‘Ilia Topuria would f*cking annihilate 100% of your roster’: Manager fires back at rival

Malki Kawa, manager of lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, has fired back at rival manager Ali Abdelaziz following recent comments on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Abdelaziz, who was appearing alongside two of his own clients—Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo—had suggested that PFL star Usman Nurmagomedov would dominate the UFC's lightweight roster, including Topuria, who lost his belt to Justin Gaethje (also an Abdelaziz client) in June at UFC White House.

Kawa dismissed Abdelaziz's claims as baseless hype, insisting that Topuria remains the superior fighter despite the loss. "Ilia Topuria would f*cking annihilate 100 percent of your roster," Kawa said, adding that Topuria would beat Gaethje if they fought again. Kawa characterized Abdelaziz's performance on the podcast as self-serving, noting that he was simultaneously hyping Nurmagomedov while speaking on the show of two of his own fighters—a perceived conflict of interest.

Topuria has been sidelined since the Gaethje defeat to recover from facial injuries sustained in that fifth-round stoppage. Kawa expressed confidence that when Topuria returns, he will silence his doubters with a dominant performance. He named several potential opponents—Paddy Pimblett, Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Gaethje—saying it matters little who stands across the cage when Topuria makes his comeback. Kawa portrayed Abdelaziz's strategy as a deliberate effort to avoid matching Nurmagomedov against elite UFC competition, suggesting Abdelaziz knows his fighter could not prevail against top-tier lightweights.