Islam Makhachev's manager gets honest about "recession" in MMA today, shares valuable advice for professional fighters

Modified Apr 16, 2025 05:03 GMT

Ali Abdelaziz weighs in on the current state of mixed martial arts [Images courtesy: @aliabdelaziz on Instagram]

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently shared his thoughts on the current state of mixed martial arts. The 47-year-old believes that the sport is going through a "recession." and gave his honest advice to professional fighters.

As the CEO of Dominance MMA, Abdelaziz is an experienced professional in the business aspect of the sport. He has managed several UFC champions like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo throughout his career.

Abdelaziz recently claimed that the number of fighters that currently exist in MMA outweighs the number of promotional organizations. He wrote on X:

"Too many fighters and not enough promotions, MMA is going thru a recession right now. It’s not a good time, if you have a contract hold on to it tight."

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Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments below:

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Ali Abdelaziz targets 'unbelievably exciting' matchup for Islam Makhachev

UFC 314 saw Alexander Volkanovski become the two-time featherweight champion after beating Diego Lopes via unanimous decision.

In the aftermath of the event, Ali Abdelaziz weighed in on a potential matchup for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Although the CEO of Dominance MMA was fascinated by the latest UFC card, he believes he could generate more hype with a potential upcoming fight.

Former champion Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight belt in pursuit of the 155-pound title and challenged the division's kingpin, Makhachev.

However, Abdelaziz has different plans for the Russian fighter and seems to target Justin Gaethje for the next title fight. Comparing their records, he posted on X:

"Last week was unbelievably exciting fights, but this is different level of excitement."

Check out Ali Abdelaziz's post below:

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi