Ali Abdelaziz may eventually have to deal with two of his clients fighting each other for UFC gold again.
Abdelaziz is one of the most powerful managers in all of MMA. He has a slew of top tier talent across many major promotions. That, of course, includes the UFC. Abdelaziz manages UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and top 155-pounder Justin Gaethje. If Gaethje does indeed fight Tony Ferguson on May 9 and defeats him to capture the interim gold, then he’ll be destined for a title unification bout with Nurmagomedov.
Ali Abdelaziz Discusses Potential Khabib vs. Gaethje Bout
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Abdelaziz talked about how he’d approach a potential lightweight title bout between his clients.
“You saw (what happened when) Henry Cejudo fought Marlon Moraes before,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “If (Gaethje is) going to be interim champion, he’s going to fight Khabib for the undisputed lightweight championship. These guys work all their lives to become a champion. Who am I to step in the way to making that happen? I know Tony (Ferguson) had a problem before with (having the same management as Conor McGregor), but that’s not how I do business.
“I don’t think it’s fair for a manager or a promoter to stop a guy from having his dreams come true of becoming the undisputed UFC champion. If Justin wins, it’s a fair fight. Him and Khabib will fight.”
As Abdelaziz mentioned, his clients Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes did battle back in June 2019. Cejudo defeated Moraes to become the UFC bantamweight champion. The title had been vacated before the matchup.
The UFC is planning to hold its May 9 event at an undisclosed location. The promotion tried running an event on April 18 but was forced to postpone it due to concerns from Disney, ESPN, and the state of California.
