Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series ends with a lightweight battle between two fighters with contrasting styles in George Hardwick and Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady.
The technical striker Hardwick arguably deserves a spot on the UFC roster without this bout, but he’ll have to pass the tough test of Al-Selwady, who brings a lot of pressure and wrestling pedigree and could test Hardwick’s ground game where he’s much less effective.
Betting Odds
Hardwick’s a big favorite ahead of the Dana White’s Contender Series matchup.
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Fight Breakdown
George Hardwick is 12-1 as pro and the current Cage Warriors Lightweight champion. Hardwick is an aggressive, tough striker with punishing body shots and low kicks. He has a disciplined high guard to deflect a majority of incoming shots and has the toughness to eat the ones that get through to move forward and land his own shots. He’s always walking forward and using tiny feints with the hands and legs to open up opportunities to attack.
He’s a very technical striker with a variety of ways to finish the fight, including a set of chokes he’ll jump on should his opponent leave themselves open on takedown attempts. His utilization of his elbows in his guard, as well as level changes after throwing combos, really helps him defend takedowns before they get too deep into the attempt, keeping him upright and allowing his opponent to be the one who exerts the most energy in these situations. His motor never seems to run low and his constant work to the leg and body makes him a threat for the knockout in any round.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady comes into his Contender Series fight at 14-3 and riding a four-fight win streak. He has heavy hands and debilitating top control that has led him to a handful of TKO finishes from ground n pound. On the feet, he relies on timing his powerful right hand as his opponent starts to engage. He gets clipped in these exchanges often, mostly with the left hand and has gotten staggered in these situations more than once. When he’s able to land the right hand though, he often draws out a reaction from his opponent that he’ll use to shoot at the hips and dump them. He does well to keep pressure on his opponent and doesn’t give them many opportunities to get back to their feet. He flows through positions and transitions to whichever spot his opponent gives him and punishes them for trying to escape with heavy strikes. He’s not a submission grappler but he does hold two wins by rear naked choke.
Hardwick feels like the much more talented fighter in this one but Al-Selwady’s strengths are in areas that we haven’t seen George tested in very much. Al-Selwady’s power could be enough to draw reactions from Hardwick and allow him to get to the hips and control the Englishman. That said, Hardwick has displayed the ability to defend both takedowns and striking effectively and not allow himself to become too focused on one or the other.
Prediction
Hardwick has the better footwork and sets up his shots really well, while Al-Selwady leaves a lot of openings that will likely be exploited by his opponent. Look for Hardwick to crush the lead leg of Al-Selwady, who keeps a heavy stance with his lead leg turned inward. This will open up the rest of the offense for the Cage Warriors champ and I expect him to get the finish.
Prediction: George Hardwick by KO
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