Ali Abdelaziz News

Adam Martin - October 25, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov has not vacated the UFC lightweight title despite announcing his retirement. After dominating Justin Gaethje and finishing him with a second-round triangle choke in the main event of UFC 254, Nurmagomedov shocked the world when he announced his retirement from MMA. The long-time UFC lightweight champion cited numerous reasons as to why he is hanging up his gloves but pointed specifically to the loss of his father Abdulmanap due to COVID-19 in July. He said that he didn’t want to continue without his father and promised his mother that the fight with Gaethje would be his last in the UFC.

Chris Taylor - October 10, 2020

Dominance MMA owner Ali Abdelaziz has made a unique offer to Tony Ferguson in hopes of persuading ‘El Cucuy’ to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 254. Makhachev (18-1 MMA) was originally slated to square off with Rafael dos Anjos at this month’s pay-per-view event on Yas Island. However, ‘RDA’ was forced to withdraw from the contest after contracting the dreaded Coronavirus.

Harry Kettle - August 7, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz believes that he has a whole host of fighters on the books that possess the same kind of talent as UFC star Khamzat Chimaev. Over the course of the last few weeks, Chimaev has made an incredible impact on the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a record two wins in 10 days. As many fans and media members continue to speculate over what his ceiling could be, the man himself seems to be pretty focused on getting his head down and getting back to work.

Tom Taylor - July 31, 2020

Henry Cejudo has been angling for a fight with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, and his manager Ali Abdelaziz will be doing everything he can to make it happen. Cejudo, the former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion, retired in May, after defending his bantamweight strap with a TKO win over Dominick Cruz. Since his retirement announcement, he’s stated repeatedly that he’d return to the cage for a fight with Volkanovski, which would give him the opportunity to become the first three-division champion in UFC history.

Tom Taylor - July 30, 2020

Earlier this week, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced a new partnership with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz and his company, Dominance MMA. Abdelaziz and Sityodtong were first introduced through their mutual friend, Renzo Gracie, but only recently began working together. Both agree the relationship is long overdue.

Natasha Hooper - July 21, 2020

According to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov encouraged Justin Gaethje to go fight Conor McGregor next. UFC president Dana White recently revealed that “The Eagle” is taking some time away from the Octagon due to the tragic death off his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. He was expected to return to fighting at UFC 253 on September 19 and defend his belt against the lightweight interim titleholder, Justin Gaethje. White hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the fight but is still waiting for a callback from Nurmagomedov to see where his head is at.

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.

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 18, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has stepped in to defend former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva against a bevy of accusations. Silva, who served as the primary UFC matchmaker for many years, has been under fire over the last week, as a long list of fighters have shared horror stories about working with him, including Eddie Alvarez, Mike Pierce, Roland Delorme, Gray Maynard and Brendan Schaub.

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.”

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.

Harry Kettle - June 8, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz has hit out at UFC star Conor McGregor after his latest retirement on social media this past weekend. The controversial manager has had his fair share of opinions when it comes to McGregor over the course of the last few years, and in return, “The Notorious” has fired right back with a series of accusations — especially in the midst of his feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abdelaziz’s star client. 

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.

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.

Cole Shelton - May 11, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz says Conor McGregor will not be fighting Justin Gaethje next. In the main event of UFC 249, Gaethje TKO’d Tony Ferguson in the fifth round to win the interim lightweight title. The win sets up a showdown with the undisputed champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year.