Ali Abdelaziz

Ali Ibrahim Abdelaziz (Arabic: علي عبدالعزيز) is an Egyptian mixed martial arts manager, having founded Dominance MMA Management. Abdelaziz is the former executive vice president and matchmaker for the World Series of Fighting promotion. He is also a former MMA fighter.

Early life Abdelaziz spent his youth growing up in Cairo playing soccer, later focusing on judo. He came to the United States for the first time in 1996 when he traveled to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Early on, he managed Gregor, Igor and Rolles Gracie, along with Rafael Natal and other fighters, many being taken on as clients for free. Eventually, Abdelaziz became a manager for Renzo Gracie. He also manages the UFC's current women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and former featherweight champion Lance Palmer.

World Series of Fighting Abdelaziz was the executive vice president and matchmaker for the World Series of Fighting (WSOF, later acquired and reorganized into the Professional Fighters League, PFL). Standard 467.104 of the Code of Unarmed Combat of the Nevada State Athletic Commission prohibits "a promoter or any of its members, stockholders, officials, matchmakers or assistant matchmakers act directly or indirectly as his or her manager; or hold any financial interest in the unarmed combatant’s management or earnings from contests or exhibitions." Abdelaziz later made a statement about his conflict of interest, stating that he "never did mismatches" when matchmaking.

Despite a public announcement of his departure, it was alleged in a legal complaint filed against the promotion and its new owner, MMAX Investment Partners (doing business as PFL), that the organization "continued to use Abdelaziz throughout 2016".

Personal life Abdelaziz has publicly supported current US president Donald Trump.

Informant work In 2002, Abdelaziz was imprisoned in Colorado on charges of document forgery. While in jail, he was recruited by the New York Police Department's Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence, David Cohen, to work undercover within a Virginia-based arm of a group called Muslims of America. Abdelaziz became one of Cohen's highest-paid informants at the time, "earning hundreds of thousands of dollars". The NYPD shared Abdelaziz with the FBI, becoming known as Confidential Informant 184. He was issued a green card, allowing him to leave and re-enter the United States. Abdelaziz worked in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and elsewhere in the world. The FBI eventually began to suspect he was operating as a double agent, having told people in Egypt of his life, particularly after he was reportedly administered a polygraph examination. The FBI ended its relationship with Abdelaziz and the American government unsuccessfully attempted to deport him. This information was publicized in the book Enemies Within, written by American journalists Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, and was used by Conor McGregor in an attempt to antagonise Abdelaziz at the UFC 229 press conference.

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Caol Uno Submission (armbar) K-1 HERO'S 8

Nagoya, Japan Loss

Rocky Johnson Submission (armbar) Ring of Fire 26

Castle Rock, Colorado, United States Loss

Takuhiro Kamikozono Submission (heel hook) Ring of Fire 19

Castle Rock, Colorado, United States Win

Chee Bates Submission (guillotine choke) Ring of Fire 12

Castle Rock, Colorado, United States

Submission grappling record