Manager: Kamaru Usman toughest fight, biggest name for Islam Makhachev

LAS VEGAS – Ali Abdelaziz points to several reasons why Kamaru Usman should get the Islam Makhachev fight.

Many have taken umbrage with UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) angling for a fight with former champ Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC), who recently snapped a three-fight losing skid with a win over Joaquin Buckley in June.

Abdelaziz manages both Makhachev and Usman.

"I'm not influencing nothing. I'm a nobody," Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. "I'm a servant of gladiators. This is what I do. This is my job. I make sure they have their armor, their sword. I don't influence nothing. I just have intelligent conversations with people who are a lot smarter than me, and I try to convince them why my guys deserve (things). What did Dana White say? Who's the greatest welterweight of all time? Kamaru Usman went on a 15-fight winning streak. He fought everybody when nobody wanted to fight him."

Abdelaziz says Usman should get credit for accepting a short-notice fight against Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, in which he was edged out by majority decision at UFC 294. He also revealed another tough matchup he said Usman accepted that never came to fruition.

"Kamaru Usman has done a lot of things for this company," Abdelaziz said. "I will campaign for him to get a title fight, but I'm not going to make the decision. Dana White, Hunter (Campbell), all these guys are going to make the decision. I have my argument. For Islam Makhachev's side, what the f*ck has Ian Garry done the last couple years? I like the kid. I think he's a great fighter. Islam Makhachev's past 10 fights, he finished eight. He's one of the most busiest champions since 2021. Ian Garry has decisioned everybody. If you look at excitement, personality, I think people are more interested in (Carlos) Prates. But Kamaru Usman is a legend.

"When you do these things for the company, when you go ahead and fight a guy nobody knows – Buckley, nobody knows, and make him look like a cab driver. He did, and I like Buckley, but he made him look like he doesn't belong in there with him. He earned this. People don't know this, but he was offered Shavkat last November. Kamaru accepted the fight. I don't know what was going on with Shavkat. I think he was injured or something. Hunter offered me this fight. ... Kamaru Usman is one of the biggest names in the division. When you're Islam Makhachev, you want to have legacy on your name."

His final argument was the matchup itself. Although Michael Morales, Prates, and Garry impressed with their recent wins, Abdelaziz insists Usman has the skill set that would pose Makhachev the most problems.

"He can wrestle. He can strike. You think Islam is going to go in there and take him down and do what he did to (Jack) Della Maddalena?" Abdelaziz said of Usman. "Of course not. I trained with both guys. This is Islam's toughest fight.

"I don't care how old Kamaru is. Kamaru is Black. I'm sorry. He's athletic. He's different – and his mindset ... it's Islam's toughest fight. It's Islam's biggest name."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ali Abdelaziz: Kamaru Usman toughest fight for Islam Makhachev