Quote:
Originally Posted by Morthoron
Being a "a great craftsman of the household of Aulė", Sauron certainly could have forged a potent weapon to wield, but his great metal works were the Rings of Power, not the Insidious Sword of Uber Smiting or the Malevolent Mace of Mordor. The use of the One Ring principally, and sorcery in general, were his mode of combat.
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I think this is the most important point here. Sauron was a master of sophisticated strategy, construction and intricate technical devices, and he had his machines and his slaves doing the fighting for him. This is very strongly emphasized in the books. Fear, too, is only one, if a prominent one, of his many tactics (especially employed through the Nazgūl).
Just to portray him wielding a plain weapon in hand-to-hand combat destroys this image, and he would certainly not have a "weapon of choice". The unarmed "wrestling" with Gil-galad and Elendil is also meant as a contrast to all of his machinery: a final, naked act of desperation.
Of course, he may "historically" have wielded a weapon in combat, but it is literary significant that this is never mentioned in the books.