Dana White says UFC will talk to unbeaten Usman Nurmagomedov once PFL window closes

Dana White said on Saturday, October 24, that the UFC will start talking to Usman Nurmagomedov once the unbeaten lightweight is free to negotiate. Asked after UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi whether any talks had started, White said he wasn't aware of any, according to Heavy.

"Not that I'm aware of, and I don't know where he is on his contract situation."

He added that once Nurmagomedov's contract is up and he can negotiate, the UFC will talk to him, according to EssentiallySports and MMA Sucka. White made the same point to The National before the event, tying the UFC's interest to him becoming a free agent.

Nurmagomedov, 28, was at Etihad Arena himself, sitting front row, Heavy reported. This is interest, not an offer, and it isn't new. White answered "Sure" when asked about signing him after UFC Belgrade in early August, SI reported. As of Sunday, no deal with the UFC or the PFL has been announced.

Why the UFC has to wait

His PFL contract ran out with his last contracted fight, a first-round TKO of Archie Colgan at 3:42 at PFL New York on July 31. He kept the PFL lightweight title that night. In early August, his manager Ali Abdelaziz said the PFL had 90 days of exclusive negotiation, per Heavy. PFL CEO John Martin confirmed the exclusive period but didn't give a length.

"The UFC has not given him an offer. They're not legally allowed to," Martin said, as reported by MMA Sucka on August 20.

If the 90 days run from July 31, they end on Thursday, October 29. That is our own count; no official start or end date has been published. Heavy calls it a "three-month matching period", but neither Martin nor Abdelaziz has said the PFL can match an outside offer once it closes.

Money is the sticking point, by his own account: "Money, brother," he said in August, per SI. Abdelaziz said he gave the PFL a number to extend before the Colgan fight and was turned down, according to MMA Sucka.

Nurmagomedov told Sport24 in late August he had turned down $2 million and asked for more, EssentiallySports reported. The PFL hasn't confirmed the figure. A week earlier, Martin had said, "I think our offer will be competitive."

Nurmagomedov said in September he would decide his future by the end of October, MMA Sucka reported. Abdelaziz has said Khabib, Usman's cousin and a UFC Hall of Famer, must sign off on any move, according to Heavy.

Where he would fit

He is 22-0 with one no contest, a former Bellator champion and the PFL lightweight champion whose contract has run out. Before Colgan, who came in 13-0, he submitted Alfie Davis in the third round at PFL Dubai in February. He has never fought in the UFC, so we have no UFC odds or fighter page for him.

The UFC lightweight belt belongs to Justin Gaethje, who beat Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. Gaethje, 37, hasn't decided whether he will fight again. If he does, he said it will be against Arman Tsarukyan, according to SI. Nothing is booked.

Abdelaziz has cited Kayla Harrison's PFL exit as something that might happen again. She signed with the UFC in 2024, beat Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, then submitted Julianna Pena for the bantamweight title at UFC 316. She closed as a heavy favourite in all three: -450, -1048 and -658. She faces Amanda Nunes at UFC 334 on November 14, where the market gives her a 64% chance.

We think the Harrison route is the likely one if he signs: one or two fights against ranked lightweights before a title shot. Gaethje has already named Tsarukyan, and the UFC has never seen Nurmagomedov against its top 15. Heavy also expects a 2027 debut without an immediate title fight. Nurmagomedov disagrees: "I don't need a warm-up fight," he said in September, per MMA Sucka.