Ali Abdelaziz responds after Eugene Bareman said he lacks respect for Israel Adesanya
Ali Abdelaziz stands by his belief that Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman should fight each other for the right price, despite their friendship.
Eugene Bareman, Adesanya's coach, recently refused to comment on a potential clash between the two champions out of respect for their relationship. During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Bareman said a wouldn't discuss a potential Adesanya vs. Usman fight and took a few light jabs at Abdelaziz for suggesting it.
In a since-deleted tweet, the Dominance MMA president affirmed his respect for Adesanya and wished the middleweight kingpin well ahead of his title defense at UFC 271. However, he reiterated his belief that the two Nigerian stars should fight each other if they're paid an adequate sum of money.
"I have a lot of respect for Israel as a champion, but if these two guys getting paid $10M each they will fight, this has nothing to do with respect, I wish nothing but the best for Israel this weekend," wrote Abdelaziz.
Here's a screenshot of Abdelaziz's deleted tweet:
Eugene Bareman doesn't believe that the UFC promotes Israel Adesanya enough
Israel Adesanya isn't just one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, he's also a larger-than-life personality who has the potential to become one of the biggest stars in MMA. However, there have been rumblings that the UFC hasn't put its promotional muscle behind the charismatic middleweight champion.
During the interview with Submission Radio, Eugene Bareman opened up about a variety of topics. He admitted that the UFC isn't doing enough to promote Adesanya, saying:
“You are correct; a hundred percent correct. But I’m not, at the moment, willing to talk about this particular subject. At the moment, I’m sorry, boys. I can’t. It’s one hundred percent the correct observation. The correct observation – He’s not being nowhere near pushed the way he should. But there’s stuff that I can’t talk about regarding that. So, I’ll just leave it as a no comment. But your assumption is correct. They can. At least I agree with that."
Watch Eugene Bareman's interview with Submission Radio below:
Israel Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight title in a rematch against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 12, 2022 in Houston, Texas. The Nigerian-born New Zealander wasn't content with his run in 2021 and hopes to fight at least three times this year.
It's #UFC271 Fight Week!! 😱 https://t.co/utybtwuWEL