“They will fight in the parking lot”- Ali Abdelaziz reveals what would convince Kamaru Usman to fight Israel Adesanya

Kamaru Usman is the #1 pound for pound fighter in the UFC rankings and has rightfully earned the spot for having the most title defences amongst the current roster of champions ie. 5. After that, it’s Israel Adesanya having 3 title defences in the middleweight division and ranked #3 in the aforementioned list. Both the fighters live different life altogether, regardless, both of them feel closely knitted like brothers to each other.

This is because both of them belong to Nigeria, a country from West Africa. Though being born there, Adesanya was raised in New Zealand whereas Usman came to the USA, therefore making an altogether different journey for themselves as a fighter. Now, there are 3 African champions today, Usman, Adesanya, and UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Also known as “The 3 Kings,” it’s quite hard to predict if Usman and Adesanya, who are the champions of the weight classes next to each other, will ever go down for a fan favourite champion-vs-champion fight in future. Both Usman and Adesanya have expressed their refusal to not go against each other for the birth nation that binds them together, however, someone significant has a way to figure out a way to turn this brotherhood into a competition.

Ali Abdelaziz is team Kamaru Usman all the way in a buildup to fight Israel Adesanya

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Usman’s longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz told that he would love to make the fight happen and he somehow knows that he can do so, since everyone including the UFC, him and most importantly, the fans want it.

“I want him to beat Leon Edwards and I want him to go fight Israel Adesanya,“ says Abdelaziz for Usman’s future. “If they have enough money they will fight in the parking lot. I know how people work. This has nothing to do with loyalties [since both Usman and Adesanya have Nigerian roots in their bloodline]… because these guys [are] not like they [are] training partners, brothers…”

“…they are African brothers and it’s a whole lot about being African and I am African too,” Abdelaziz continues. “I like Israel, I love watching him, I’m a huge fan, he’s a nice guy but at the end of the day I am Kamaru Usman team all the way. I want to see Kamaru Usman into the role have two titles. I’m selfish, I’m greedy. I’m like [as] Henry Cejudo said, I’m a gold digger, right. I think Kamaru deserves it.”

What do you make of Abdelaziz willingness to make the fight happen between both the champions? Who do you think wins between Usman and Adesanya, while Usman started off being a dominator in grappling, he has improved a lot in his game on feet as well. Adesanya however is still the benchmark of setting up strikes and executing significant ways of deceiving his opponents. However, if the fight happens to be a wrestling match, Adesanya will be having a long night of rough time ahead in front of a phenom like Usman.

Also Read: “I got the offer,” then what stopped Kayla Harrison from signing with the UFC

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW