Latest news with #AliAbdelaziz
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Islam Makhachev clarifies UFC retirement speculation: 'We're just beginning'
People around Islam Makhachev might have certain ideas about the timeline for his retirement from MMA, but he will be the one to make the final call. One of his longtime coaches, Javier Mendez of American Kickboxing Academy, stated this past month that he believes Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) only has three fights remaining in his career, including his expected next bout against UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. Advertisement Shortly thereafter, one of Makhachev's managers, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, said that was incorrect, and he instead believed the former longtime UFC lightweight champion still has at least three good years of competition left. Makhachev said everyone is welcome to share their takes, but right now retirement couldn't be further from his mind. He is focused on conquering a new challenge at 170-pounds and achieving his "dream" of a second belt in a second UFC weight class after vacating lightweight gold. "Javier has his opinion, Ali has his opinion – I have my opinion," Makhachev told MMA Junkie. "We're just beginning. This is a new book. We're just beginning." After some gruelling cuts down to 155 pounds, Makhachev will get some physical relief competing at welterweight and could potentially add more fights to his career. It also comes down to how often he can compete, too. Advertisement Makhachev had initially hoped for three fights in 2025. Given the change in weight class it's going to be two, and he would prefer UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 25, or ideally November's UFC 322 event in New York City. "We will see when I'm going to fight," Makhachev said. "Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi, because still we don't have the day. If not Madison Square Garden, I want to fight in Abu Dhabi. I don't want to wait." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Islam Makhachev on UFC retirement timeline: 'We're just beginning'
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Dana White Tells ‘Wacky' Former BMF Champ To Consider Retirement
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: UFC CEO Dana White holds a press conference after the UFC 313 event at ... More T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) UFC CEO Dana White does not respond well to threats, even when they come from a fighter who has stepped up to help the promotion. Earlier this month, former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who also held the ceremonial BMF belt, presented the UFC with an ultimatum (via his manager, Ali Abdelaziz): give him a title shot or watch him walk away. Justin Gaethje's Manager Offers The UFC An Ultimatum LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Justin Gaethje warms up prior to his fight during the UFC 313 event at ... More T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) "Justin Gaethje fights the winner (of the UFC 317 main event)," Abdelaziz told Submission Radio in mid-June. 'He won three of his last four, he saved the UFC two times. They needed him and he's there. The guy did so much for the sport, and if anyone says he doesn't deserve it, and he said, '(If) I'm not going to fight for the title, I'm just going to hang up my gloves.' Justin is a very principled guy, and he really told me this yesterday.' "I was with him at the fights. He said, 'I'm not going to get a title shot. I feel disrespected. I love being a UFC fighter, I love the UFC, but I feel that UFC has to love me back,' and he doesn't feel the love right now. At the end of the day, I think they love him, I think they will give him what he wanted. But at the end of the day, we have to see what happens first between Charles (Oliveira) and Ilia (Topuria)." Justin Gaethje Opines On The UFC LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Justin Gaethje holds a press conference after his fight during the UFC ... More 313 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Not long after Abdelaziz spoke to Submission Radio, Gaethje appeared on the Makeshift Podcast and spoke about his feelings on the UFC. "They owe me a championship fight," Gaethje said. "I'm 3-1 in my last four. They came to my house begging me to fight Max Holloway at UFC 300. I consider that an exhibition fight. I don't mean that the loss is not on my record. I mean it had nothing to do with rankings. In the time that I did that, Dustin Poirier, who I just beat, got a good win over (Benoit) Saint Denis and then fought for the belt. "Since I've won (vs. Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 in March), the champion (Islam Makhachev, who is also managed by Abdelaziz) has been saying he wants to fight me. So they could have easily set that up, but they didn't. Then he vacates, and then Oliveira is 2-2 in his last fights, already has a loss to Makhachev, and they bring a brand-new guy in (Topuria), and I get (expletive) again. So I'm not going to fight any of these (expletive) for fun unless they pay me so much more money." "I'm the most consistent guy," Gaethje continued. "I think anybody that's ever performed for their company and been as consistent as an employee for their company gets a Christmas bonus, gets a thank you, get a 'Good (expletive) job.' Nah – I'm done doing (expletive) here. I love fighting for the UFC and I'd never want to fight somewhere else, but I'm not just going to throw my legacy away for anybody." "I'm waiting for them to announce it," Gaethje said of his requested title fight. "(Oliveira is) 2-2, I'm 3-1. What do you want me to do? Not my fault (Dan) Hooker dropped out. (Arman) Tsarukyan should have got it, but he (expletive) himself. That's his fault." Dana White Doesn't Take The Bait LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 28: Ilia Topuria of Georgia meets UFC chief executive officer Dana White ... More after defeating Charles Oliveira of Brazil to win the lightweight main event title during UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena on June 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) On Saturday night after Topuria won the vacant UFC lightweight title with a first-round knockout of Oliveira, White was asked to address Gaethje's comments. "Listen, if you're thinking about retiring, you know how I feel about that, you should probably retire,' White said at the UFC 317 post-fight press conference. 'We love Justin Gaethje and Justin Gaethje did step up and he's been an exciting and fun fighter to have here in the UFC but to say unless you give me a title shot otherwise I'm retiring, that's pretty wacky.' Gaethje is the No. 3 ranked fighter in the current UFC lightweight rankings.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manager: Julianna Peña's PED accusations ahead of UFC 316 fuel Kayla Harrison
Ali Abdelaziz believes UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña is making things worse for herself by accusing Kayla Harrison of using steroids. At UFC 316, Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) faces Abdelaziz's client Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the co-feature bout for the 135-pound title. The event takes place June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Recently, Peña stated that she believes Harrison has used PEDs at some point in her career. Harrison, who has a muscular build, has never failed a drug test. According to the UFC's anti-doping testing website, Harrison has been tested three times so far in 2025. In her debut year, 2024, Harrison was tested 13 times. Abdelaziz isn't angry with Peña for the accusations, because he believes it's just more bulletin board material for Harrison to use as motivation when the cage door closes at UFC 316. "Let me clear something up: Kayla's the most tested athlete in UFC history," Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. "She's been in WADA, Olympics for like 15 years, USADA, UFC program – there's nobody got tested more. Anyone who claims – I'm sorry you don't have this kind of physique, or muscle, or strong – this is God. You should talk to God about this, but to accuse someone of something who got more testing than you – I'm cool with Julianna. She's cool, but more she talk, more punishment she will get. I promise you. "Kayla's a very petty human being. She's very petty. The more she talk, more it's gonna fuel Kayla and more she's gonna smash her face. And I believe she will smash her face – not in a bad way. I believe its gonna be a very bad night for Julianna. I truly believe it. Kayla's just built different. She's getting comfortable with the weight. She's figured it out. It's getting easier for her. She's getting in that right moment. When you line things up, in the right moment at the right time, it's very hard to beat certain people, and Kayla's definitely one of the hardest people to beat." After just two fights in the UFC, Harrison has earned a title shot. Should she be successful against Peña, Abdelaziz hopes winning the title will bring former two-division champion Amanda Nunes out of retirement for a potentially massive fight. "She's going to smash Julianna, and after that, Amanda Nunes hopefully can come out (of retirement), and she can beat her too." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Manager: Kayla Harrison fueled by Julianna Peña's PED accusations
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Justin Gaethje Frustrated After Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira Title Fight Announcement
