Ali Abdelaziz News

Chris Taylor - December 26, 2020

Khamzat Chimaev has vowed to smash Conor McGregor after the Irishman took aim at his “big brother” on Christmas evening. After announcing that he is expecting his third child with Dee Devlin on Christmas morning, McGregor later went from cheer to jeer by attacking Ali Abdelaziz on social media.

Chris Taylor - December 26, 2020

Conor McGregor played tweet and delete after engaging in a heated Twitter feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. McGregor started his Christmas morning by announcing that he is expecting his third child with his longtime partner Dee Devlin. The Irish couple, who have been together since 2008, have two children together, Conor Jack McGregor, who was born in May 2017, and Croia McGregor, who was born in January 2019.

Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz says he’s willing to battle UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson in a grappling match under the Submission Underground banner. Ferguson returned to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 256 last weekend, where he was out-grappled to a decision loss against Charles Oliveira. After the fight, Ali Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA and the manager of MMA stars like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman, sparked a Twitter skirmish with Ferguson.

Tom Taylor - December 15, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson and MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz did not hold back in their latest verbal skirmish on social media. Ferguson returned to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 256 last weekend, where he was out-grappled to a decision loss against Charles Oliveira. After the fight concluded, Abdelaziz, who manages lightweight stars like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, decided to kick Ferguson while he was down.

Adam Martin - December 7, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz told Tony Ferguson that his management team tried obtaining the services of Justin Gaethje following UFC 249. Abdelaziz is the manager of several notable fighters in the UFC including Gaethje, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, UFC bantamweight Frankie Edgar, and many more. Dominance MMA is one of the top management groups in the game today as several of their fighters have become UFC champions, not to mention many of Abdelaziz’s fighters are generally among the most highly-compensated athletes in the promotion.

Tom Taylor - November 20, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz has responded to widespread reports the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will stick to his retirement plans. Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after he elevated his pro record to 29-0 with a submission of Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last month. Despite that retirement announcement, UFC President Dana White has been adamant that Nurmagomedov will fight again.

Tom Taylor - October 26, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz lived out a personal dream this week when his star client Khabib Nurmagomedov met Sheik Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates. Nurmagomedov returned to the cage in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 254 card in Abu Dhabi, where he defended the UFC lightweight title with a second-round submission defeat of Justin Gaethje—a man many considered his toughest test to date.

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.

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

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.

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.”