Egyptian Olympian Mahmoud Sebie set for promotional debut at Bellator 271

A representative of Egypt in the 2016 Olympic Games is set to make his Bellator debut.

Mahmoud Sebie, who competed that year in the men’s Greco-Roman 75kg, will compete for the first time under the promotion’s banner when he battles Ethan Hughes in a preliminary card matchup Nov. 12 at Bellator 271.

The event takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Fla. with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday.

Egyptian Olympian Mahmoud Sebie (2-0) is set to make his @BellatorMMA debut – Nov. 12 against Ethan Hughes (2-0) at #Bellator271 in Hollywood, Fla., per sources.

His path toward MMA was pretty crazy, as I detailed earlier this year: https://t.co/m9Wlwi4b90

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) November 2, 2021

Sebie (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is not yet signed to a multifight deal with Bellator. The Bellator 271 bout is tentatively a one-off, but Sebie could be added to the long-term roster with an impressive performance.

The Egypt-born fighter moved to the United States in 2018 after he accused his country’s national wrestling committee of corruption in a Facebook video, which went viral. With a growing Instagram following of over one million, Sebie has built a strong social media presence through extreme workout clips and motivational videos.

In January, Sebie showed off his Olympic wrestling skills in his mixed martial arts debut when he flung opponent Jarell Murry around the cage at XMMA 1. He followed it up in his second MMA bout at iKon Fighting Federation 7 when he finished Enrique Hernandez Negrete with strikes in 69 seconds.

Currently residing in South Florida, Sebie trains alongside some of the world’s top fighters at mega-gym American Top Team.

His opponent Hughes (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) holds the same record as Sebie. The Mississippi-based fighter has two finishes in as many professional bouts with one submission and one knockout.

With the addition, the Bellator 271 lineup includes:

• Champion Cris Cyborg vs. Sinead Kavanagh – for women’s featherweight title
• Tyrell Fortune vs. Linton Vassell
• Justin Gonzales vs. Aaron Pico
• Rakim Cleveland vs. Steve Mowry
• Arlene Blencowe vs. Pam Sorenson
• Valerie Loureda vs. Taylor Turner
• Roman Faraldo vs. Robert Turnquest
• Bruna Ellen vs. Desiree Yanez
• Colton Hamm vs. Cody Law
• Jordan Newman vs. Shane O’Shea
• Ethan Hughes vs. Mahmoud Sebie