RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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ELMONT, NEW YORK - JULY 31: Jake Paul (L) looks on after Usman Nurmagomedov (foreground R) knocked Archie Colgan (not pictured) for the lightweight world title during PFL New York at UBS Arena on July 31, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Usman Nurmagomedov is the hottest free agent in MMA .
Still just 28 years old, the undefeated lightweight (22-0, 1 NC) recently completed his PFL contract , which carried over from Bellator MMA , and will exclusively negotiate with his previous employer for a period of 90 days.
After that, anything goes.
Nurmagomedov has been linked to a future deal with UFC , thanks in part to his relationships with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and current UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov . In addition, Usman is managed by Ali Abdelaziz, who controls a stable of top UFC fighters .
Signing with UFC might seem like a no-brainer; however, the MMA landscape is about to change with the recent merger between MVP and PFL , giving Usman the opportunity to drive up his asking price. As we learned from this bitter ex-champion , UFC is not afraid to say no — even to the biggest names in the business .
And Usman is already turning down beaucoup bucks.
According to his recent conversation with Sport24 ( watch it here ), Usman already turned down north of $2 million to re-sign with PFL. Perhaps he’s trying to milk the bean counters for more bread, or maybe he wants to see what UFC has to offer after the 90-day negotiating window closes.
Just beware of all that “misinformation.”
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