Malki Kawa and Jorge Masvidal
First Round Management, a company that has Jorge Masvidal as their client, is allegedly going after fighters that Ali Abdel Aziz manages
First Round Management and Dominance MMA has emerged as two of the biggest MMA athlete management firms in recent times. Both companies are headed by polarizing figures, and stand shoulder to shoulder with their fighters.
Ali Abdelaziz has some of the biggest names in the game under his roaster- from the likes of Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and even stars across various promotions. First Round has picked up their business ever since Masvidal became a superstar, and helped him land a lucrative new deal that makes him the third highest-paid fighter in the UFC.
Nasrat Haqparast, a UFC fighter managed by Abdelaziz, came out and posted a screenshot of an Instagram message he received from a member of the First Round Management team. The UFC lightweight alleged that the rival agency is trying to lure fighters away from Abdelaziz.
He wrote, ‘”Hey @FirstRoundMgmt please get your own fighter, and stop stealing other managers fighter. They don’t learn @AliAbdelaziz00.”
Nasrat is one of the hottest prospects in the game today, and it was obvious why the management team chased him.
Masvidal made an appearance on the latest episode of ‘Impaulsive‘ podcast with Logan Paul where he discussed about his devastating loss to Colby Covington, his future plans and the champion Kamaru Usman.
While speaking about Usman he said that the pound for pound number one fighter is beatable, and his striking is average. He also believes that he wobbled Usman briefly during their rematch and he just got complacent that led to the knockout.
Masvidal’s claim that Usman is not a legit striker did not sit well with his manager, who clapped back on Twitter. Ali is known to be thicker than blood with his clients, and accompanies them during fight camps, weight cuts and the actual fight.
A Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt himself, Ali replied to this assertion on Twitter by saying, ‘ I believe Kamaru is the best striker and the best wrestlers in the UFC, and if they fight 10 times he will beat him 10 times. I always say it, there is elite fighters and there is good fighters, there is levels to this.’
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