Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz (Arabic: علي عبدالعزيز) is an Egyptian mixed martial arts manager, having founded Dominance MMA Management.[1] Abdelaziz is the former executive vice president and matchmaker for the World Series of Fighting promotion.[2][3] He is also a former MMA fighter.[4]
| Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz December 5, 1977 Cairo, Egypt |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb) |
| Division | Welterweight (2005–2007) Lightweight (2004) |
| Style | Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2003–2007 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 4 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
Early life
editAbdelaziz spent his youth growing up in Cairo playing soccer, later focusing on judo. He came to the United States for the first time in 1996 when he traveled to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.[5]
Career
editComing off of a loss in Japan, upon his return to Renzo Gracie's academy in New York where he trained, Gracie suggested Abdelaziz stop fighting and start managing fighters.[5] In 2008, Abdelaziz founded Dominance MMA Management.[6][self-published source] Early on, he managed Gregor, Igor and Rolles Gracie, along with Rafael Natal and other fighters, many being taken on as clients for free. Eventually, Abdelaziz became a manager for Renzo Gracie.[1][5]
Through Dominance MMA, Abdelaziz manages several former UFC champions, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo, among others.[7][8] He also manages the PFL's former lightweight champion Kayla Harrison and former featherweight champion Lance Palmer.[1] Of the 150 fighters on Dominance's roster, 80 were in the UFC as of June 2020.[5]
World Series of Fighting
editAbdelaziz was the executive vice president and matchmaker for the World Series of Fighting (WSOF, later acquired and reorganized into the Professional Fighters League, PFL).[2][3] In December 2015, Abdelaziz left his position following a Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) hearing in which "administrative and some operational concerns" were cited, relating to lawsuits and media reports regarding conflict of interest and potential violations of Nevada regulations against promotion officials also serving as a fighter’s manager.[9] Standard 467.104 of the Code of Unarmed Combat of the Nevada State Athletic Commission prohibits "a promoter or any of its members, stockholders, officials, matchmakers or assistant matchmakers act directly or indirectly as his or her manager; or hold any financial interest in the unarmed combatant’s management or earnings from contests or exhibitions."[10] Abdelaziz later made a statement about his conflict of interest, stating that he "never did mismatches" when matchmaking.[11]
Despite a public announcement of his departure, it was alleged in a legal complaint filed against the promotion and its new owner, MMAX Investment Partners (doing business as PFL), that the organization "continued to use Abdelaziz throughout 2016".[9]
Vitaly Minakov contract lawsuit
editOn January 16, 2019, Abdelaziz and former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov were sued by RusFighters LLC. The lawsuit claims Minakov breached an exclusive agent agreement with RusFighters signed in 2016 when he used Abdelaziz to sign a new contract. The agreement obligated Minakov to pay 20% of his gross performance compensation to RusFighters LLC. Using Abdelaziz, Minakov signed an agreement with Bellator for "six fights with minimum performance compensation to Minakov of $300,000 per fight, for a total minimum value of $1,800,000."[12]
Personal life
editAbdelaziz has publicly supported current US president elect Donald Trump.[13]
Informant work
editIn 2002, Abdelaziz was imprisoned in Colorado on charges of document forgery. While in jail, he was recruited by the New York Police Department's Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence, David Cohen, to work undercover within a Virginia-based arm of a group called Muslims of America. Abdelaziz became one of Cohen's highest-paid informants at the time, "earning hundreds of thousands of dollars". The NYPD shared Abdelaziz with the FBI, becoming known as Confidential Informant 184. He was issued a green card, allowing him to leave and re-enter the United States. Abdelaziz worked in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and elsewhere in the world. The FBI eventually began to suspect he was operating as a double agent, having told people in Egypt of his life, particularly after he was reportedly administered a polygraph examination. The FBI ended its relationship with Abdelaziz and the American government unsuccessfully attempted to deport him.[14][15] This information was publicized in the book Enemies Within, written by American journalists Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, and was used by Conor McGregor in an attempt to antagonise Abdelaziz at the UFC 229 press conference.[14]
Abdelaziz's time as an informant was also documented in the book Twilight in America, written by Christian Action Network founder Martin Mawyer and Patti Pierucci. In the book, Abdelaziz spoke of his 8 years of experience gathering information about The Muslims of the Americas, a group founded in 1980 by Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani, allegedly connected with the terrorist organization, Jamaat ul-Fuqra.[16][17][18]
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 4 matches | 1 win | 3 losses |
| By submission | 1 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1–3 | Caol Uno | Submission (armbar) | K-1 HERO'S 8 | March 12, 2007 | 1 | 1:58 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Rocky Johnson | Submission (armbar) | Ring of Fire 26 | September 9, 2006 | 1 | 2:50 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Takuhiro Kamikozono | Submission (heel hook) | Ring of Fire 19 | September 10, 2005 | 1 | 1:11 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Chee Bates | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ring of Fire 12 | May 22, 2004 | 1 | 1:44 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States |
Submission grappling record
edit| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Time | Event | Division | Type | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0-1 |  Shinya Aoki |
Submission (flying armbar) | 0:12 | Rickson Gracie's Budo Challenge | Middleweight | Gi | October 19, 2005 |  Los Angeles, CA
|
References
edit- ^ a b c Scott, Matthew (28 March 2020). "Meet Ali Abdelaziz, the man behind UFC's Khabib Nurmagomedov who 'makes everything happen' in MMA". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ a b Okamoto, Brett (16 October 2019). "PFL bars Ali Abdelaziz from events pending resolution of legal matter". ESPN.
- ^ a b Harris, Scott (23 May 2016). "A Conflict of Interests: MMA Promotion Execs Scrutinized for Managing Fighters". www.bleacherreport.com.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ a b c d Gross, Josh (4 June 2020). "Adequately represented? Fighters are split on MMA managers — for many reasons". The Athletic.
- ^ "Dominance MMA LinkedIn".
- ^ Martine, Adam (24 May 2020). "Ali Abdelaziz offers Conor McGregor a title shot against Kamaru Usman with unique stipulations". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Justin Gaethje's Manager To Conor McGregor: Fight Ferguson If You Want Title Shot". TMZ Sports. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b Gift, Paul (10 November 2017). "Former World Series Of Fighting Treasurer Blasts Professional Fighters League, Principals In Lawsuit". Forbes.
- ^ "NAC: Chapter 467 - Unarmed Combat".
- ^ Harris, Scott (23 May 2016). "A Conflict of Interests: MMA Promotion Execs Scrutinized for Managing Fighters". www.bleacherreport.com.
- ^ Gift, Paul (14 February 2019). "MMA Agent: Ali Abdelaziz Interfered With Vitaly Minakov's Bellator Contract". Forbes.
- ^ Aima, Arunaditya (February 1, 2022). ""Very Special Man" – Khabib Nurmagomedov's Manager Ali Abdelaziz Gives a Shoutout to Donald Trump".
- ^ a b Bieler, Des (October 4, 2018). "Conor McGregor accuses Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager of being a terrorist". Washington Post.
- ^ Goldman, Adam; Apuzzo, Matt (September 3, 2013). Enemies Within: Inside the NYPD's Secret Spying Unit and bin Laden's Final Plot Against America. Touchstone. pp. 153–154. ISBN 9781476727943.
- ^ Aster, Paul (5 May 2013). "Bring it on: Author says Muslim group's $30M libel suit will expose terror ties". Fox News.
- ^ Bertrand, Natasha (19 September 2015). "Donald Trump gave credence to a major right-wing conspiracy theory about Muslim 'training camps'". Business Insider.
- ^ Mawyer, Martin; Pierucci, Patti (28 February 2012). Twilight in America: The Untold Story of Islamic Terrorist Training Camps Inside America. Christian Action Network. ISBN 978-0985026707.
- ^ "Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz". Sherdog. Retrieved 25 May 2020.