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Ali Abdelaziz explains his side of sort-of-joking, sort-of-serious run-in with 'Cowboy' Cerrone

Ali Abdelaziz

Ali Abdelaziz

There’s a little behind-the-scenes drama to quash between Ali Abdelaziz and Donald Cerrone.

First things first: Manager Abdelaziz said he’s known Cerrone since “Cowboy” was 15 years old.

It’s already known the two once were training partners at the famed Jackson-Wink MMA academy in Albuquerque, N.M.

So for the two to be serious about throwing down over some tweets, the manager told MMAjunkie Radio, is a little crazy.

“‘Cowboy’ used to be one of my teammates,” Abdelaziz said. “I like ‘Cowboy’ a lot. And ‘Cowboy’ is one of these guys, he’ll tell you what’s on his mind.”

It just so happened that what was on Cerrone’s mind backstage at this past month’s UFC 197 was Abdelaziz’s client, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who earlier had argued with him on Twitter over another ill-fated booking.

To the public at home, it probably looked like Cerrone (29-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC) was calling out Abdelaziz (prior to his next booking opposite Patrick Cote (23-9 MMA, 10-9 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 89). And it wouldn’t have been the first time the manager, former fighter, and former matchmaker for WSOF was accused of impersonating his clients on social media. But that’s not the case here, Abdelaziz said.

“I think people take out of this clip that we have beef because him and Khabib were going back and forth,” Abdelaziz said. “I tweet for a lot of my friends about guys, about sponsors and stuff like that. But when it comes to personal stuff, Khabib doesn’t let anybody tweet for him.

“Other stuff, I do tweet for other guys, and it’s a different occasion. But Khabib is one of those guys, if he can talk (expletive) to somebody, he’s going to talk (expletive) to somebody. He’s not going to let anybody talk for him. This is who he is as a person.

“And most of the guys, they’re not going to let you talk (expletive) on other fighters.”

Some will, of course. Like Frankie Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC).

But the ensuing drama is a new thing for Abdelaziz, who’s no stranger to controversy and yet admits to bafflement at how he’s often perceived in public.

“I have no beef with ‘Cowboy,’” he said. “I used to live in Colorado; he’s always been a respectful guy. ‘Cowboy’’s a cool guy.”

That’s not to say Abdelaziz would allow himself to be abused if that was the case. And it doesn’t change the fact that he is always squarely in the corner of his clients, two of whom have history with Cerrone.

There’s Nurmagomedov, who’s been forced to withdraw from two scheduled fights with the striking specialist. And there’s lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos, who dispatched him this past December in short order.

If the MMA gods finally made a fight between Nurmagomedov and Cerrone, there’s no question who Abdelaziz would pick.

“If (Cerrone) fought Khabib, I’m going to be cheering for Khabib,” he said. “But it’s nothing personal like I have beef with him. If him and Khabib have beef, they can have beef. If him and Nate (Diaz) have beef, I don’t have to have beef with Nate.

“But hey, I’m not a b–ch. Everybody who knows me knows I’m not a bully, but I’m not going to let anybody disrespect me. But I don’t think ‘Cowboy’ disrespected me. People in Russia started writing these things, that I should have fought him. Fought for what? If something does something to me, I’ll fight. But I’m almost 40 years old. I have four kids, I’m married, and I want to be a professional.

“The whole thing is it was me and ‘Cowboy.’ It was very playful.”

Here’s one thing Abdelaziz can surely understand, though, as a promoter. All the drama? It gets people excited about the fight, which in the ends up helping not only his clients, but his client’s opponents, who may or may not have beef with each other.

But just so you know, there’s no beef coming from Abdelaziz.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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