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

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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.

I told everyone before that Justin
Gaethje would beat Ilia
Topuria. And I'm telling you today: Usman
Nurmagomedov will stop Ilia
Topuria within four rounds. @Usmannmgdv

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00)
August 2, 2026

Ciryl
Gane has some serious basketball skills.

Gane was recently seen playing one-on-one against Minnesota
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. “Bon Gamin†impressively scored
twice against Gobert, who is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of
the Year. The two-time interim champion posted the video on his
Instagram Stories.

Ciryl Gane's basketball skills impress against NBA star Rudy
Gobert

Gane used to play basketball and soccer before he started training
muay thai in 2016. The Frenchman quickly found success in combat
sports, making his professional MMA debut just two years later.

Arguably the most light-footed heavyweight on the
Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, Gane has only lost to
former champs Francis
Ngannou and Jon Jones in
his entire pro career. Notably, he's competed in charity soccer
events in France and, more impressively, can pull off a variety of
dunks with a basketball.

He knocked out Alex
Pereira to win an interim heavyweight title at
UFC Freedom 250 this past June. The 36-year-old is now expected
to rematch Tom
Aspinall in a title unifier when the champion returns.

😬Ciryl Gane
basketball skills are insane.

🀠He’s playing with Rudy Gobert who’s a 4-time NBA Defensive Player
of the Year.

🎥 @ciryl_gane
pic.twitter.com/6nJUrtkaZV

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
August 2, 2026

Ciryl Gane
before MMA and boy can he dunk 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pPwCd2fgbi

— ð•½ð–†ð–Žð–“ð–’ð–†ð–ð–Šð–—â‚ (@Sa_Gwang)
January 24, 2022

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

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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.

Jake Paul
says he’s the one who told Khabib to put the belt on Usman
Nurmagomedov:

“I don’t even wanna be a promoter and be admired for this sh*t. I
have my life set. I literally do this sh*t for the fighters.

I told Khabib to take the belt and put it on his cousin because…
https://t.co/Zyz9MQ5f30
pic.twitter.com/MT6ec8ADLl

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
August 1, 2026