Story thread · 3 reports / 2 sources

From refugee camp to the UFC: How Abdul Hussein's dream began with a picture of Dana White

thenationalnews.com · 14dShare

There was a certain irony that Abdul Hussein's victorious UFC debut came in Abu Dhabi. Last June, he delivered a crushing first-round KO of Sami Yahia at a UAE Warriors event at the Space42 Arena and celebrated by walking around the edge of the cage, showing the crowd the lock screen of his phone. The screensaver? A picture of Dana White. It was clear where he felt he belonged, and maybe word got back to the UFC boss, because 13 months later Hussein was back in Abu Dhabi, only this time inside the octagon and up the road at Etihad Arena. Still, though, that promotion didn't come easily. Not much ever has for Hussein. After being picked up by UFC scouts, he was put forward for The Ultimate Fighter TV series, in which retired stars Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping each select a squad. Neither man chose Hussein, something he was eager to remind Cormier of when interviewed by him in the cage after his win on Saturday . "You remember me, DC?" Hussein yelled into the microphone at Etihad A

First report: UFC Abu Dhabi video: Abdul Hussein turns tables on Gibson for submission win — sports.yahoo.com, 17d