Ali Abdelaziz News

Adam Martin - July 19, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz laid out the path for what it would take for UFC superstar Conor McGregor to get a lightweight title shot. Abdelaziz is the manager of not only UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but also interim champ Justin Gaethje. The plan was originally set for Nurmagomedov to fight Gaethje at UFC 243 in September, but following the passing of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, that fight is on hold right now. Instead, the UFC plans to have Israel Adesanya take on Paulo Costa in the main event of UFC 243 for the middleweight belt.

Adam Martin - July 13, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz says he is banning ESPN and TSN from any future interviews with his fighters who are part of Dominance MMA. ESPN is the UFC’s official broadcast partner and some of the top journalists in MMA work for the company, including Ariel Helwani, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim, and Brett Okamoto. TSN is the top sporting media outlet in Canada and an affiliate of ESPN. Some of TSN’s talent include top journalist Aaron Bronsteter and Robin Black, who was recently nominated for a Fighter’s Only award as the best analyst of the year in mixed martial arts.

Chris Taylor - July 11, 2020

Manager Ali Abdelaziz took to social media this afternoon to shutdown reports that his client Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from MMA. The reigning and undefeated UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA), recently lost his father due to complications from the Covid-19 virus. Shortly following that tragic news Russian Media outlets began reporting that ‘The Eagle’ has decided to retire from MMA.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz reacted to the news of Jorge Masvidal replacing Gilbert Burns against Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 251. Abdelaziz, one of MMA’s top managers, represents both Burns and Usman, so he had a vested interest in the fight. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be pulled from the fight against Usman. Fortunately, the UFC was able to move quickly and come together to get a deal signed for Usman to fight Masvidal. The two are now set to headline the UFC’s debut card on Fight Island pending the test results of a coronavirus test for Masvidal in Las Vegas.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has some advice for Conor McGregor: pump the brakes on the retirement talk and go fight. McGregor, who is riding a dominant, first-round TKO win over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, announced his retirement shortly after Amanda Nunes defeated Felicia Spencer at UFC 250.

Natasha Hooper - June 15, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz has defended former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva amid accusations from several fighters. This week, UFC veteran Mike Pierce came out against the former matchmaker, claiming that Silva unfairly pressured him during his fights. He said that the UFC executive insinuated: “perform how I expect or you’re gone.”

Natasha Hooper - June 12, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz recently shared his thoughts on Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal’s contract issues. In recent weeks, tensions between the UFC and its top athletes has reached an all-time high. “Bones” slammed the organization for lying about contract negotiations for a Francis Ngannou mega-fight. He also announced that he is not being paid enough for his fights and threatened to vacate his light heavyweight title. Masvidal shared similar sentiments by claiming he felt undervalued by the UFC.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2020

Leon Edwards will be getting the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 251 according to Ali Abdelaziz. After Usman TKO’d Colby Covington at UFC 245 to defend his welterweight belt for the first time, many thought his next opponent would be Jorge Masvidal. Yet, negotiations stalled leaving Burns to step up and take the fight.

Natasha Hooper - May 29, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has labeled the MMA media as the “weakest people on earth”. The Dominance MMA boss—responsible for athletes such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justing Gaethje—has called out the entire MMA media industry. He claimed MMA journalists are “weak” in contrast to the tough sport of mixed martial arts.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is offering Conor McGregor a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, but with some unique stipulations. Abdelaziz represents several UFC champions including Usman, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, plus the recently-retired Henry Cejudo. He has a lot of influence on the matchmaking in the sport and who gets title shots, so as much as some fans don’t take Abdelaziz seriously, he does wield quite a bit of power in the sport.

Chris Taylor - May 17, 2020

UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo decided to call it a career following his recent title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. ‘Triple C’ squared off with ‘The Dominator’ in the co-headliner of last weekend’s pay-per-view event in Jacksonville. The result was a second round TKO victory for Cejudo, marking the first time he had defended his bantamweight throne.

Adam Martin - May 14, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz says that Justin Gaethje will not fight Conor McGregor next, and instead, he will take on Khabib Nurmagomedov as expected. Gaethje took home the UFC interim lightweight belt last weekend at UFC 249 when he defeated Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO. Taking home the interim belt also means that Gaethje is next in line to take on Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout. UFC president Dana White this week said the promotion is targeting Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje to take place in September.

Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has claimed that Conor McGregor passed on the opportunity to fight at UFC 249 because he knows “Tony Ferguson would beat his ass.” After Nurmagomedov withdrew from his anticipated UFC 249 fight against Ferguson, his former opponent McGregor mocked him. The Irish star called him a “chicken” and claimed he “scurried out” of the bout against Ferguson at the first available opportunity.

Adam Martin - April 8, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz called UFC superstar Conor McGregor “a jealous prostitute” for the recent comments he made about Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor has been at the forefront of MMA’s battle against the coronavirus, posting updates on the regular about what’s going on in his native Ireland and instructing fans to stay vigilant and continue to wash their hands. However, McGregor was labeled a hypocrite for his recent comments about Nurmagomedov not wanting to fight Tony Ferguson, and now Nurmagomedov’s manager Abdelaziz has come after him for those remarks.

Natasha Hooper - April 2, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz believes fans will soon have all the answers regarding his fighter’s apparent withdrawal from UFC 249. The undefeated champion, Nurmagomedov was expected to defend his title against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. The final card and location are yet to be finalised due to the ongoing coronavirus. The situation was complicated further as Khabib Nurmagomedov was stranded in his home country of Russia due to a nationwide travel ban.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

Manager Ali Abdelaziz is denying that UFC 249 will take place in Saudi Arabia despite speculation the event could be shifted there. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC has been forced to postpone UFC London, UFC Columbus, and UFC Portland. But UFC president Dana White has been adamant UFC 249 will take place, and he even says he has a location in mind for the event if it does go on as planned, only he’s not telling the media where that location may be. White is doing everything he can to save the event headlined by Abdelaziz’s client Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight belt.

Natasha Hooper - March 19, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is confident that Justin Gaethje would line the pockets of many fans as the underdog in a Conor McGregor matchup. Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA, is responsible for a plethora of MMA stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. One of his lightweight talents is none other than “The Highlight” Justin Gaethje.

Fernando Quiles - February 3, 2020

Kamaru Usman doesn’t believe the theory that Ali Abdelaziz hacked his Twitter account is warranted. Abdelaziz is Usman’s manager. Many have shared their viewpoints on the popular MMA manager, and some don’t exactly see him as a wholesome person. Usman, who is the reigning UFC welterweight champion, found himself locked out of his Twitter account on the night of UFC 246. Some nasty tweets aimed at McGregor and others forced the UFC and Twitter to shut down the account temporarily while attempting to get “The Nigerian Nightmare” his access back.