Sean Strickland has found himself in several spats lately. One of them, however, has now been linked to an alleged attack on his coach. The middleweight champion and No. 2 flyweight Manel Kape have been going at it on X, as the teammates hurled insults and accusations at each other. These ranged from PED use to bullying. But according to a couple of reports, their feud began 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 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 has released an official statement regarding the incident. What is confirmed, however, is that 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 present at the venue.

As for why Abdelaziz, who also manages Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, and Belal Muhammad, allegedly swung at 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. 

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 hasn’t been confirmed, Ali Abdelaziz has been previously involved in altercations with other managers at MMA events. 

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 only time will tell what exactly happened on Saturday night.