Kayla Harrison lost for the first time in her MMA career at the 2022 PFL Championships. The two-time Olympic gold medalist lost a decision to the new PFL featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco. However, Harrison’s manager. Ali Abdelaziz also got into trouble during Harrison’s unlucky outing.
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Abdelaziz manages several high-profile fighters in leading MMA promotions. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, and former champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman, etc. are some of his clients. The Dominance MMA president is currently under fire for his actions during Harrison’s title fight loss.
Ali Abdelaziz accused of cheating during 2022 PFL championships
Kayla Harrison went into the fight riding a 15-0 win streak. She was also 2-0 up against Pacheco, both wins coming by way of unanimous decision. However, the third time was the charm for Pacheco, who secured the UD win, the title, and the million-dollar check.
Coach Ali don’t give a fuck. Told the NYSAC ref to fuck off 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/yy3xWEVQll
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 26, 2022
Her manager, Ali Abdelaziz, went over to the side of the cage to give her instructions during the fight. Pacheco’s cornerman and manager Alex Davis voiced his frustration recently on ‘The MMA Hour.’ According to Davis, Abdelaziz went over to a neutral corner and shouted instructions to Harrison. This, said Davis, is not only illegal but also hindered Pacheco from hearing her own corner’s advice.
Davis said that Abdelaziz disregarded him and an official who asked him to get back to his corner. He added that he had to go to the commissioner to get Abdelaziz to back down.
“With my fighters, I’m not going to permit this. I will go to war,” said Davis. Following Harrison’s loss, fans dug up an old tweet from Abdelaziz where he promised to leave MMA if Harrison ever lost.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in 2020, Abdelaziz lost two more dominant champions in 2022
The last time Abdelaziz lost two dominant champions was in 2022. Both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Henry Cejudo announced their retirement from the UFC after successful title defenses. Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the most dominant champions under Dominance MMA. Islam Makhachev has now stepped up to take his mantle. However, his fate remains to be seen.
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2022 has not been kind to Dominance MMA. Abdelaziz has now lost two dominant champions who looked nearly untouchable in their respective promotions. Prior to Harrison, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman lost his title to Leon Edwards in one of the most shocking endings in title fight history.
Harrison and Usman were both dominating their divisions in their respective promotions. Interestingly, Usman was also riding a 15-fight win streak until he ran into Edwards for a second time at UFC 278.
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What are your thoughts on Abdelaziz’s actions? Do you think Dominance MMA will regain the titles they lost? Let us know in the comments below.