Abdelwahab Wrestled Past Barnett Despite a Costly Foul

Hamdy Abdelwahab defeated Chris Barnett by unanimous decision on October 25, 2025, at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. The heavyweight contest ended with scores of 29–26, 29–27 and 29–27 after Abdelwahab overcame a first-round point deduction.

Early takedowns established the wrestling advantage

Abdelwahab quickly moved from striking into takedown attempts and repeatedly reached Barnett’s back. Barnett scrambled out of some difficult positions, but could not consistently prevent the Egyptian heavyweight from returning him to the canvas.

The first round also brought a serious interruption. After warnings about strikes to the back of the head, referee Marc Goddard stopped the action following an illegal elbow and called for a medical check.

The deduction did not change the overall direction

Barnett was cleared to continue, while Abdelwahab lost a point. The fight resumed, with Barnett landing knees in close and Abdelwahab returning to his own standing offense before the round ended.

In the second, Abdelwahab again completed takedowns and advanced behind Barnett. The American worked to stand, but found himself repeatedly brought down and forced to defend rather than establish sustained attacks.

Three rounds produced a clear winning verdict

More wrestling followed in the third. Even after a stand-up for inactivity, Abdelwahab regained control of the exchanges and prevented Barnett from mounting a decisive late response.

Abdelwahab entered after a loss to Mohammed Usman and left with a victory. His takedowns and positional advantage carried the decision despite the penalty, while Barnett’s ability to survive difficult positions kept the contest going to the final horn.

Sources

• Cageside Press: wrestling sequences and preceding Usman loss
• Sportsnet: illegal elbow and point deduction
• UFC: official unanimous scores

Tags

UFC, MMA