Ali Abdelaziz thinks Conor McGregor should call it quits.
The renowned manager of the likes of UFC champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Henry Cejudo acknowledges what McGregor has done in the sport, but thinks his best days are behind him.
“The man accomplished a lot in this sport – he made a lot of money. It’s good for him. But I think it was a mistake to stick around,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “I think he should retire. If he wants to beat the top fighter – or, you know what? – fight Nate Diaz, (Donald) ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and make some money. But he’s not part of the elite. He can’t compete with Khabib, Tony Ferguson, Kamaru Usman or some of the elite competitors. He’s become actually a journeyman – make a lot of money, and it’s OK. He understands his place.”
McGregor is scheduled to make his return to the octagon at UFC 246 on Jan. 18 when he takes on Cerrone in a welterweight bout.
Abdelaziz is baffled at McGregor taking the fight 170 pounds, especially since he has continuously expressed interest in rematching UFC lightweight champ Nurmagomedov, who defeated McGregor by fourth-round submission at UFC 229.
“No hard feelings, but I don’t think he’s going to beat ‘Cowboy’ and fight Khabib next,” Abdelaziz said. “That’s not going to happen because he did not fight at 155 pounds. He did not fight the No. 1 contender. He chose to make money. And listen, him and the UFC can make money. They need to make money. It’s good for both of them. But he became irrelevant to us.”
UFC president Dana White on Thursday said McGregor wanted to fight at 170 pounds against Cerrone so it would be easier on his body. That way, with a win, he can turn around and fight Nurmagomedov next if Nurmagomedov beats Ferguson in April – and he wouldn’t have to cut to 155 pounds twice in a row.
The top contender at lightweight may be Justin Gaethje, who has three straight first-round knockouts, most recently over Cerrone.
Abdelaziz thinks McGregor should have fought Gaethje next if he wanted to rematch Nurmagomedov.
“Realistically, if you really want a rematch, who’s the guy to beat? The guy is Gaethje,” Abdelaziz said. “Gaethje knocked out ‘Cowboy.’ Nothing but respect for ‘Cowboy,’ but the whole thing is, you’re fighting ‘Cowboy’ at 170 pounds. It’s two things: You’re avoiding Khabib, (and) he’s definitely avoiding Gaethje. I guarantee you, because people understand that Gaethje is the type of guy, he’s going to take you to the very dirty, dark places. And if you’re not ready for it, he’s going to die.
“We saw Khabib take him to some dark places and he gave up. I understand he make a career decision. He understands if he fought with Gaethje, 98.9 percent he would lose, (and) 1.2 percent maybe he’s going to win. He doesn’t have enough balls, and his heart is not what people think.”
