- Don’Tale Mayes has opened as the underdog against promotional newcomer Hamdy Abdelwahab at UFC 277.
- Abdelwahab stepped in on two weeks’ notice to replace Justin Tafa who withdrew from his bout with Mayes.
- Mayes has won back-to-back fights since losing his first two UFC bouts.
Don’Tale Mayes has gone from being the betting favorite to the underdog in his next fight.
Mayes opened as the -185 betting favorite to beat Justin Tafa at UFC 277 but with Tafa withdrawing from their bout, Mayes has opened as the betting underdog against Hamdy Abdelwahab:
UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2:
Don’tale Mayes (+100)
Hamdy Abdelwahab (-120)https://t.co/7iy5epVQfw #ufc277— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) July 19, 2022
Tafa was one of four fighters who withdrew from the UFC 277 prelims due to injury or visa issues. Despite the exodus, the undercard still has five fights on tap, including Maves vs Abdelwahab which will be the second fight after the event’s curtain raiser.
Don’Tale Mayes TKOs Josh Parisian
#UFCVegas45 results: Don’Tale Mayes (@LordKongMayes) def. Josh Parisian via TKO (elbows) – Round 3, 3:26
Full results: https://t.co/K8fdv2AJL4 pic.twitter.com/50IPJ2IlE5
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 18, 2021
Mayes picked up his second consecutive victory inside the UFC Octagon when he dominated and scored a TKO win over Josh Parisian at UFC Vegas 45 last December 18, 2021. One bout before that, Mayes picked up his first UFC win by taking a unanimous decision against Roque Martinez at UFC Vegas 14 in November 2020.
The 30-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky won the Hoosier Fighting Championship heavyweight title in only his second pro-MMA bout. Two fights later, Mayes lost to Allen Crowder in the Contender Series 8 program. He would retreat to the VFC promotion before picking up back-to-back wins in the Contender Series to finally earn a UFC contract. Overall, Mayes is 9-4 with five knockouts and one submission win.
This will only be the second time where Mayes has opened with the plus money sign written next to his name. The other time was when he fought Cyril Gane at +265 odds. during his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 162. Mayes lost that bout via third-round submission.
Hamdy Abdelwahab Ready to Become Egypt’s First UFC Champion
Hamdy Abdelwahab ready to become Egypt’s first UFC champion after historic signing #MMA #MMAJunkie #MixedMartialArts #Fighter #UFC https://t.co/rggEi7uyb4
— MMA Courier (@MMACourier) July 12, 2022
Meanwhile, Hamdy Abdelwahab signed with the UFC last month in a historic deal where he became the first Egyptian to sign a contract with the UFC. With that Abdelwahab says he is ready to become Egypt’s first UFC champion. That is, however, easier said than done.
The 29-year-old is 5-0 with five knockouts including two wins in a bare-knuckle MMA match. All of Abdelwahab’s five professional wins have come via George Masvidal-owned promotions -. Gamebred Fighting Championship and iKon Fighting Championship. Four out of his five victories have come inside the very first round. Abdelwahab stopped Matthew Strickland at iKon FC 3 last month.
This will be the first time in Abdelwahab’s pro MMA career that oddsmakers have put a price on a bout involving him. The Killer B Combat Sports Academy product has seen his betting odds move from -120 to -125 since they opened.
