Things are about to get fascinating.
Professional Fighters League (PFL) Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov torched top prospect Archie Colgan in the first round this past Friday (July 31, 2026) in the main event of PFL New York inside UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York (watch highlights).
And with that win, his PFL contract has come to an end.
That means Nurmagomedov now has a massive decision to make: re-sign with PFL or follow his family’s path to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
So, what
does the undefeated Russian want to do?
“We’ll see what’s going to happen,” Nurmagomedov said during the PFL New York post-fight press conference. “I have to talk to my team. As I said, Jake Paul talks about Dana White doesn’t pay for his fighters. OK. Now it’s his turn. Show. Just show us.”
Nurmagomedov’s future became one of the biggest talking points during fight week because his bout with Colgan was the final fight on his PFL deal. After stopping Colgan, he kicked off free agency by making it clear he is open to seeing what everyone has to offer.
During the lead-up to the fight, “father’s plan” was brought up several times, referring to the vision laid out by legendary coach and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Usman mentioned it again after his win.
“Father’s plan, it means — when he was alive, he talked about Khabib going to be champion, when he moves, Islam will be champion, because when Khabib took the belt, it was not some mistake,” Nurmagomedov said. “We showed the level. And after Islam, Usman is going to become champion. This is legacy. This is Father’s Plan. We’re just trying to follow this.”
That sure sounds like UFC could be the natural next step.
But Nurmagomedov also made something else very clear:
Legacy does not pay the bills.
“Legacy, we keep doing legacy, but money, brother. I have a family. Legacy doesn’t pay check,” Nurmagomedov said. “We’ll see. I don’t want to go ahead and say something, big words. I have to talk to Khabib, I have to talk with my team, and then we will make the decision. Right now, I cannot make the decision, ‘I’m gonna do this, do this,’ because I can’t. I have my team.”
And that is where this gets fascinating.
PFL, which just announced this past week that it is merging with MVP MMA, desperately needs stars to survive and grow. There is no doubt about it: PFL needs Nurmagomedov far more than UFC does.
That probably means PFL will be willing to pony up a major bag to keep him.
However, UFC appears interested, too.
When UFC CEO Dana White was asked if the promotion was interested in Nurmagomedov, he said “sure” — but he also had a gigantic smile while answering.
Ultimately, this is going to come down to money.
Nurmagomedov is only 28 years old. In theory, he could take millions from PFL for a couple more years, continue building his record, and then head to UFC around 30 or 31 years old — the same age Islam Makhachev was when he won UFC gold.
Or he could jump now and try to complete “Father’s Plan” while he is undefeated, in his prime and already viewed as one of the best Lightweights in the world.
Will UFC fork over big money for another Nurmagomedov?
Maybe.
But it does not need him the way PFL does.
And that is what makes this free agency so interesting.
For more PFL New York results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
