Ali Abdelaziz makes a stunning revelation about Umar Nurmagomedov choosing striking over wrestling for UFC return

Umar Nurmagomedov appears to have made a stunning statement, which has surprised a number of fans. The Dagestani grappling savant -- per his manager Ali Abdelaziz -- has seemingly stated that he plans to wrestle less and strike more in his upcoming fights. 

The aforementioned claims, made by Abdelaziz, come in the aftermath of the first KO defeat of Nurmagomedov's MMA career and his second defeat in the sport overall.

The 30-year-old's most recent Octagon appearance saw him lose to China's Song Yadong, getting knocked out cold by Yadong in round two of their bantamweight clash that headlined UFC Shanghai on August 29. 

Ali Abdelaziz claims Umar Nurmagomedov aims to strike and knock people out, shed the wrestler tag after UFC Shanghai KO loss

During a recent conversation with Denis Shkuratov on Submission Radio, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz -- who's long managed fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Kayla Harrison, Umar Nurmagomedov, and others -- addressed a myriad of topics. 

Speaking about his client Umar Nurmagomedov's much-discussed knockout loss at the hands of Song Yadong, Abdelaziz alluded to a paradigm shift in the former's mindset. 

Abdelaziz stated, "I believe 2027 will be the biggest year of Umar Nurmagomedov's career. He called me the other day, and he's like, 'I'm not a wrestler. I'm never going to wrestle again.'" 

He added, "He's not. Him and Usman (Nurmagomedov), they're strikers. And he said, 'I'm just going to knock everybody out... Everybody that I fight next, I'm gonna make sure that I make it look easy. I'm gonna put them out of their miseries.'" 

Abdelaziz underscored that Nurmagomedov said it from the bottom of his heart, adding that he felt the "vibration" in the bantamweight combatant's assertions. 

Ali Abdelaziz expresses his respect for Umar Nurmagomedov, foresees his return with a vengeance

Umar Nurmagomedov's first MMA loss was a unanimous decision verdict against then-UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in their title clash in January of last year. Nurmagomedov bounced back by outpointing Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. His next fight ended in a defeat, the KO stoppage against Song Yadong.

Regardless, many still view Umar Nurmagomedov -- the elder brother of PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and younger cousin of MMA great Khabib Nurmagomedov -- as a future champion. 

Ali Abdelaziz, on his part, expressed his admiration and respect for Umar Nurmagomedov amid speculation surrounding how he'll recover from his scary knockout defeat.

Predicting an impactful comeback for him next year, Abdelaziz said, "I don't love anybody more than I love Umar." Hailing Nurmagomedov as one of the kindest and nicest people in the world, he continued, "And he's also one of the baddest dudes on the planet. And I truly believe Umar, 2027, will come back with a vengeance." 

Watch Ali Abdelaziz discuss Umar Nurmagomedov's much-awaited comeback, his eagerness to strike more and wrestle less, and more below (*comments at the 35:03-minute mark of the video):