Getty Israel Adesanya
UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya would lose to lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, according to “The Eagle’s Manager,” Ali Abdelaziz.
Abdelaziz recently spoke with Sherdog about his big-name client and business partner. And in short, he sees the 29-0 retired professional mixed martial arts using his wrestling and grappling to take out Adesanya within three rounds.
“If Khabib comes tomorrow and cut to 185, he will stop Israel Adesanya in three rounds, this is my opinion,” Abdelaziz said via Low Kick MMA. “I see it [at the gym]. He beat heavyweights, light heavyweights, welterweights, lightweights. He’s unstoppable. He’s like a tractor-trailer.”
“Adesanya cannot stop his wrestling, he cannot stop his grappling,” the manager continued. “Striking, of course, Israel is the best striker on this planet. But Khabib can come back and fight middleweight and become a champion today.”
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in October 2020 after defending his 155-pound strap for the third time. The Eagle choked out Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke at UFC 254 and then during his post-fight interview, announced that he was walking away.
Adesanya is scheduled for his fifth 185-pound title defense. He’ll battle Jared Cannonier as the headlining act for UFC 276 on July 2.
Abdelaziz ‘Sometimes’ Thinks Nurmagomedov Wants to Fight Again
Since retiring, Nurmagomedov has transitioned to coaching. He’s also a promoter for Eagle Fighting Championship.
And Abdelaziz thinks there’s also a part of Nurmagomedov that wants to return to the Octagon.
“He’s always in good shape, always in good spirit,” Abdelaziz said. “You never know honestly, he say, ‘I’m never gonna fight again.’ But sometimes I feel like he wants to, I ask him why he go so hard with the guys, and he goes: ‘I have to show them who’s the boss.’ Or maybe we’ll do the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ with Tony Ferguson.”
Tony Ferguson Wants to Compete Against Nurmagomedov as ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Coaches
Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson were scheduled to fight five times in the UFC, but due to things like injuries and travel restrictions, the contest never came to fruition.
During an episode of Ariel Helwani’s “The MMA Hour” podcast in May, “El Cucuy” expressed that he wanted to battle Nurmagomedov as a coach on the UFC’s reality TV series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“I believe that when his dad [Khabib’s] said we were supposed to compete, I believe that,” Ferguson said via BJPenn.com. “I would love to be able to coach against him in ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ how about that? You know, best man wins on the team. I guarantee my coaching is a lot better than yours, Khabib. Not a lot of people understand that.”
“I built a team for a 12-fight win streak, and I can definitely build a team again,” El Cucuy continued.
Nurmagomedov didn’t shy away from Ferguson’s challenge either. Taking to Twitter, The Eagle wrote: “Tony I like the idea about TUF, call your bosses and let them make an offer, but if they don’t have ideas, I myself will offer you a deal on the @EagleFightClub platform, we doing some business here you know.”
UFC president Dana White was recently asked about the potential coaching clash. And White told the hosts of “The Spinnin Backfist MMA Show” that he’ll “consider it.”