"It's not personal" - Ali Abdelaziz reveals Charles Oliveira's team has been "hostile" to him lately
Ali Abdelaziz has revealed that Charles Oliveira's team has been hostile towards him lately. Abdelaziz's client Islam Makhachev is set to fight Oliveira for the currently vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22.
For quite some time now, Abdelaziz has been vehemently calling for a title shot for Makhachev and the UFC brass has finally relented. The renowned MMA manager said that although he is always respectful towards 'do Bronx' and his team, they've been hostile towards him lately.
Abdelaziz, however, understands that "it's not personal" and the rivalry, if any, between the two teams only exists due to professional reasons. During a recent interaction with The Schmo, Abdelaziz said:
"It's not personal, strictly business and it was weird because I always say hello to him to his team and stuff like that and lately when they see me, it's very hostile but it's not personal for me, you know. I love Brazil, I represent many people in Brazil. I grew up with a whole bunch of Brazilian [people] but this is not about Brazil or Russia, it's about the best [and] who's going to be the best."
Watch Abdelaziz's full interview with The Schmo below:
Ali Abdelaziz claims UFC 280 clash against Islam Makhachev will be Charles Oliveira's "last payday"
Charles Oliveira wanted the UFC to pay him handsomely in order for him to accept a fight against Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi. It seems like the Brazilian got what he wanted as the fight has now been announced.
Abdelaziz has no problem with Oliveira asking for a big paycheck from the promotion but believes 'do Bronx' knows it will be his last as Makhachev will beat him at UFC 280.
The CEO of Dominance MMA believes that the Dagestani fighter will make quick work of Oliveira inside the octagon on October 22.
He said:
"Charles wants to get paid, everybody wants to get paid. Listen, I’m never going to knock on anybody to get paid but you know, he knew this is going to be his last payday... I can assure you, October 22nd, Islam is going to play with him and I mean play with him."
In his last fight, Oliveira picked up a first-round submission win against another of Abdelaziz's high-profile clients, Justin Gaethje.
While Oliveira has shown he's adept at dealing with strikers, it will be interesting to see how he fares against a world-class grappler like Makhachev.