Latest news with #AliAbdelaziz
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.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ali Abdelaziz\u00a0on why UFC champ Islam Makhachev vacated 155 title –\u00a0and Topuria's comments
Ali Abdelaziz on why UFC champ Islam Makhachev vacated 155 title – and Topuria's comments Makhachev expected to challenge new champ Della Maddalena for welterweight title later this year Show Caption Hide Caption Ali Abdelaziz explains Islam Makhachev vacating UFC title Islam Makhachev's manager Ali Abdelaziz talks to MMA Junkie about vacating the lightweight title to move to welterweight. According to Islam Makhachev's manager, Tuesday's slew of UFC fight booking announcements could have been a lot different if the UFC 315 main event went the other way. When welterweight champion Belal Muhammad lost the belt to Jack Della Maddalena in the main event in Montreal this past Saturday, it set in motion Tuesday's news: Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) has vacated the lightweight title so he can move up to welterweight to challenge Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) later this year. Had Muhammad won the fight and retained the title, Makhachev would have stayed at lightweight rather than head to 170 pounds. And if that was the case, he'd be fighting former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria in a title defense – perhaps reluctantly, given his desire to go to 170. Makhachev and Muhammad's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, broke down the scenarios for MMA Junkie on Tuesday after UFC CEO Dana White announced Makhachev's move to welterweight and the newly vacated title that will be up for grabs between Topuria and former champ Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 main event in late June. 'If Belal were to win, Islam was never going to fight Belal, and he's going to stay in the (lightweight) division. But now Jack wins,' Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. 'Islam has beaten everyone in this division, literally. Dan Hooker, Arman, Charles Oliveira, he's on a 15-fight winning streak, finished nine of his last 10 opponents. (There's no one who) deserves to go fight for a second title than Islam, and the reason he wasn't going to do it because Belal was the champion.' Abdelaziz said Makhachev was willing to set aside personal glory and accolades as long as his teammate and friend Muhammad was champ. He also said the fact that Makhachev won't be the lightweight champion if he wins a title at welterweight is just a technicality. Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and others have held two titles simultaneously in the UFC, but in recent months fighters who planned to chase a second belt have either vacated or, in the case of Alex Pereira, lost their belt to begin with. 'You have these two guys, Charles Oliveira and Ilia fighting, and they can fight for the title,' Abdelaziz said. 'But everybody knows who's still champion in this division because he never lost the title.' Abdelaziz said Makhachev's resume speaks for itself in terms of why he's worthy of leaving lightweight to get an immediate shot at the welterweight belt. With 15 straight wins and finishes in eight of his past nine bouts. And with five title fights in a span of just 27 months, he's been a perfectly active champion. He also thinks he'll win the title at welterweight – and still have two belts over his shoulder, even if the lightweight one is just ceremonial. 'Nobody in the UFC right now in any division is doing what Islam Makhachev is doing – finishing guys at this level, putting on unbelievable fights, knocking people out with head kicks, just smashing people,' Abdelaziz said. 'I'm going to tell you something: He's going to be a problem for a lot of these guys. I believe at welterweight, you're going to get a bigger, not depleted, stronger Islam Makhachev, and I believe he is going to be a problem for the whole division. 'He will have the two belts on top of his shoulder because he's still the lightweight champion. … When Khabib retired, Khabib retired as a lightweight champion, as pound-for-pound No. 1 king. Islam is the pound-for-pound No. 1 king (now), and he never lost his title.'
