Usman Nurmagomedov will fulfill the final fight on his current contract at PFL Long Island, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated free agencies in recent MMA history.
Undefeated reigning PFL lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (21-0) will meet Archie Colgan (13-0) in the main event of the July 31 card at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, N.Y. (ESPN). It's a massive moment for him, because it will set the stage for the next chapter of his career.
Nurmagomedov's potential free agency has been a major talking point for several months. It's now approaching reality, and although Nurmagomedov has nothing but praise for what PFL has done to him, he expects his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, of Dominance MMA, to survey the entire landscape.
"I did already 12 fights in Bellator and PFL and I'm very thankful for that," Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. "I love it. We have really good relationship with the team from PFL. I don't know what's going to happen next. If we talk about today, I didn't sign nothing. I have one fight left – this fight. Then we'll see.
"I don't have any problem to stay with PFL. I love PFL and let's see. Let's see if I will show my best performance. I think a lot of people will be interested in me. First of all, it's going to be PFL. I cannot say something now because this is Ali's job. I think he's going to figure it out. ... I will go out and do my job and if somebody going to pay me good money, we will stay there."
Undefeated reigning PFL lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (21-0) will meet Archie Colgan (13-0) in the main event of the July 31 card at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, N.Y. (ESPN). It's a massive moment for him, because it will set the stage for the next chapter of his career.
Nurmagomedov's potential free agency has been a major talking point for several months. It's now approaching reality, and although Nurmagomedov has nothing but praise for what PFL has done to him, he expects his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, of Dominance MMA, to survey the entire landscape.
"I did already 12 fights in Bellator and PFL and I'm very thankful for that," Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. "I love it. We have really good relationship with the team from PFL. I don't know what's going to happen next. If we talk about today, I didn't sign nothing. I have one fight left – this fight. Then we'll see.
"I don't have any problem to stay with PFL. I love PFL and let's see. Let's see if I will show my best performance. I think a lot of people will be interested in me. First of all, it's going to be PFL. I cannot say something now because this is Ali's job. I think he's going to figure it out. ... I will go out and do my job and if somebody going to pay me good money, we will stay there."
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