"Very poor choice of words" - Fans react to out-of-context Ali Abdelaziz clip claiming Kamaru Usman was never "caught" by USADA
Fans on social media are flaming Ali Abdelaziz for unintentionally throwing his client Kamaru Usman under the bus.
A clip of the MMA manager seemingly implicating the UFC welterweight champion made the rounds on social media. Speaking about Usman during an interview with ESPN MMA, Abdelaziz was heard saying:
"[He's] the greatest of all time now because [he has] a 16-fight winning streak now in the UFC. The guy never got caught by USADA."
Watch the clip below:
Kamaru Usman never “caught” by USADA https://t.co/1jgCSNCNib
Using the term "caught," Abdelaziz basically implied that the rumors surrounding Usman's use of performance-enhancing drugs were true all along.
Several fans believe the manager slipped up and basically "snitched" on his client. UFC middleweight standout Chris Curtis also chimed in to point out that Adbelaziz had a poor choice of words.
@SeanOMalley17 @TopMMAContent https://t.co/MvlANizOn6
@TopMMAContent Ali just snitched @AliAbdelaziz00 https://t.co/moo61jUkRy
@TopMMAContent Lmaoooo dry snitching on his own people😂
@TopMMAContent @AvatarMMA Bro is still a snitch🤣
@TopMMAContent Lmao for real why he saying that 😂
@WeirdoButImRea1 @TopMMAContent USADA is really easy to get past specially for high level athletes
@TopMMAContent “Everybody’s on steroids” -Nate Diaz.
However, there are also those who pointed out that it's unfair to hold Abdelaziz's comments against him as he isn't a native English speaker. These commenters believe that the manager's statement is nothing more than an honest word choice error.
@TopMMAContent Lmao people are so desperate that they are grasping at wording of statements to say Usman is cheating 😂.
@TopMMAContent Not fair to parse his words when English is clearly not his first language
@TopMMAContent English is not his first language.
@TopMMAContent As if Ali doesn't usually make mistakes when speaking English
If Usman is a Juiceman then Robert Whittaker is also a Juiceman
@TopMMAContent Kamaru Usman has at least up to 50 documented passed screenings from USADA. I doubt he'd get along that far without being caught. It's more a matter of Ali doesn't fully articulate English words correctly into his vocabulary when he makes a statement.
It's important to note that despite the allegations, Usman has never once failed a USADA drug test. What's more, the agency even awarded Usman a recognition jacket for 50 straight clean drug tests last month.
Watch the video below:
Kamaru Usman was awarded a jacket from USADA tonight for 50 clean tests.
He is the first athlete to achieve 50 clean tests who started competing in the UFC after the anti-doping program was already implemented. https://t.co/XGjKlGdixZ
Ali Abdelaziz talks about Kamaru Usman's mindset heading into UFC 278
Kamaru Usman will defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards at UFC 278. The event will take place on Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
During an interview with ESPN MMA, Abdelaziz revealed that Usman is in a positive mood heading into Saturday, which is a departure from his usual fight week attitude. The CEO of Dominance MMA said:
"I think the best thing Kamaru did, you know, [was to] take some time off. I've never seen him this motivated. He's having fun, he's enjoying the week. Normally, Kamaru is not the nicest guy during fight week. [But] he's been great all week, He's making jokes, laughing and he's in phenomenal shape."
Watch the full interview below:
'The Nigerian Nightmare' will strive for his sixth straight title defense as he takes on Edwards in a rematch. The last time they fought was in 2015, a fight that Usman convincingly won via unanimous decision.