Ali Abdelaziz News

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

Dominance MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz believes we could see plenty more of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov over the next few years, but is reluctant to comment on the Russian’s fighting future until his showdown with the division’s interim champion Justin Gaethje in the rear-view. Nurmagomedov and Gaethje, who are both managed by Abdelaziz, are set to collide for the UFC lightweight title on October 24. Abdelaziz views the fight as tremendously dangerous for both champion and challenger, but believes it’s possible Nurmagomedov, who is currently 28-0, could strive for a perfect 30-0 mark if he’s victorious.

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 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 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.