MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is lucky to be alive after his client, UFC star Ottman Azaitar, saved him from drowning.
According to TMZ Sports, the near-drowning incident occurred while the UFC star and his manager were in Hawaii.
The duo were swimming near a waterfall with several others when Abdelaziz, who isn’t a strong swimmer, ended up in the deeper end of the water and he was unable to touch the bottom.
He began to panic after his head dipped below the waterline. The UFC fighter quickly came to his manager’s aid and rescued him from drowning. He quickly swam with Abdelaziz as fast as he could before grabbing a rope-like vine from the area and reeled them to safety.
The entire ordeal was caught on video.
“Ottman’s a great kid. He has a big heart. He literally saved my life,” Abdelaziz shared with TMZ Sports while discussing the situation. Abdelaziz also stated he believes he would have died had Azaitar not been there.
The manager is now heading to Salt Lake City for UFC 307 where his other client, Kayla Harrison, will take on Ketlen Vieira in a women’s bantamweight round. She has a 17-1 career record, has won back-to-back fights and her most recent win was during the UFC 300 in April.
Azaitar will not be participating in UFC 307. His most recent fight was in July 2023, where he lost to Francisco Prado. He currently has a 13-2 record and 10 knockouts.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz Recently Spoke Out About His Other UFC Client Magomed Ankalaev
While speaking to ESPN recently, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz spoke out about his other client, UFC champ Magomed Ankalaev not getting a chance to earn the title at UFC 307.
“It’s bulls–t he’s not getting a title shot. He just fought for the title, too,” Abdelaziz stated. “This is kind of what the UFC said. But the reality, I believe he’s the best light heavyweight on the planet. I know it, you know it, Dana White knows it, Mick Maynard knows it. Alex Pereira became a big star – you can’t take this away from him.”
The manager also stated, “The guy is always game to fight. But every road has an end. Magomed Ankalaev will handle business, Alex Pereira will handle business, and these two guys will fight in 2025.”
Instead of Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree will be facing off against Alex Pereira at UFC 307.