Khabib’s manager comforts alleged rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate: ‘Stay strong, my brother’

The controversial MMA manager comforted Tate after the kickboxer complained about prison conditions during Ramadan.

By: Karim Zidan | 2 months ago
Khabib’s manager comforts alleged rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate: ‘Stay strong, my brother’

Ali Abdelaziz appears to be a fan of Andrew Tate.

The Dominance MMA talent agency owner recently attempted to comfort Tate after the kickboxer-turned-social media influencer complained about the condition of his jail cell in Romania.

“Stay strong, my brother,” Abdelaziz tweeted at Tate, who is currently being held on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking.

The 36-year-old was initially detained along with his brother Tristian and two Romanian women by local authorities in Bucharest in December 2022. Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT claimed to have identified six victims who were allegedly subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” by Tate and his alleged accomplices.

In its official statement, DIICOT said that the alleged organized crime group recruited victims by “misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love”. They later forced the victims to perform pornographic acts.

None of the four suspects have been indicted.

The British-American former kickboxer rose to fame by styling himself as a self-help guru who offered tips and advice for young men looking to attract women and improve their lives. However, he has also been accused of “extreme misogyny” by domestic abuse charities, and is considered dangerous due to his ability to radicalize young men and boys.

In April 2022, police raided the Tate brothers’ mansion in the Romanian capital of Bucharest after the US embassy received a tip-off that a 21-year-old American woman was allegedly being held there against her will. The Tate brothers were later released after being questioned by authorities.

Despite facing rape and human trafficking allegations, Tate continued to grow his fanbase, which includes several UFC fighters. He was pictured with UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling ahead of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi and recorded an episode for Sean O’Malley’s podcast during the same trip.

Most recently, UFC fighter Bobby Green went on social media to write “free the Tates.”

Meanwhile, Abdelaziz is no stranger to controversy. The influential MMA manager represents the vast majority of UFC fighters affiliated with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. He also has an alleged past that includes being an informant for the NYPD and the FBI.

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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