UFC Saudi Arabia Heavyweight ‘robbed’ by judges, promptly cut from roster

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

It’s been a rough few days for former UFC Heavyweight Jamal Pogues.

On Saturday (Feb. 1, 2025), Pogues competed inside the Octagon for the fourth time opposite Hamdy Abdelwahab at UFC Saudi Arabia. The bout started slow and never really kicked into third gear. Abdelwahap found some success early with his wrestling, but as the fight wore on, he quickly fatigued. The rest of the match took place on the feet, and Pogues landed the better blows in rounds two and three in the eyes of most.

Unfortunately for “Stormtrooper,” two out of the three judges sided against him. He didn’t take the loss lying down, however, going on social media to protest shortly afterward.

“We know we got robbed,” Pogues said on Instagram (via MMA Fighting). “There’s not really much to say when you fight in people’s f—king country and s—t, they’re going to pick the hometown guy. I know I won two and three. Other than that, I really don’t know what’s next. We’ll see what the UFC do, if they re-sign me or not. If not, I appreciate everything about this journey. F—k, just go back home, heal up, and just hang out with my family. We’ll see where God takes me next.”

Generally, new UFC contracts are for four fights, meaning Pogues fought out his debut contract in defeat. That really hurts his position heading into negotiations, and UFC Roster Tracker revealed on Tuesday that Pogues was subsequently cut from the roster. Prior to the Abdelwahab bout, Pogues won two of his first three bouts, defeating Josh Parisian and Thomas Peterson while losing to the highly regarded Mick Parkin.

His current professional record stands at 11-5, and it remains to be seen where he competes next.

Insomnia

Getting punched by Ilia Topuria is bad for your health.

Kickboxers love getting arrested almost as much as MMA fighters love social media slurs.

There’s only like 30 Heavyweights left on the roster, meaning Kennedy Nzechukwu timed his divisional move masterfully!

The post-fight mental battle of wanting to eat literally everything vs. wanting to continue looking incredibly fit is real.

More than a decade after getting released, Miguel Torres is unimpressed by the UFC’s recent free speech embrace.

There’s only one Marvin Vettori.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

These lads are too big to be firing head kicks.

A major drawback to throwing right body kicks against orthodox opponents is that they’re easy to catch.

Muay Thai has only proved itself a million times over.

Random Land

Is this or is this not the plot of Les Misérables?

Midnight Music: Folk, 1962

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.