According to Dominance MMA leader Ali Abdelaziz, it is pointless for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to have a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.
Although Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) was pushed to his limits by featherweight champion Volkanovski during their bout at UFC 284 in February, he still managed to win the fight as per the judges’ scorecards.
Ali Abdelaziz: Islam Makhachev has nothing to gain from rematch with 'small guy' Alexander Volkanovski https://t.co/gc0ldD3mYr
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 3, 2023
Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) believed he won and requested a rematch, but Abdelaziz, who manages Makhachev, stated that their original goal had been achieved, so there is no need to fight Volkanovski again.
“This fight, Islam has nothing to gain,” Abdelaziz told The Schmo. “Even if he beat him, he’s a small guy. We only fought this guy because he has No. 1 ranking. And honestly, I wanted the rematch. When I thought about it, I was like, all these guys talking sh*t, they kind of ruined it his team.
According to Dominance MMA chief Ali Abdelaziz, Islam, the current UFC lightweight champion, needs to defend his title against Beneil Dariush and work hard to keep it.
If he continues to win, Abdelaziz believes Islam will eventually have to move up to welterweight. Abdelaziz considers Dariush to be Makhachev’s toughest fight, despite what others may say.
Islam Makhachev has a clean slate
Abdelaziz also addressed allegations that Islam used intravenous (IV) therapy to rehydrate after weigh-ins, which is illegal depending on the amount, due to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s partnership with the UFC.
Although Dan Hooker started these rumors, no evidence was presented. Abdelaziz claims that on fight night, Volkanovski weighed two pounds heavier than Makhachev, suggesting that he may have used IVs, but Islam did not.
“Don’t try to point fingers,” Abdelaziz said. “In reality, and I got this from the UFC – fight night, Alexander Volkanovski weighed two pounds heavier than Islam Makhachev. You talking about IVs? He weighed two pounds heavier than Islam. Islam didn’t get any IVs in Australia. Maybe somebody else did, but Islam did not.”
While Volkanovski is set to unify his belt with interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. Makhachev aims to defend his title at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
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