Ali Abdelaziz has defended former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva amid accusations from several fighters.
This week, UFC veteran Mike Pierce came out against the former matchmaker, claiming that Silva unfairly pressured him during his fights. He said that the UFC executive insinuated: “perform how I expect or you’re gone.”
Fellow UFC veteran Sam Stout also spoke out against his former employer. On Twitter, he revealed that he was only paid 2k to show and 2k to win for his first Octagon appearance.
This contributed to the general consensus online that fighters aren’t getting paid fairly. Recently Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal called out the organization for not paying them enough. Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor remained silent on the UFC pay debacle, but both fighters recently announced their early retirement.
However, Dominance MMA’s Abdelaziz is less than impressed by these fighters’ complaints. Recently on social media, he announced that none of his fighters sign eight-fight deals. In doing so, he insinuated that it is the fault of the fighter if they are unhappy with the terms of their contract, including pay. Now, he has come to the defence of Joe Silva.
I see a lot of people bashing Joe Silva
But the question is why you didn’t tell him this whe he was a matchmaker
I know I did , Honestly Joe never did me wrong . It’s Complet up to us to agree or disagree on deals— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) June 15, 2020
“I see a lot of people bashing Joe Silva But the question is why you didn’t tell him this when he was a matchmaker,” Abdelaziz wrote. “I know I did, Honestly, Joe never did me wrong. It’s Complet up to us to agree or disagree on deals.”
Joe Silva left the UFC in 2016 after 21 years in the industry. He has been celebrated by Dana White and Joe Rogan for his contribution to the sport. However, recent comments from fighters put into question his conduct behind the scenes.
Do you think Ali Abdelaziz is right to defend former matchmaker Joe Silva? Or do you think there is some truth regarding bad behavior towards fighters?