Ariel Helwani invited famed-manager Ali Abdelaziz on set for the latest edition of his ESPN MMA show and the resulting interview was extremely heated.
Ali has become something of a celebrity since his fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov’s clash with Conor McGregor after the Irishman called out his seemingly shady past in a very public way.
Conor McGregor and Ali Abdelaziz exchanging words at the end of the presser! "How's Noah" #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/aY4MDLn20c
— The MMA Bible (@TheMMABible) September 20, 2018
Abdelaziz is known for his rather volatile personality – something that shines through on social media more than anywhere.
In a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN, the pair had a pretty heated conversation where they attempted to settle their supposed beef and in one memorable section, the host took Ali’s behaviour to task – especially after he had blocked the reporter on social media.
“Here’s the thing. After the fight, Khabib has said nothing about Conor. Very little. Conor wrote his thing, but nothing disrespectful.
“I feel like you’re the one who continues to make this into a personal thing. You’re making this so heated, you guys won! Why? Move on.
“Is it being ‘loyal’ to block? Is it being ‘loyal’ to send messages? It sounds to me like this is all getting to your head – if you want me to be honest.
“I feel like you’re getting out of control.”
Ali’s response was to ask Helwani if it was the first time that he had blocked him, to which Ariel interjected:
“Who acts like that? [blocking people] That’s a child. That’s a high-school kid who acts like that.
“You know who acts like that? You’re taking a page out of his book, out of Dana White’s book. You’re acting like Dana White. You’re acting like a bully.
“You’re getting too emotional. You’re trying to intimidate people and you’re trying to intimidate the media. You can’t do that, it’s not your job.”
The entire interview can be watched below (and it is well worth your time).
Cillian Cunningham, Pundit Arena
Read More About: Ali Abdelaziz, ariel helwani, artem lobov, conor mcgregor, khabib nurmagomedov, mma, UFC, ufc 229
