"Save your money" - Ali Abdelaziz warns Gilbert Burns to not bet on Charles Oliveira for UFC 280
The upcoming lightweight fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev has led to a disagreement between Gilbert Burns and his manager Ali Abdelaziz. Burns predicted that fellow countryman Oliveira will secure a third-round finish over Makhachev. The Brazilian wrote:
"Oliveira 3 round finish"
However, Abdelaziz claims that 'Durinho' himself isn't so convinced. The Dominance MMA CEO wrote:
"Behind closed door you don’t believe this"
Check out the tweet below:
Burns picked things up a notch higher by challenging Abdelaziz to a $50,000 wager. 'Durinho' wrote:
"So $50K bet is on?? @AliAbdelaziz00"
However, Abdelaziz advised his fighter to save his money as he could getting kicked out if he loses. The 44-year-old wrote:
"Save your money, the boss will kick you out if you lose this money and you know who I’m talking about [laugh emoji]"
Widely regarded as the uncrowned lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev for the vacant strap at UFC 280. Oliveira is riding a magnificent 11-fight win streak with the last three coming against title contenders.
Although Makhachev is riding an impressive ten-fight winning streak of his own, his most notable opponent is arguably Dan Hooker. However, 'do Bronx' is a +125 underdog in some sportsbooks going into the fight against Makhachev's -150 favorite status.
Gilbert Burns explains why Charles Oliveira will defeat Islam Makhachev
Gilbert Burns has been rooting for Charles Oliveira since his matchup with Islam Makhachev was announced. 'Durinho' previously noted that Oliveira's size advantage and phenomenal jiu-jitsu skillset will be a problem for Makhachev.
More recently, Burns threw shade at Makhachev's record, referring to the Dagestani standout's lone knockout loss, which came in 2015.
While Makhachev is touted to be Khabib Nurmagomedov's heir, 'Durinho' doesn't agree. The 36-year-old said in a recent interview with The AllStar:
"People [say] ‘Oh, he’s the new Khabib.’ No, he’s not Khabib. He lost by knockout, he gotten taken down by Thiago Moses, he doesn’t have a lot of finishes… Look at the finishes that Charles has. I think Charles’s career is way better than Islam. Charles’s striking is way better than Islam. Charles is huge, he’s way bigger than me. Charles is on a very good momentum. I do think Charles is gonna win. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I think Charles just finds a way to put himself in a war. It’s going to be a war, but I think Charles is going to win, and it’s going to be good.”
Watch Burns' full interview below: