Prochazka (32-6) recently warned Costa (16-4) against tagging him
on social media or mentioning his name unless the Brazilian wants
to fight him. The former champ also claims the
Ultimate Fighting Championship has offered Costa a booking
against him for October or November and he's eager to take him
on.

Jiri Prochazka claims UFC offered Paulo Costa a light
heavyweight matchup

Costa has taken shots at fellow light heavyweight contenders ahead
of the final bout on his current contract. The former middleweight
title challenger criticized former champion Magomed
Ankalaev's performance at
UFC Abu Dhabi and also mocked Prochazka for his loss to current
titleholder Carlos
Ulberg.

Prochazka has now clapped back at “Borrachinha,†claiming that the
latter shouldn't mention his name unless they're actually slated to
fight. The Czech star added that the promotion has already offered
the fight to Costa.

“This is just a quick message for Paulo Costa,†Prochazka said on
Instagram. “Don't tag me, don't mention me in your posts. Because
you have a offer from UFC to fight me in October or November. And
if you don't want to fight me, don't mention me, don't speak about
me. I'm waiting for the contract for this fight.â€

The light heavyweight title picture is complicated by Ulberg's
injury, as the Kiwi champion is expected to be out until next year.
Ankalaev's lackluster win, Dana
White suggesting an interim title bout, Prochazka looking to
rebound from a frustrating loss and Costa eyeing the right matchup
to close out his contract have added to the drama at 205
pounds.

Usman Nurmagomedov is now a coveted free agent. | 📷: PFL
MMA

Usman
Nurmagomedov and Ilia
Topuria could be on a collision course, and the Russian's
manager has now weighed in on the matchup.

Nurmagomedov (22-0) is the most sought-after free agent in mixed
martial arts presently. The undefeated
Professional Fighters League lightweight exhausted his current
contract with the promotion by defending his title with a knockout
win over Archie
Colgan at
PFL New York.

Usman's manager has now addressed how he'd fare against the former
two-division
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder.

‘Usman will stop Ilia': Nurmagomedov's manager predicts another
Topuria KO loss

Topuria (17-1) was the fastest-rising fighter in the sport until
his title loss to Justin
Gaethje at
UFC Freedom 250, the first defeat of his pro career. Despite
being no longer unbeaten, he remains one of the biggest stars in
the UFC.

Ali Abdelaziz manages both Gaethje and Nurmagomedov. With rumors of
Nurmagomedov looking to sign with the UFC now circulating,
Abdelaziz predicts that the Dagestani standout will stop Topuria by
the fourth round, as Gaethje did.

“I told everyone before that Justin Gaethje would beat Ilia
Topuria,†Abdelaziz wrote on X. “And I'm telling you today: Usman
Nurmagomedov will stop Ilia Topuria within four rounds.â€

It remains to be seen whether Nurmagomedov re-signs with the PFL
amid their merger with Jake Paul's

Most Valuable Promotions. Notably, Dana
White confirmed the UFC's interest in the 28-year-old following

UFC Belgrade.

Jake
Paul explained why Khabib Nurmagomedov put the belt on Usman
Nurmagomedov. | 📷: PFL MMA

Jake
Paul claims he never planned to put the
Professional Fighters League belt around Usman
Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov defended his PFL lightweight title with a sensational
knockout of Archie
Colgan at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. Amidst PFL's
recent merger with Paul's
Most Valuable Promotions, the YouTuber-turned-boxer was in
attendance for the event and an in-cage moment after the main event
subsequently went viral.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Jake Paul's PFL
moment goes viral after title fight

While Paul initially had the belt in the cage, he handed it over to
Usman's cousin, Khabib
Nurmagomedov, to put it around the champ. Paul was trolled
online for the moment as it looked like Khabib forcibly took the
belt away from him. However, Paul claims that he had told Khabib to
wrap the belt around Usman. He says he doesn't want attention as a
promoter and wants fighters to steal the limelight instead.

“It’s crazy because I told Khabib before handing him the belt that
he should be the one to hand his cousin the belt and put it on
him,†Paul wrote on Instagram Stories. “I don’t even want to be a
promoter and be admired for this shit. It’s really for the
fighters. I have my life set. I literally do this shit for the
fighters. I told Khabib to take the belt and put it on his cousin
because that’s way cooler than me doing it and it gets turned into
some internet thing hating against me. Ask Khabib. Keep it coming:
y’all are sheep until you’re not. Your IQ depends on how you read
this message and either love or hate me.â€

Usman (22-0) exhausted his current PFL contract with his win over
Colgan, with rumors of a UFC move emerging. However, with the
MVP-PFL merger, the newly formed union will be eager to retain the
Russian's services.