Ali Abdelaziz responds after Michael Bisping calls out media outlet for Charles Oliveira "favoritism" report
Ali Abdelaziz has issued a response following Michael Bisping's recent call for a championship rematch between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.
Bisping had expressed his views on a potential rematch between the two fighters after Oliveira's impressive victory over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289.
On his YouTube channel, Bisping stated:
"Currently, the wins that he has on his winning streak are better than Islam’s... But still, who cares? Because Islam beat him inside the octagon and he is the champion of the g****** world... It could go down the exact same way or we could see 'and new,' we could see Charles Oliveira. And I would love to see that. I would love to see that because we get a trilogy and that would just be phenomenal. It really would."
However, these remarks by the "The Count" were misconstrued by a popular media outlet, as per the Brit himself. The outlet's report suggested that the former middleweight champ was favoring Oliveira to win in a potential fight against Makhachev, leading him to clarify his stance on Twitter.
The UFC Hall of Famer clarified that his statement was based on the excitement an Oliveira victory would generate due to the potential trilogy, and did not imply any favoritism towards Oliveira.
Context is important. I said it would be great to see Charles win because of the rubber march situation it would create and the hype surrounding it. Not cos of any favoritism. twitter.com/mmafighting/st…
Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz swiftly chimed in with his response to Bisping's remarks:
"It's not gonna happen champ."
This could be interpreted as Abdelaziz indicating that the fight might not take place in the first place, and even if it does, Makhachev would successfully defend his belt against Oliveira once again.
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's response below:
@bisping It’s not gonna happen champ
As the situation unfolds, only time will tell whether the rematch comes to fruition and whether Charles Oliveira can seize the opportunity to reclaim the lightweight championship or if Islam Makhachev will maintain his dominance in the division.
Beneil Dariush shares his prediction for a potential Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev rematch
Following his recent TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 289, Beneil Dariush shared his thoughts on a potential rematch between Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Dariush claimed the Brazilian would face a tough challenge if pitted against Makhachev in the future.
During an interview on Submission Radio, Dariush expressed his opinion on the possible fight, highlighting the areas where he believes Oliveira may struggle. He stated:
"It's a tough fight for Charles, to be honest with you... in terms of wrestling... He tried so hard to lift and finish the takedown he put himself on his back and ended up pulling guard. So, in terms of grappling and wrestling specifically, I still see too many holes in his game."
Dariush also shared his assessment of Oliveira's striking, acknowledging some glimpses of speed, timing, and power. However, he mentioned that he did not get a complete feel for Oliveira's striking abilities during their bout.
Check out Dariush's take on the potential fight below:
With his firsthand experience against Charles Oliveira, Dariush's insights shed light on the specific areas that Makhachev could exploit to gain an advantage in a future encounter.