Prominent mixed martial arts manager Ali Abdel-Aziz has issued a strong response to well-known British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. Hearn recently sparked debate by stating his belief that MMA is less popular than boxing within the overall fight industry.
Abdel-Aziz took to social media to voice his disagreement, mincing no words. He wrote:
“Eddie, you are a clown. The UFC has been around for over 30 years. You started working in boxing, using your daddy’s money. And the UFC started from scratch.”
Directly addressing Hearn`s challenge about identifying MMA stars, Abdel-Aziz highlighted the significant social media following of top UFC athletes:
“You say you can’t name six superstars of the UFC. So what about Islam Makhachev, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov collectively having over 60 million followers on social media? No one in boxing has that many followers.”
He concluded his sharp critique by suggesting Hearn`s comments stem from envy:
“You’re just jealous of Dana White.”
