- Ali Abdelaziz thinks the UFC would be very open to Islam Makhachev vs. Conor Mcregor
- Ali wants to see Kayla Harrison compete against male fighters next
Islam Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz is certain Conor McGregor could get the next title shot and suggests that Kayla Harrison takes on male fighters for her next fight.
The UFC would be down for it
Speaking to Submission Radio, Abdelaziz emphasized that McGregor’s star power alone could already earn him a crack at Makhachev, let alone if “Notorious” beat Michael Chandler at UFC 303.
Abdelaziz doesn’t question McGregor’s abilities but he noted that the one thing that could be a factor in his potential title fight with Makhachev is his work ethic.
“Conor might go there and knock out Chandler in the first round,” Abdelaziz said. “And after that, he’s one of the biggest stars in the sport. Like him or hate him, he is. And if he tells the UFC, ‘Hey, I want a title shot, Islam want a title shot.’ That can be the next title shot. Islam’s not gonna say no to this fight. It’s a big fight, it’s a big name, it’s a lot more money. The guy’s a massive star,”
“I think he’s a piece of sh*t but he is a massive star,” he continued. “You can’t take this away from him. With the history with Khabib, and with him and with Islam, it will be all over again. It’ll be all over again and it’ll be one of the biggest fights you can make today. One thing I know about Dana White, he likes money and he likes business. That’s why the UFC is so big right now. You have Dana, you have Hunter [Campbell], you have Sean [Shelby], you have Mick [Maynard]. They are great minds, and they put on the biggest fights that can sell the most pay-per-views. Why not? Absolutely. Listen, it’s very possible.”
“Conor has to get off the bottle and he has to leave the drugs alone and focus,” he added. The guy was a two-division champion, and he has talent. But is the hard work now there or not there anymore? You have to ask him this question.”
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Kayla is too much for the girls
Harrison has only fought once under the UFC banner but Abdelaziz is already convinced that the former PFL champion is too much for the women’s bantamweight division. For Ali, Harrison should be fighting male contenders and someone like Merab Dvalishvili or Aljamain Sterling could be a good match.
“Merab or Aljamain Sterling,” Abdelaziz said of Harrison’s next opponent. “I think it’s a very competitive fight. It’s not fair. It’s not, honestly, because if none of these girls want to fight her, let’s fight somebody at 135. Let’s fight some, you know, Rob Font. But I think her wrestling is too good for Rob Font. It’s not even a fair fight. Or maybe this Brazilian guy. What’s his name? Former champion. I think she’ll smash all these guys, honestly. Because none of these females, they’re gonna want to fight her. Especially after what she did to Holly.”
“I think let’s make her fight some men,” he pointed out. “And I believe she can win, beat all these guys I just mentioned. The UFC offered hundreds of thousands of dollars for a female fighter to accept a fight, and nobody wanted it. But they’re not going to have no choice. The UFC is going to have to strip them from the title or something. But listen, Hunter Campbell is working on this. They will get her a fight. But nobody wants to fight her. That’s why I said, let’s go for Aljamain or Merab or somebody.”
McGregor and Harrison are currently the UFC’s biggest stars. That said, fans have been longing to see them both back in action.
As for Makhachev, he is coming off another successful lightweight title defense at UFC 302 and it is yet to be known what lies ahead of the reigning champ.
Watch Ali’s full interview below:
