Meet Ali Abdelaziz, the man behind UFC’s Khabib who ‘makes everything happen’ in MMA
- President and founder of Dominance MMA Management has established an impressive stable of champions
- ‘It’s all about trust,’ says Abdelaziz – ‘if you feel good about somebody you give them a chance’
Mixed martial arts would be nothing without its money men and the UFC’s welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, confirms that very fact when asked whether there were specific people he would like to thank for helping him get to where he is today.
“That guy right there,” says “The Nigerian Nightmare”, immediately. “That’s the man who makes everything happen.”
To the right of us stands Ali Abdelaziz, president and founder of Dominance MMA Management, and around this meeting room, deep inside the Park MGM in Las Vegas, are scattered the fighters who have helped establish the company’s impressive fight world credentials.
There’s the UFC’s lightweight champion Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov (28-0), and its bantamweight king Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo (15-2). There’s the Professional Fighters League’s lightweight champ Kayla Harrison (7-0) and its featherweight king Lance “The Party” Palmer (22-3), as well as a host of ranked fighters from across the globe.
And then there’s Usman, who dethroned American incumbent Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (19-4-1) last March, and backed that up by ploughing his way through Colby “Chaos” Covington (15-2) in December.