Conor McGregor has had his fair share of rivalries. Usually, most people associate names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, and Nate Diaz with him. However, one of McGregor’s most deep-rooted rivalries is with none other than Ali Abdelaziz.
Ali, who happens to be one of the biggest managers in MMA, is a vocal presence on Twitter as well. Other than being known as Khabib’s manager, Ali also manages other big names like Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Frankie Edgar as well. Additionally, Ali is the founder of Dominance MMA and a former mixed martial artist himself.
As for McGregor’s rivalry with Ali, it all leads back to the build-up to UFC 229. With McGregor indulging in his signature trash talk, he opened a whole can of worms, calling Ali a ‘terrorist’ and a ‘snitch’ FBI agent. At the time, McGregor revealed a lot about Ali’s role as an informant and as a member of MOA. Thus, Ali’s past, which had taken fans and fighters by storm, remains one of the darkest truths to have been unraveled in the UFC’s history.
Why was Ali Abdelaziz arrested?
In 1996, Ali Abdelaziz illegally made his way to America from Egypt. As such, due to his illegal entry and charges of identity fraud and forgery, Ali was arrested by authorities in December 2001. Reportedly, this was the time Ali was approached by the authorities to infiltrate Muslims of the Americas (MOA), a Pakistan and USA-based terrorist organization.
Thus, Ali is said to have spent seven years working undercover with the NYPD and the FBI, relaying information about the activities of the MOA. Operating out of Islamberg, an Islamic settlement in upstate New York, Ali had to build quite the cover for himself as a member of MOA.
Eventually, he began cutting ties with both sides, divorcing his wife Fatima and allegedly abandoning his son Noah. This was also brought up by McGregor when he infamously shouted “How’s Noah?” during a press conference.
Why did Conor McGregor and Ali have another Twitter feud?
Most recently, Conor and Ali once again went back and forth on Twitter. In a now-deleted Twitter tirade, McGregor took shots at some of the biggest coaches in MMA. Of course, Ali could not resist and engaged in a back-and-forth with the Irishman. Notably, McGregor spoke about Georges St. Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, Khabib’s coach, Javier Mendez, and other top coaches.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 19, 2023
According to The Notorious, he and his long-time coach John Kavanagh beat the Dagestani style of fighting at TUF 31. As such, the Irishman predicts a power shift which will be brought forth by Kavanagh and others at SBG Ireland. Additionally, Conor proceeded to invite fighters over to train with him and coach Kavanagh.
Recently, McGregor has wrapped up his coaching duties for TUF 31 and will soon begin his camp. However, USADA regulations require him to step into the testing pool six months prior to fighting. With his showdown with Michael Chandler set for later this year, fans are excited to see Conor fight again.
Colby Covington alleges that Ali Abdelaziz tried to kill him
Not just Conor McGregor, Colby Covington has also beefed with the famous Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) manager. During a 2023 interview with James Lynch, Colby Covington also hinted at Ali’s past and reiterated the story about why Ali Abdelaziz is not allowed to leave the United States of America. But that was not the only time when Colby had bad things to say about Ali.
In 2019, Colby added that Ali allegedly tried to kill him! He said, “That terrorist rat should get deported back to whatever country he snitched on. He shouldn’t even be allowed in this country for all the (expletive) he does. He’s over there trying to take swings at professional fighters. You know what else he told me? He told me he was going to track me down and shoot me and kill me. He said that to me. I swear to God on my life. I have witnesses that heard him say that.” (h/t via MMA Junkie)
His comments came just before the UFC 245 fight against Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. It is not a secret that Ali represents Usman. So there is every chance that Colby made the comments to get into Kamaru’s head. The Chaos is famous for often making outrageous comments and he even issued a death threat to fan-favorite commentator Jon Anik.
