The technical committee of UAE Warriors has made a decision regarding the result of the fight between Ali Al-Qaisi and Samuel Bark in UAE Warriors 50.
Swedish fighter Bark stripped Al-Qaisi of his featherweight title in the 50th edition of UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi. Al-Qaisi lost by unanimous decision, with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 48-47.
However, the Jordanian fighter contested the result, claiming on Instagram that Bark had landed illegal strikes that could have turned the fight in his favour. Al-Qaisi called on UAE Warriors officials to intervene, review the matter, and overturn the result.
In an exclusive interview with Ash from ArabsMMA, Lucio Linhares, the head of the technical committee at UAE Warriors, they addressed the issue.
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UAE Warriors Confirms Decision
Linhares stated, “Initially, we received a message from Ali Al-Qaisi, inquiring about the decision, specifically mentioning the first and fifth rounds.”
He added, “I watched the entire fight with the technical committee members and found a few moments where Samuel Bark delivered illegal strikes.”
“We reviewed the footage multiple times and confirmed that those illegal strikes were unintentional,” Linhares continued.
“Therefore, we had to uphold the judges’ decision in favour of Samuel Bark,” he affirmed.
“We have scores, as you know, and upon reviewing the matter, we confirmed the referee’s decision to let the fight continue without deducting any points from Samuel,” Linhares explained.
He emphasized that the illegal strikes would not change the outcome of the fight, with Bark winning and Al-Qaisi losing by unanimous decision.
“I met Ali here, and he sent me a video showing the strikes he received,” Linhares said.
“I had already watched that video with the technical committee. Do you know Ali? He is a great fighter and a great person. We all love him here. I wish I could grant him the victory
I wish I could grant him the victory, but unfortunately, the correct decision is his loss, and we must stand by the right decision,” Linhares remarked. Regarding the possibility of a rematch between Al-Qaisi and Bark, Linhares clarified that the decision is not in his hands.
“I would love to see a rematch between Al-Qaisi and Samuel, but the decision is not mine; it belongs to the organization,” he said.
“But if that fight happens, I would be very happy to watch it again,” Linhares concluded.
