Highly entertaining yet controversial MMA super-manger Ali Abdelaziz has once again rubbed salt in the still sensitive wounds of old foe Conor McGregor.
Abdelaziz labelled McGregor as a 'high-end prostitute' who will quit in his upcoming third bout with Dustin Poirier in July.
These comments come at a critical moment in the Irishman's career, as he looks to bounce back from a damaging loss that threatened his position of relevance in the upper echelons of the UFC lightweight division.
Ali Abdelaziz has quickly become the most high-profile manager in MMA, with huge stars such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje under the Dominance MMA umbrella.
He doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, regularly appearing in the media on behalf of his organization and fighter stable.
The fiery Abdelaziz is often heavily involved when backstage incidents between his fighters and their rivals kick off. His fighters seem to hold him in incredibly high regard, and a burning loyalty is evident between both parties during interviews.
One man who doesn’t see the good side of Abdelaziz is McGregor. Nurmagomedov dismantled the ‘Notorious’ during a dramatic UFC 229.
Nonetheless, just as eye opening was the press conference beforehand, with a furious McGregor laying into Abdelaziz with some deeply personal taunts and accusations about his character and past actions.
With the hatred between the two getting so deep and close to the bone, it’s not surprising that all isn’t rosy between the two to this day.
Ali Abdelaziz told Mike Tyson's Hot Boxin' podcast:
"McGregor is probably going to quit again, because he is a quitter. He’s like a high-end prostitute, now people want to go out on a date with him to show, ‘Hey I have a pretty girl with me’.
"He is the pretty girl and after that you are with her, they can go show other girls, ‘Hey I got this beautiful girl, you want to date me?’
"This means the fighters, they fight him, and they get this clout, this look of fighting Conor McGregor, but they don’t understand Conor McGregor hasn’t won in three years.”
Abdelaziz is missing the point here. At the moment, it’s not relevant to these other fighters that McGregor hasn’t won for so long. For the time being, facing McGregor will still bring immense riches and beating him would add a game-changing tick to their CV.
Unfortunately, the reality of the MMA world is that money is still king. Marketability still get ‘stars’ big fights over ‘more deserving’ fighters with more impressive records.
Jorge Masvidal is a prime example, getting two shots at the Welterweight title despite having a very mixed record containing 15 losses.
Abdelaziz continued:
“You make money when you fight Conor McGregor because he is a draw - but how long is this going to last for?”
While McGregors name will still carry weight after another loss to Poirier, he won’t be considered among the all-time greats, which will drag his earning ability down slightly. The most obvious scenario is that McGregor just retires from MMA after.
He’s made so much money and has reached a level of fame that has made it it impossible for him to maintain the same drive he had when trying to reach the top.
His other business ventures and various boxing opportunities will make continuing MMA unnecessary.
Any McGregor rematch with Nurmagomedov is dead in the water, which is a loss to the sport. We’ll just have to make do with the Abdelaziz/ McGregor feud instead. Get the popcorn out! This one isn’t ending anytime soon!