"Topuria Will Destroy All Your Fighters": MMA Manager Fires Back at Rival

Malki Kawa Responds to Ali Abdelaziz

Ilia Topuria's manager, Malki Kawa, didn't hold back in his response to recent comments made by Ali Abdelaziz.

Kawa took aim at his fellow MMA manager following Abdelaziz's recent appearance on the "Pound For Pound" podcast, hosted by his clients Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. During the show, Abdelaziz boasted that PFL star Usman Nurmagomedov would join the UFC and easily dispatch lightweight fighters, including Topuria, who recently lost his championship belt to Justin Gaethje (another of Abdelaziz's clients).

In a video posted on social media, Kawa told Abdelaziz to temper his bold predictions.

"We all know Ilia was the better fighter. He had an off night. Your guy did well, congratulations. Stop hyping up other nonsense. You sound like a damn clown. In my eyes, Ilia Topuria is still the number one fighter in the world."

Gaethje defeated Topuria in a dramatic bout at UFC White House last June, where Gaethje delivered a masterful performance, preventing Topuria from coming out for the fifth round. Since then, Gaethje and his team have been patiently waiting, considering their next move for what could be the final fight of his career. Meanwhile, Topuria took time off to recover from facial injuries sustained in the loss. When Topuria returns, Kawa is confident he will remind everyone why he has been considered one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world in recent years.

"I promise you, when he comes back, you'll see what happens," Kawa said. "Paddy Pimblett, the damn Islam, Usman Nurmagomedov, the damn Gaethje, it doesn't matter who. It doesn't matter when. You're going to see a masterclass, that's what it's going to be."

"But to sit there as an agent on your clients' podcast and say, 'Oh yeah, you're actually going to lose to this guy,' because behind the scenes, you don't want that fight."