As his client looks to secure a second UFC title, the manager of Islam Makhachev is hoping for another titleholder to lose soon enough.
It was recently announced that Makhachev will vacate his UFC lightweight belt in order to pursue two-division glory up at welterweight.
To reach this point, the Dagestani defended the gold at 155 pounds four times. Most recently, Makhachev submitted Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in Los Angeles.
That result left Makhachev as the current champion with the most defenses.
A few notable names are chasing down the Russian’s tally, one of whom his manager is hoping to see dethroned by a former client this year.
Ali Abdelaziz rooting for Khamzat Chimaev against Dricus du Plessis
Dricus du Plessis sits two defenses behind Makhachev after a pair of successful retentions of the middleweight title.
He’ll have the chance to close the gap this summer in Chicago. Du Plessis will face the challenge of Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 on August 16.
During an appearance on Submission Radio, Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz outlined his hope to see Chimaev take the middleweight belt from Du Plessis.
“My heart says I want Khamzat to win, you know? He’s my friend. I know him, you know? But you cannot not put respect [on] the champ, the middleweight champion, Du Plessis, you know?
“This guy, so tough. It’s all hard work, no talent. I’m a big fan of his, honestly.”
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Ali Abdelaziz managed Khamzat Chimaev until Khabib Nurmagomedov association allegedly caused split
Abdelaziz’s support for Chimaev is perhaps unsurprising given their history.
The Dominance MMA CEO previously had ‘Borz’ under his management banner during the early days of the Chechen’s UFC career.
But he split from Abdelaziz in 2022 amid an apparent growing rivalry between Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, which was reported by Ariel Helwani during an episode of The MMA Hour.
“I do know that part of the reason why Khamzat left Dominance was ’cause him and Khabib just weren’t on the same level and there was some uncomfortableness there.
“But honestly, I mean, you have to ask Khabib, you know, his thoughts on it. But yeah, I mean, that’s a big fish to lose and I do know that they’re not the best of friends. Why that is, I don’t know, but that’s what I know.”
Chimaev has attributed talk of a feud with Nurmagomedov to comparisons made between his and the Dagestani’s dominance a number of years ago.
While ‘Borz’ took issue with someone suggesting ‘The Eagle’ would “smash” him, Chimaev has since praised Nurmagomedov and put any animosity to rest.