Emotions almost spilled over after one UFC London fight.
Amongst probably the most notable storylines at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event within the English capital was the return of Shem Rock, a highly regarded teammate of lightweight star Paddy Pimblett’s.
Rock gained attention along with his weigh-in actions, after he faked a handshake before launching a robust push at opponent Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady.
As expected, the ‘Pride of Palestine’ didn’t forget that.
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Post-fight brawl almost breaks out after Shem Rock vs Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady at UFC London
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady got his revenge on Shem Rock contained in the cage at UFC London, but emotions almost spilled over.
It was clear that the Dana White’s Contender Series alum was still agitated by what went down at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins after he ignored Rock’s offer to the touch gloves at first of round one.
The Palestinian was capable of stay disciplined, nevertheless, and pitched a shutout within the three-round clash.
While he didn’t come near a finish beyond a knockdown in round one, Al-Selwady was on top throughout and secured three 30-27 scorecards in his favor.
After dealing out what some fans described as “karma” to send Rock to an 0-2 Octagon record, Al-Selwady was not able to let bygones be bygones.
He once more dismissed Rock’s try and shake hands, resulting in the Scouser seemingly flicking him within the face.
Al-Selwady responded by throwing a punch, which the Next Generation MMA product dodged before security intervened.
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The pair did eventually have a transient show of respect after Al-Selwady had his hand raised inside The O2 arena.
With that result, Rock has remained winless within the UFC since signing from Oktagon MMA last 12 months. Pimblett’s teammate dropped his debut against Nurullo Aliev in Qatar.
Al-Selwady, meanwhile, entered the UFC winners’ circle for the primary time in what marked his return from a two-year layoff. He previously lost to Loik Radzhabov via third-round knockout in his Octagon debut.