egyptian fighter was able to adjust the submission hold and forced his opponent to tap out.
It was Osseili’s second loss in a row. However, Sami was able to bounce back after losing effort to Ami Fazli.
Mark Gregory Valerio vs. Hussein Salem
It took only 11 seconds for Mark Gregory Valerio to score a TKO victory over Hussein Salem. Impressing enough, Valerio served as a late replacement for Salem’s original opponent as he accepted the fight on five days’ notice.
The Bulacan native started the fight with a right punch. This forced Hussein to back into the fence, which allowed Valerio to continue his offense. He threw another right strike, which missed. However, that doesn’t faze him as he threw a left-right combination. Both punches hit their mark, rocking the Iraqi fighter. The second combination dropped Salem to the canvas, where Valerio followed him. A barrage of hammer fists was enough for referee Daniel Movahedi to stop the fight.
After the win, Valerio celebrated on the top of the cage. This victory has put an end to his five-fight losing streak, including two losses inside the UAE Warriors cage. His professional MMA record is 8-8 now.
On the other hand, it also ended Hussein’s three-fight winning streak. It also served as his first defeat in the promotion.
Jalal Al Daaja vs. Mahmoud Mando
The first outing was full of clinching and ground fighting with neither fighter fully dominating his opponent.
The second round was more action-packed. Mando attempted to lock a standing guillotine choke after an unsuccessful takedown attempt by Al Daaja. Later in the round, the Jordanian fighter found himself inside Mando’s guard. The Egyptian attempted to locka a Rear – naked choke, but Al Daaja’s defense was good enough to avoid it. After some strike exchanges on the ground, both fighters returned to the vertical position. A sloppy spinning back fist by Al Daaja allowed Mando to take him to the ground once again. The Jordanian fighter had one more opportunity to show his top-tier defense. The round ended with him pushing Mando away from his guard, standing up, and delivering a pair of punches to the grounded opponent.
The third and final round opened with some strike exchanges with Mando deciding to take it to the ground. Al Daaja saw it coming and executed a perfect sprawling defense. After that, the Jordanian spun around the grounded opponent, finally managing to lock the Rear naked choke and securing the submission win.
Illias Bulaid vs. Omar Khaled Fayoumi
After short striking exchanges, Fayoumi successfully executed a single-leg takedown. Bulaid was able to lock his opponent inside his guard. ‘The Blade’ used a fence to stand up, exposing his back in the process. Fayoumi didn’t release the body lock and pushed him back toward the other side of the UAE Warriors cage. Bulaid was able to switch positions and a knee strike exchange followed. Fayoumi also was able to switch positions, but his takedown attempt was unsuccessful. After some cautious striking exchanges, Bulaid landed a right hook, which send Fayoumi to the canvas. However, the Netherlands representative wasn’t able to capitalize on it and the fight continued. Both fighters continued to exchange punches and kicks with Fayoumi attempting another takedown. However, Bulaid was able to stand up and push Fayoumi to the fence with his strikes and kicks, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
This was Bulaid’s fourth consecutive win. It was a successful promotional debut for him, as he remains unbeaten as an MMA fighter with three additional victories inside the Bellator cage.
Mostafa Ibrahim Radi vs. Issam Azelhad
The fight started with explosive punch exchanges. Azelhad threw a middle kick allowing Radi to grab his leg and take him to the ground. It came down to short punches exchange from both fighters with Radi switching to side control and finally mounting Azelhad. From there he dished some ground-and-pound punishment with the referee ending the fight.
