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Archie Colgan plans to find out if Usman Nurmagomedov is really that great or not: ‘July 31, we’ll have those answers’

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1 month ago

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Archie Colgan plans to find out if Usman Nurmagomedov is really that great or not: ‘July 31, we’ll have those answers’

Archie Colgan has been not so quietly waiting for his title opportunity and he finally gets his chance when he faces lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in the PFL New York main event Friday.

With an undefeated record and coming from the same camp as UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, Colgan has been chasing this fight ever since he was in Bellator, but his climb to the top took a little longer than expected. Colgan admits it angered him a little bit to watch other contenders get that opportunity while he was still waiting, but he's putting all that behind him now that the title fight is official.

“Three years ago, two and a half years ago when he first won the belt in Bellator, that became the goal,†Colgan told MMA Fighting. “That became the guy that I was like that's who we're chasing. That's who we went to beat. That's who we want to beat for the Bellator world title and then they got purchased and it became the PFL world title. None of that has changed.

“It's been the same goal. It's been consistent. To get the opportunity I set the goal against, it's what I want. The frustrations are real. When we were talking about this, it was real frustration. Now the frustration, not that it's gone, but we're going to see now. Now it's time.â€

So much of the narrative around this fight has been built around two tenets: How will Nurmagomedov fare against another high-level wrestler and is this his final fight in the PFL with one bout left on his current contract?

Colgan can't concern himself with the latter, but as a lifetime wrestler who spent four years at Wyoming competing Big 12 conference, he knows what it takes to deal with the best grapplers in the world. It also doesn't hurt that he works alongside somebody like Gaethje or former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who is also a top wrestler in MMA.

Colgan knows this is a fight and not a wrestling match, but he's keen to find out if Nurmagomedov is ready for everything he plans to throw at him when they finally clash.

“I think that's what I have been preaching about this whole time,†Colgan said. “He's a very well-rounded fighter, very good striking, distance management, good wrestling, good grappling as well but it's always been out of operation of offense, offense, offense and never having to consider the defense to it. July 31, we'll have those answers.â€

As far as taking the title off Nurmagomedov as he potentially reaches free agency where he's long been rumored to end up in the UFC, Colgan has nothing to do with that but he would like to show the world that elite competition absolutely exists in the PFL.

He couldn't imagine a better way to bolster the PFL lightweight division than to go out and dethrone Nurmagomedov in dominant fashion.

“I think that me going out there and doing what I believe I will do in getting the job done, it just goes to show that the PFL is very legitimate and the lightweight weight class here at the PFL is high caliber,†Colgan said. “It's up there with everybody and it's not just one guy who's up there with everybody. It's a roster of very talented guys and it should get its shine.â€

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MMA

Security breaks up heated hotel run-in between undefeated UFC rivals

Published

3 hours ago

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September 10, 2026

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Security breaks up heated hotel run-in between undefeated UFC rivals
Security had to separate Tommy
McMillen and Marwan
Rahiki during their run-in at the fighter hotel days before
their clash.

McMillen (11-0) and Rahiki (9-0) are set to collide in a highly
anticipated matchup of undefeated
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweights at
Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale,
Arizona.

Tommy McMillen details altercation with Marwan Rahiki before
Noche UFC 4

Bad blood is brewing between the two unbeaten 145-pounder prospects
and they've taken several shots at one another before fight week.
McMillen previously said he's ready to brawl with Rahiki in a
parking lot and doubts whether the Moroccan would be ready to do
the same.

The American now claims to have already had a run-in with Rahiki
inside an elevator at the fighter hotel. McMillen says he was with
his brother and his striking coach when he met Rahiki, who had
eight teammates with him.

