- Ali Abdelaziz said Khabib Nurmagomedov is bigger now and could even beat Israel Adesanya or any fighter from any division
- The Dominance MMA boss teased at a possible return of “The Eagle”
It has been more than a year since Khabib Nurmagomedov hanged the gloves. However, many are still buzzing about it. Some even believe that “The Eagle” could still compete and beat some of the current UFC champions. One of them is his former manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Nobody can stop Khabib
Abdelaziz has previously stated that Jon Jones can’t touch Nurmagomedov in MMA GOAT talks, but in a recent interview with Sherdog, he made another a huge claim about his former fighter.
According to Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov has become “unstoppable” these days that he could stop UFC middleweight champion Isreal Adesanya in “three rounds.” Even more interesting, the Dominance MMA boss thinks the unbeaten UFC legend can maul anybody from any division.
“Khabib now weighs 200 pounds,” Abdelaziz claimed. “If Khabib comes tomorrow and cuts to 185, he would stop Israel Adesanya in three rounds. I see it. He beats heavyweights, light heavyweights, welterweights, lightweights – he’s unstoppable now. He’s like a tractor trailer.”
“But styles – if Khabib wants to come back and talks with Dana White and says, ‘Let me fight at middleweight,’ he will finish Israel in three rounds because the style of fights. Israel can’t stop his wrestling. He can’t stop his grappling. But striking, of course, Israel is the best striker on this planet.”
Ali hinted at Khabib’s possible return
To make the conversation even spicier, Abdelaziz gave Nurmagomedov fans something they have been longing to hear- a hint at his potential MMA return.
“[Nurmagomedov] He can come back and fight middleweight and become a champion today,” Abdelaziz added. “He’s always in good shape, he’s always in good spirits and you never know. Honestly, he said, ‘I’m never going to fight again.’ But sometimes I feel like he wants (to).
“Because I said, ‘Hey, why do you go so hard with the guys?’ He said, ‘Oh, I have to show them who’s the boss.’ But in reality, you never know what happens. Maybe we do ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with Tony Ferguson and they go crazy with each other and they end up fighting at the end of the season. You never know.”
Nurmagomedov has found a new lease on life managing his own promotion, Eagle FC. Who knows, maybe he is really contemplating making a return.