Ariel Helwani Reignites Rivalry with MMA Manager Ali Abdelaziz on Social Media: ‘At Least I Can Get On a Plane’
It’s safe to say there is no long lost between renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani and Dominance MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Over the last couple of years, Helwani and Abdelaziz have traded jabs with one another on social media. Recently, Abdelaziz went after Helwani after The MMA Hour host claimed in a post on Saturday that UFC lightweight champion Islam Makahchev, who Abdelaziz represents, would headline UFC 297 in January against former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira.
“The current plan – though not finalized just yet – is to have Islam Makhachev x Charles Oliveira 2 – headline UFC 297,” Helwani wrote on X. “That event, while not officially announced yet, is currently slated to Jan. 20 in Toronto. The original plan for that main was Volkanovski x Topuria, but now the plan is for that to be on the February PPV. Raquel Pennington x Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant 135 title also scheduled for that January card, as reported yesterday.”
Abdelaziz quickly sought to debunk Ariel Helwani’s scoop writing, “Fake news @MAKHACHEVMMA fighting Charles Oliveira in January.
He then followed that up with another post attacking Ariel Helwani head on. “Guys, please don’t listen to people can’t even get credentials to UFC events fake news bitch,” Abdelaziz added.
It didn’t take long for Ariel Helwani to snap back at Abdelaziz, nothing the embattled MMA manager’s travel ban issues.
In March, it was reported that Abdelaziz no longer allowed to travel outside of the United States without notifying authorities due to being dropped as an NYPD informant in the past. Born in Egypt, Abdelaziz has established himself as one of the sports most prominent managers with a client list that includes Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Kayla Harrison, and Islam Makhachev.
In 2002, Abdelaziz was imprisioned for document forgery. While locked up, he was recruited by the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence to work undercover within a Virginia-based arm of a group called Muslims of America. Abdelaziz became one of agency’s highest-paid informants at the time, reportedly earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.
Ariel Helwani Recounts Physical Altercation with Albedlaziz at UFC Event
This is far from the first time that Ariel Helwani and Ali Abdelaziz have traded jabs with one another. UFC 271 nearly saw the two combat sports personalities trade blows for real after walking by one another backstage. The initial altercation began when Helwani previously stated that Leon Edwards was more deserving of a shot at then-champion Kamaru Usman than Gilbert Burns. It was a statement that Abdelaziz took offense to as he also manages Burns.
“He said, ‘Leave my fighters name out of your f*ckin’ mouth,'” Helwani said of his physical encounter with Abdelaziz during an episode of The MMA Hour. “And I said— do you remember what I said? ‘And what? What are you gonna do about it?’ I had a backpack, I dropped it down, and I said, ‘Please come over here and tell me what you’re gonna do about it? And what?’ Like, there has to be an ‘and’, right?”
Abdelaziz has since banned his fighters from appearing on The MMA Hour, the lone exception being Kayla Harrison who has appeared on the show multiple times.
