Usman Nurmagomedov turned down $2 million from the PFL, and the UFC has to wait
Usman Nurmagomedov says he rejected an offer north of $2 million to re-sign with the PFL. The undefeated lightweight champion fought out his contract in July, and a 90-day exclusive window still keeps every rival promotion out of the room. In the meantime, he has been picking the UFC’s lightweight division apart by name.
- Fight Hub
- 28 August 2026
Key takeaways
- Usman Nurmagomedov told Sport24 he turned down more than $2 million to re-sign with the PFL, saying his own asking price was higher.
- His contract ended with a first-round knockout of Archie Colgan at PFL New York on July 31. The PFL holds a 90-day exclusive negotiating window, so nobody else can formally bid until late October.
- Dana White, asked whether the UFC was interested, answered in one word: "Sure."
What Usman Nurmagomedov actually said about the money
An offer refused, and a number he did not name
Speaking to Sport24, the 28-year-old said the PFL put more than $2 million on the table to keep him, and that he said no because the figure he had asked for was higher. He did not say how much higher, and the promotion has not commented on the negotiation.
That is the whole of the confirmed fact, and it is worth keeping it that size. Everything else circulating this week is inference built on top of it.
The contract ran out on a knockout
The timing is not incidental. Nurmagomedov’s deal expired with its final fight: a first-round knockout of Archie Colgan at 3:42, in the main event of PFL New York in Elmont on July 31, defending the lightweight title he already held.
Finishing a contract by knocking out a challenger in one round is the strongest possible position from which to reopen terms. He is 22-0 with one no contest, a former Bellator lightweight champion and the current PFL champion, and he has not lost a professional fight.
The 90-day window is the real story, not the rumours
Nobody can sign him yet
The part that gets lost in the noise is contractual. The PFL holds a 90-day exclusive negotiating period from the end of his deal, which runs from July 31 into late October. Until it lapses, the UFC cannot formally negotiate with him at all, whatever anyone says publicly.
So the story is not “Nurmagomedov is signing with the UFC”. It is that the PFL has a fixed number of days left to convince a champion who has already refused its offer once, and that everybody knows the deadline.
Dana White answered with one word
Asked by reporters whether the UFC was interested in him as a free agent, Dana White said: “Sure.” That is not a signing announcement, and given the window it could not be one. But it is a UFC president publicly declining to play down interest in a champion still under another promotion’s exclusivity.
Why the PFL can least afford this now
Context matters here. This is the same promotion that has just absorbed Jake Paul’s MVP, an operation built on adding star power and commercial reach. Losing its undefeated lightweight champion in the same season would cut directly against the story that merger is supposed to tell.
Two million dollars per fight is also, by any public standard, near the top of what a non-UFC promotion pays. That it was refused says something about what Nurmagomedov thinks the alternative is worth.
Arman lost to Gamrot, and he lost to Islam. He sits, waits a year, fights once, says that he is the best fighter in the world. While he had two fights, I made four title defenses.
He spent the wait taking the UFC lightweights apart
Named, one by one
In the same Sport24 interview, Nurmagomedov went through the division he may be about to join, and he did not hedge. On Paddy Pimblett: “Pimblett lost to a 37-year-old veteran fighter. Well, he’s top one or two now.” The veteran in question is Justin Gaethje.
On Arman Tsarukyan, the sharpest of the lot, and the one that doubles as his own case: “Arman lost to Gamrot, and he lost to Islam. He sits, waits a year, fights once, says that he is the best fighter in the world. While he had two fights, I made four title defenses.” Both defeats are real: Mateusz Gamrot beat Tsarukyan by decision in 2022, Islam Makhachev submitted him in 2019.
His verdict on the division as a whole was blunter still: “They just fight each other and stay in the top 10, and that’s all.”
One exception
He made a single exception, and it was not for a contender. Asked about Quillan Salkilld, he said: “Quillan Salkilld, he is doing very well… It is interesting to watch him. So cold-blooded.” Coming from a fighter who has just dismissed most of the top ten, that is worth more than it looks.
What to watch between now and late October
Three markers. Whether the PFL returns with a revised offer before its exclusivity lapses, since it has no second chance after that. Whether Nurmagomedov keeps talking publicly, which is leverage, not just noise. And whether the UFC says anything more specific than “sure” once it is legally free to.
Worth remembering too: he is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov’s brother, and managed by Ali Abdelaziz. The path into the UFC is unusually well paved. The calendar is the only thing in the way.
Track the division with real numbers
Usman Nurmagomedov’s full record, his finishes, and the up-to-date lightweight rankings on both sides of the argument are in the FightHub app. Download it to see where he would actually land.
