Fight enthusiasts are theorizing that prominent MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has once again assumed control of Magomed Ankalaev’s X (formerly Twitter) account, using it to target Jiri Prochazka.
Following Prochazka’s first-round knockout defeat to Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 last weekend, Ankalaev posted a series of critical remarks about the former light heavyweight champion on X. Prochazka’s loss was attributed to his tactical decision to engage in a striking battle with Ulberg rather than capitalizing on a visibly compromised opponent.
Shortly after Prochazka’s defeat, Ankalaev’s account published posts questioning Prochazka’s place in the title picture, stating: “Prochazka been knocked out three of his last six fights. I don’t wanna hear his name anymore in the title picture enough is enough.”
In a subsequent post, the Russian fighter appeared to criticize Prochazka’s fighting style in the Ulberg bout, remarking: “Jiri Prochazka He kept kicking Carlos’s legs. He did not show him any mercy. Fake.”
An additional post from the account read: “Jiri never talk about me again. You only can talk about me if you wanna fight none of these guys are my level congratulation, Carlos.”
These statements have led many fans to believe that Ankalaev himself did not author them, but rather his manager, Abdelaziz. Online commentary reflects this sentiment, with one user writing: “Shut the fu*k up, Ali, oh my god please, Big Ank would never say such a thing.”
Similar sentiments were expressed by others, such as: “Ali pls stop. Ank would never say mean things,” and “Yo Ali shut up and stop speaking for Ank. We need bum to flatten Ulberg.” Another commenter criticized Abdelaziz’s alleged actions: “Imagine how dumb @AliAbdelaziz00 is. This was an opportunity for Ankalaev to win Jiri’s fans over. But there goes the opportunity, just like that. This dumba*s manager really is dumb and incompetent. His only way to make money is making sure his fighters have so many haters.”
The reactions highlight a perception among some fans that Abdelaziz’s perceived meddling on Ankalaev’s account is counterproductive to building positive fan reception for his fighter.