UAE Warriors is back and will have two fight cards consecutively to commemorate its milestone event; UAE Warriors 49 on May 17th and UAE Warriors 50 on May 18th.
First, we are breaking down the main event of UAE 49 on May 17th. The event comprises of Arabian and African fighters from their respective divisions, competing against each other for the very first time. The main event will feature German-born, Palestinian fighter Randy Saadeh (13-4) and he will be taking on a former BAMMA Champion; South Africa’s own, Cedric Doyle (10-6).
Rany Saadeh
With an impressive record of 13-4, “The Prince”, is no stranger to competing under marque promotions like BAMMA and UAE Warriors. The 30 year old adopts a patient approach. He uses feints, straights and leg kicks initially as his main form of attack. He is also comfortable on the ground too. In his bout with Genil Francisco at UAE Warriors 45 he got taken down from a body kick he landed on his Filipino competitor; he also showed an aggressive guard and threatened with an Omoplata submission as well.
One major weakness he has; he tends to get into grappling exchanges that sometimes lead him to losing position or even getting submitted. 75% of his losses all come by way of submission. He also managed to lose position multiple times in his last fight, however, he displayed great cardiovascular conditioning and got the rear naked choke finish late in the bout. A strategy his opponent can utilise; is to blitz him early and be the aggressor so that Rany doesn’t establish a rhythm. This was evident in his loss to Albert Mina at ACB 74, where Mina would drop him early with a 1-2 boxing hook combination and closed the show early via rear naked choke.
Overall, I think Rany is a fantastic, methodical based all-rounder, but needs to decrease the time he finds himself in disadvantageous positions on the ground in order to maximise his chances of victory going into his future bouts.
Cedric Doyle
Doyle will certainly will have a lot to prove going into this main event slot. He is 1- 3 in his last 4 bouts. In his last fight with rising prospect; Ahmed Fares at UAE Warriors 35, he got outclassed in the striking department. Fares would land jabs, straights, body kicks and leg kicks, and would ultimately get finished on the ground via Arm Triangle choke.
In his last win at, “Omega 1” the South African looked every bit the veteran against his opponent, Pierre Botha early on. He used solid kicks and mainly stayed on the outside to score against Botha as well. Botha would also demonstrate his submission prowess by getting the rear naked choke win eventually too.
Doyle has shown championship level in the past, but the inconsistency he has shown as of late makes you wonder how many fights he has left and whether he another championship run left in him too.
Prediction: I have Rany Saadeh winning this comfortably. The youth, momentum and more established striking arsenal will be the major difference when these two face off in a few days. Rany Saadeh by Unanimous Decision.
Do you agree with our pick for the main event? Either way, this will be a great fight, so make sure to stay tuned on May 17th, this Friday for UAE Warriors 49.
