PFL CEO Peter Murray has dismissed speculation that Usman Nurmagomedov is already on his way to the UFC, insisting that reports surrounding the lightweight champion’s future contain “so much misinformation.”
Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, has emerged as one of the biggest names in MMA free agency after successfully defending his PFL lightweight title with a brutal knockout of Archie Colgan at PFL New York.
His impressive run has attracted interest from the UFC, with UFC CEO Dana White recently confirming that the promotion would be interested in signing the undefeated Russian. That has led to widespread speculation that Nurmagomedov’s move to the UFC is almost inevitable.
However, Murray claims that no UFC offer has been made and says the PFL still has an exclusive negotiating window with its star fighter.
“There is so much misinformation,” Murray said. “The UFC has not given him an offer. They’re not legally allowed to. We have an exclusive negotiating period.”
Murray revealed that the PFL is currently preparing its own proposal and remains hopeful of keeping Nurmagomedov under contract.
“We’re putting together an offer, and we’re going to sit down and talk with them. I think our offer will be competitive,” he said.
While acknowledging that the final decision rests with Nurmagomedov, Murray made it clear that the PFL considers the 28-year-old a major part of its future.
“We would love to have him. We would love to keep him,” he added.
Murray also reflected on how dramatically perceptions of Nurmagomedov have changed. He said that when he first labelled the Russian one of the world’s best lightweights a year ago, some observers questioned whether he was even good enough to rank inside the UFC’s top 15.
Now, with UFC interest growing, Murray believes the narrative has completely shifted.
“He’s a terrific talent, and we would love to keep him and work with him,” Murray said. “We’d love for him to be a meaningful part of our promotion.”
Nevertheless, the PFL boss acknowledged that Nurmagomedov has the freedom to choose his next challenge. If the lightweight champion ultimately decides that the UFC is the right destination, Murray insists the PFL will continue building around its other elite fighters.
“If he chooses that’s not the path he wants to take, then we have a lot of great fighters here, and it’s a dynamic ecosystem,” he said.
