Usman
Nurmagomedov is currently the most sought-after free agent in
mixed martial arts.
His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently discussed Nurmagomedov’s
contract situation, claiming that the
Professional Fighters League did not offer the unbeaten
lightweight champion a new contract before the final bout of his
deal.
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Usman Nurmagomedov’s PFL departure creates intrigue around UFC,
Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov involvement
Nurmagomedov (22-0) completed the final fight of his PFL contract
at the promotion’s July 31 event, where he scored a first-round
knockout victory over Archie
Colgan. Abdelaziz has now revealed that the promotion had the
opportunity to re-sign him ahead of
PFL New York.
“Listen, the truth of the matter is PFL had an opportunity to sign
him before the fight,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “And you know how
much I love PFL… They’re great people. PFL always gives an
opportunity for people and they don’t get enough credit.”
According to Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov chose to complete his contract
rather than negotiate a new deal before the fight.
“Usman took a risk,” the veteran manager said. “He could have went
out there and lost. Archie could have beaten him. He took a risk.
He gambled on himself and he won.”
Abdelaziz then confirmed that PFL has a 90-day exclusive
negotiating window after Nurmagomedov’s last bout, following which
they’ll assess their options.
“In the next 90 days, they have an exclusive negotiation,”
Abdelaziz added. “After that, I’m going to talk to other people and
we’ll figure it out.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White previously hinted that the UFC is interested in
Nurmagomedov. However, Abdelaziz downplayed the chances of a UFC
move, claiming that negotiations and Khabib
Nurmagomedov’s approval are pending.
“It’s not like 100% he’s leaving and going to the UFC. It doesn’t
work like that,” Abdelaziz concluded. “It has to be a lot of
decisions. I have to negotiate, he has to like it, Khabib has to
sign off on it and this is how we work.“