Sean Strickland has found himself in several spats recently. One of them, however, has now been linked to an alleged attack on his coach. The UFC middleweight champion and No. 2-ranked flyweight Manel Kape have been going at each other on X, as the Xtreme Couture teammates hurled insults and accusations at each other.
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It began with Sean Strickland, seemingly out of nowhere, tearing into popular MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz. This invited a brutal response from Kape, who called Strickland a “b—h” and asked him to “keep my friend’s name out of your mouth.” Soon enough, the UFC champion responded by bringing up Kape’s PED controversies, calling the flyweight “Manel Acup Kape” and asking users to hand him “a bra.” The pair continued to trade insults, with Strickland doubling down on the PED accusations and Kape bringing up his troubled childhood. But according to a couple of reports online, their growing feud was born out of a brawl last Saturday at the Meta Apex arena.
“The buzz on the street of why @SStricklandMMA and @ManelKape are having a beef is because Eric Nicksick ‘allegedly’ got punched in the face by Ali [Abdelaziz] at the META Apex Saturday, post-fight, backstage,” TheStarched wrote on X.
A similar account of what had happened was revealed by combat insider Blake ‘Axe’ Avignon on X, who responded to TheStarched.
“.@AliAbdelaziz00 tried to swing on Coach Nicksick, missed, and both were separated and removed from the backstage area,” Avignon wrote on X. “Everybody should be reaching out to Lenee & Nobie to get @UFC’s response on why they allow managers to conduct themselves like this backstage.”
Despite these reports, neither the UFC nor any of the individuals allegedly involved have released an official statement regarding the incident. However, there could be some truth to this since Manel Kape headlined the UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas last Saturday, where he defeated Kyoji Horiguchi via third-round knockout. Given that Kape was headlining the event, it is entirely plausible that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, was also present at the venue, and so would be Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick.
As for why Abdelaziz, who also manages Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Kayla Harrison, and Belal Muhammad, allegedly took a swing at Sean Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick, the reason remains unclear. But the allegation that Strickland is feuding with Kape because of the incident is further supported by his attacks on other fighters represented by Abdelaziz. That includes Justin Gaethje. The two exchanged verbal jabs during the buildup to UFC Freedom 250.
Here’s what I know and heard: .@AliAbdelaziz00 tried to swing on Coach Nicksick, missed, and both were separated and removed from the backstage area. Everybody should be reaching out to Lenee & Nobie to get @UFC’s response on why they allow managers to conduct themselves like Show more
The buzz on the street of why @SStricklandMMA and @ManelKape are having a beef is because Eric Nicksick “allegedly” got punched in the face by Ali Abdelziz at the META Apex Saturday, post fight, backstage #ufcvegas119 #ufc #mma
But Strickland continued taking shots at both Gaethje and Abdelaziz even after the event concluded. After Saturday’s event, ‘Tarzan’ hopped on X to explain why he thinks ‘The Highlight’ “is a b—h” even though he claims to “like him.” Strickland alleged that Abdelaziz “was arrested for being a f–king terrorist.” He added that Gaethje’s manager “then snitched on his terrorist boys.”
Strickland claimed that even if Abdelaziz offered him “a billion dollars,” he wouldn’t sign with him. The next day, Strickland attacked former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, mocking the number of views the latter’s video on social media had received. He made some stereotypical racial remarks, and Muhammad hit back with personal attacks.
While this alleged incident at the Meta Apex remains officially unconfirmed, Ali Abdelaziz has a history of physical altercations with other entities in MMA.
Ali Abdelaziz reportedly punched another MMA manager in 2019
All the way back in 2019, Ali Abdelaziz was reportedly involved in a physical altercation with fellow MMA manager Abe Kawa during a PFL playoff event in Las Vegas. According to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report obtained by USA Today, an officer witnessed Abdelaziz strike Kawa in the face with a closed fist in a VIP section, leading to a battery citation.
Kawa told police that he was punched for “no reason.” Meanwhile, former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, who was present at the event, claimed Abdelaziz slapped Kawa “like a b—-” before quickly leaving the scene. Following the incident, the PFL asked Abdelaziz not to attend its remaining postseason events until the legal matter was resolved.
Abdelaziz, who represented several fighters competing in the playoffs, said he voluntarily stayed away because he did not want the controversy to overshadow his athletes. According to a June 2020 report from MMA Fighting, a misdemeanor battery charge related to the incident was dismissed by a Nevada judge.
This clearly isn’t the first time Ali Abdelaziz has found himself in this situation. And Sean Strickland, for one, can’t seem to stand him because of it. But once more details about the incident emerge, we’ll know for sure who did what and why.