If Usman Nurmagomedov signs with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) then his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is hoping to land the Professional Fighters League (PFL) lightweight champion one of the biggest matchups in the sport.
In case you didn’t know, Nurmagomedov is officially a free agent after fighting out his PFL contract one week ago (watch HERE). At 22-0, Nurmagomedov is arguably the best fighter not competing in UFC right now and with the Khabib connection he already has a massive following. It
would be surprising if UFC didn’t step up and pay Nurmagomedov the money he wants to move on from PFL (and Jake Paul).
Assuming Nurmagomedov joins UFC’s stacked lightweight division it will be interesting to see who matchmakers pick to welcome him to the Octagon. According to Abdelaziz, it makes the most sense to book Nurmagomedov against former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who recently lost his title to Justin Gaethje at UFC’s White House card. That may seem like a reach for even Abdelaziz, but the two fighters already share some history. UFC matchmakers may bite.
Check out Abdelaziz’s comments below and let us know if you think Nurmagomedov can land a Topuria grudge match in his first UFC fight:
“The fight I want, if he goes to the UFC, is Ilia Topuria for his first fight,” said Abdelaziz. “There’s already beef there. Ilia created the beef.”
“I’m telling you straight up, I think Usman will make Ilia quit. He’ll hit him, kick him, and knock him out flat.”
