Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira 2 cancelled as Tsarukyan set for new UFC 331 fight
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PFL CEO John Martin says the UFC has to overcome several hurdles before potentially signing Usman Nurmagomedov in free agency.
Professional Fighters League superstar Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, is arguably the biggest name to hit MMA free agency in years. Nurmagomedov most recently defended the PFL lightweight title by brutally knocking out Archie Colgan at PFL New York.
UFC CEO Dana White raised eyebrows when he admitted that the promotion is interested in adding Nurmagomedov to its lightweight division. Many believe it's a foregone conclusion that Nurmagomedov will sign with the UFC instead of re-signing with the PFL.
But the top PFL executive revealed that notion is misleading, and that the league is in the process of negotiating a mega deal with Nurmagomedov.
John Martin updates on the state of Usman Nurmagomedov/PFL negotiations
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, PFL CEO John Martin was asked about Nurmagomedov's future and how confident he is that he will return to the league.
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“There is so much misinformation. The UFC has not given him an offer. They're not legally allowed to. We have an exclusive negotiating period. We're putting together an offer, and we're going to sit down and talk with them. I think our offer will be competitive,†Martin said of Nurmagomedov's free agency.
“It's really up to him. We would love to have him. We would love to keep him… I do have to say, it's a little bit funny… I started saying a year ago, ‘This guy is one of the best lightweights in the world,' and I think people were almost mocking me. The original speculation was that he wouldn't even be top 15 in the UFC… Now I find it kind of ironic that he is being paraded around like he's the salvation of mixed martial arts.
“I mean, he's a terrific talent, and we would love to keep him and work with him,†Martin continued on Nurmagomedov. “We'd love for him to be a meaningful part of our promotion. 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.â€
Will the UFC sign Usman Nurmagomedov? Let us know your prediction in the comments!
Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.
Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333
Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.
“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€
Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.
Alexander
Volkanovski forecasts a spectacular finish of Movsar
Evloev at #UFC333. “I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
… A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that
the best Volk we’ve ever seen?'” (via @Farah_Hannoun)
https://t.co/YEnSuG15WK
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at
UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.
Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout
Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.
“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€
In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.
“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€