“I popped up here in the elevator and that's the first kid I saw,â€
McMillen said at Noche UFC 4 media day. “He was there with eight of
his teammates and I'm sitting here with my little brother Jono and
my striking coach, JJ. I got right in his face; he tried to touch
me, I pushed him right out of my face. I told him he looks like a
scrawny little b*tch, Saturday night I'm gonna make him look like
my little brother… Security had to break it up. I don't like that
kid; he doesn't like me. He thinks it's all fun and games. I'm the
kid that would actually fight this kid in a parking lot. He's not
like that at all; he's a p*ssy. I'd assume he's not stupid enough
to think this is an act. I kind of just punked him in the elevator
with eight of his friends and showed him it's not an act. I'll
fight him in front of his whole f*cking team. This kid's not on the
same level as me.â€

Footage of the altercation shows both parties trading barbs and
gently shoving each other while officials try to separate them.
Both McMillen and Rahiki have two finishes each in as many UFC
outings. While McMillen has finished 10 of his 11 career wins,
Rahiki has never seen the judges' scorecards in his nine career
wins.


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MMA

UFC fighter says he cant see opponents clearly until they get close

Published

6 hours ago

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September 9, 2026

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UFC fighter says he can't see opponents clearly until they get close
Kurtis
Campbell can't see his opponents clearly inside the
Octagon.

Campbell wears considerably thick-lensed glasses when out of
competition. The Liverpool native seems to be heavily dependent on
them, putting them back on immediately after his fights. Campbell
recently revealed that his eyesight is poor and that his opponents
appear blurry to him until they get close.

Kurtis Campbell explains why his UFC opponents appear blurry
across the Octagon

While Campbell tried contact lenses when he was young, he was too
nervous to put them in. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight eventually got
used to fighting without contact lenses and prefers it this way
now.

“My eyesight is really bad, but at the same time I love my
glasses,†Campbell told Ariel Helwani. “I would never change them…
I tried contacts when I was younger, but I was always too nervous;
I couldn't put them in. So, I got used to fighting without them and
I don't think I've ever gone back since. I've always preferred it
that way… Because of how big the UFC cage is, [my opponent] is
blurry and then once we get closer, it gets a little better.â€

Campbell (9-1) earned his UFC contract with a first-round technical
knockout win on
Dana White's Contender Series last year. He then suffered a
knockout loss to Danny Silva
in his UFC debut in London this past March. “The Pink Pantherâ€
rebounded with a dominant submission win over Trevor Peek
at
UFC Paris.

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MMA

Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitch McKee to crown bantamweight champion in last PFL event

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 9, 2026

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Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitch McKee to crown bantamweight champion in last PFL event

PFL will crown its bantamweight champion on Dec. 19 in Lyon, France, when Taylor Lapilus faces off with Mitch McKee for the inaugural 135-pound belt in the main event of the last PFL card before merging with MVP in 2027, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Lapilus (25-4) won four in a row under the PFL banner after parting ways with the UFC on a two-fight winning streak, topping Jake Hadley in his most recent bout this past May. The 34-year-old French bantamweight was victorious in six of eight bouts over two stints in the UFC.

“My whole career has led to this moment,†Lapilus stated in a release. “I'm here to become champion, leave my mark on this sport, and cement my legacy. And when I look back, I want to know I was part of the moment everything changed for French MMA. This is more than a title fight. This is history in the making.â€

McKee (11-0) is a decorated wrestler and undefeated MMA prospect who earned a shot at the PFL gold after beating former Bellator titleholder Sergio Pettis via decision in April, his first appearance under the company's banner after a successful 8-0 run in LFA.

“Fighting for a PFL world title is exactly why I came here,†McKee said. “Taylor is a great fighter, he's experienced, and I know fighting him in France means I'm walking into his backyard. I wouldn't want it any other way. I've believed from day one that I'm the best bantamweight in the PFL, and in December I get the opportunity to prove it. I'm going to Lyon to bring that belt home.â€

The final four PFL shows before the transition under the MVP name are scheduled for Oct. 16 in Chicago, followed by a pair of November events before the last trip to Lyon.

“Lyon has become one of the great fight cities in the world, and the energy French fans bring for their athletes is palpable,†MVP CEO John Martin stated in a release. “On December 19, fans will have the opportunity to see one of their own fight for a world championship as Taylor Lapilus takes on the biggest test of his career in the undefeated Mitch McKee. … The night will also mark a major milestone for our company as the final event under the PFL banner before we move forward as MVP in 2027. I can't think of a better city or a better stage for it.â€

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