Overview
- Abdelwahab won by unanimous decision with scores of 29-26, 29-27 and 29-27 after three rounds of control-heavy grappling.
- Referee Marc Goddard deducted a point from Abdelwahab for an illegal elbow to the back of Barnett's head following a doctor check, and the fight resumed.
- The Egyptian heavyweight repeatedly secured takedowns and outlanded Barnett by more than 80 strikes, riding top position for long stretches.
- Barnett returned from roughly a year out after a TKO loss, had been recently medically cleared, and had predicted a second-round finish that did not materialize.
- Abdelwahab entered as a heavy favorite on DraftKings (-425 to Barnett’s +330) in a striker vs. wrestler matchup and fought on the Abu Dhabi prelims after relocating to Dubai.