Ali Abdelaziz explains why he doesn't want Khamzat Chimaev to fight Nick Diaz next; names another potential opponent instead
Khamzat Chimaev has been firing shots at Nick Diaz on social media lately. It appears the Chechen native wants to trade blows with Diaz in his comeback bout.
However, manager Ali Abdelaziz, who represents Khamzat Chimaev, believes otherwise. Speaking to RJ Clifford on SiriusXM, the Dominance MMA CEO gave his take on the speculated matchup between Nick Diaz and 'Borz'. Abdelaziz stated that it wouldn't be fair to feed the UFC legend to a rising up-and-comer like Chimaev:
"That would be criminal if this fight happened. Listen, Nick [Diaz] is a legend, I respect him a lot. But, you know, you don't come back and fight someone like [Khamzat Chimaev]. I know Nick is a tough guy, has pride. But, listen. I hope that people around him give him some good advice. And this is not the fight that he wants. It should not be even sanctioned. It would be illegal to make this fight happen."
However, if the UFC brass green-lights the aforementioned matchup, Ali Abdelaziz won't refuse the fight proposition.
"But, you know, I'm not the UFC; I'm not Dana White. Dana White is the boss who makes the fights. If this is what you want, we'll take it. But I don't think this fight should happen," said Ali Abdelaziz.
Ali Abdelaziz mentions the next likely opponent for Khamzat Chimaev:
Earlier this year, Khamzat Chimaev was involved in a Twitter scuffle with fellow UFC welterweight Neil Magny. The feud escalated to a point where both fighters promised to attack each other if they ever met.
As per Ali Abdelaziz, Neil Magny could be next in line for a fight against Khamzat Chimaev. Magny is expected to face Geoff Neal on May 8th. If victorious, Abdelaziz is plotting a fight between Magny and Chimaev for June 2021.
"I know we had some back-and-forth talks with Neil Magny. Neil Magny fights in two weeks. Listen, if Neil Magny wins, maybe they can fight in August. Because nobody else, like Wonderboy, doesn't want to fight [Khamzat Chimaev]. It's not easy to fight a guy like him," added Ali Abdelaziz.