UFC 317 will mark the start of Ilia Topuria's quest for double champion status, as he moves up to lightweight and immediately challenges for UFC gold. In his divisional debut, Topuria faces one of the sport's most feared submission specialists in Charles Oliveira—a former titleholder known for breaking records and finishing elite opponents on the ground. But while the spotlight shines on the matchup, one former UFC champion is feeling overlooked—and he's not staying silent. That former titleholder is Justin Gaethje. On a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast, co-host Jon Anik shed light on a private conversation he had with Gaethje, revealing the lightweight contender's frustration. 'He was pissed, right? He feels like certainly he was passed over in favor of Charles Oliveira for this opportunity against Ilia Topuria,' Anik said. He added, 'I think what Justin Gaethje and his manager Ali Abdelaziz are looking for is just some sort of guarantee that they will be next.' Advertisement Gaethje's irritation comes on the heels of a critical bounce-back win at UFC 313, where he defeated Rafael Fiziev by majority decision. It was a rematch of their razor-close bout at UFC 286, and this time, Gaethje clearly separated himself in the third round, earning Fight of the Night honors. The win moved him to No. 3 in the official UFC lightweight rankings. Charles Oliveira, currently ranked No. 2, returned to action at UFC 309, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Michael Chandler. The bout marked his bounce-back fight after suffering a loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Oliveira earned the win on all three judges' scorecards, reinforcing his position as a top contender and strengthening his case for another shot at the belt. Justin GaethjeGetty Images With Gaethje and Oliveira neck-and-neck in the rankings and both coming off high-level wins, it's understandable why the UFC's decision to go with Oliveira over Gaethje could be seen as a toss-up. Each man had a legitimate case, but ultimately it was Oliveira who landed the Topuria sweepstakes. UFC CEO Dana WhitePhoto by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC With Dana White remaining noncommittal about Gaethje's future, the road ahead remains uncertain. However, if history is any indicator, the former champion is unlikely to stay sidelined for long. A clash with the winner of UFC 317 could still be in play—and Gaethje is making sure his name stays in the conversation. Related: Jake Paul Responds to Logan's MMA Challenge in Latest Twist to Sibling Rivalry Related: New Details Emerge in Fatal Crash Involving Francis Ngannou: Report
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Islam Makhachev lashes out at Ilia Topuria: ‘Just a big mouth with a nice haircut'
Islam Makhachev has fired back at Ilia Topuria over his claim that the Russian is a 'hypocrite', calling his distant rival: 'Just a big mouth with a nice haircut.' In February, Topuria vacated the UFC featherweight title with the aim of challenging Makhachev for the lightweight belt. However, Makhachev has now vacated his own title as he prepares to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight strap, which 'JDM' took from Makhachev's friend Belal Muhammad this month. Topuria will face former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the title vacated by Makhachev, but the Georgian-Spaniard would have rather tested himself against Makhachev; many in MMA deem the latter the pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport, with Topuria close behind. Topuria, 28, recently called Makhachev, 33, a 'hypocrite' for giving up the 155lb belt after taking issue with 'El Matador''s decision to relinquish the 145lb gold. And now, Makhachev has hit back. Topuria initially said: 'He is the biggest hypocrite I've ever seen. He said he didn't want to give me the opportunity because I was the little guy, and now the little guy is the one looking for the same opportunity I was looking for... 'Ali [Abdelaziz, Makachev's manager] should thank me for not beating his star. That's the fight everyone wanted to see. I put everything I could on the table, and they ran away. Why chase? If someone runs away, you don't have to bully them. I don't want to fight people who don't want to fight me either.' Makhachev then tweeted on Thursday (15 May): 'Difference between me and you [is] that I cleaned [up the] top list in my division, moved to [the] next. But you ran away from two contenders who had consecutive 5-9 wins in FW division. You are nobody in LW division, just a big mouth from Spain with [a] nice haircut. Go get one W, and we can talk boy.' Makhachev was referring to the fact that he achieved a record-breaking four successful title defences at lightweight, while Topuria retained his belt once before vacating the strap. Makhachev submitted Oliveira to win the vacant 155lb title in October 2022, before recording two successful defences against Alexander Volkanovski (who held the 145lb belt at the time) in 2023, one against Dustin Poirier in 2024, and one against Renato Moicano in January. He outpointed then knocked out Volkanovski in their fights, and submitted Poirier and Moicano. Meanwhile, Topuria knocked out Volkanovski last February to become featherweight champion, before retaining the gold with a knockout of former title holder Max Holloway in October. Topuria is unbeaten in MMA at 16-0, while Makhachev is 16-1 in the UFC and 27-1 overall. Topuria debuted in the UFC in 2020, while Makhachev debuted in the promotion in 2015 – the same year he suffered his sole loss.
