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Usman Nurmagomedov bet on himself; now the UFC question begins

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Usman Nurmagomedov bet on himself; now the UFC question begins

Usman
Nurmagomedov is currently the most sought-after free agent in
mixed martial arts.

His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently discussed Nurmagomedov's
contract situation, claiming that the
Professional Fighters League did not offer the unbeaten
lightweight champion a new contract before the final bout of his
deal.

Usman Nurmagomedov's PFL departure creates intrigue around UFC,
Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov involvement

Nurmagomedov (22-0) completed the final fight of his PFL contract
at the promotion's July 31 event, where he scored a first-round
knockout victory over Archie
Colgan. Abdelaziz has now revealed that the promotion had the
opportunity to re-sign him ahead of
PFL New York.

“Listen, the truth of the matter is PFL had an opportunity to sign
him before the fight,†Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “And you know how
much I love PFL… They’re great people. PFL always gives an
opportunity for people and they don’t get enough credit.â€

According to Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov chose to complete his contract
rather than negotiate a new deal before the fight.

“Usman took a risk,†the veteran manager said. “He could have went
out there and lost. Archie could have beaten him. He took a risk.
He gambled on himself and he won.â€

Abdelaziz then confirmed that PFL has a 90-day exclusive
negotiating window after Nurmagomedov's last bout, following which
they'll assess their options.

“In the next 90 days, they have an exclusive negotiation,â€
Abdelaziz added. “After that, I’m going to talk to other people and
we’ll figure it out.â€

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White previously hinted that the UFC is interested in
Nurmagomedov. However, Abdelaziz downplayed the chances of a UFC
move, claiming that negotiations and Khabib
Nurmagomedov's approval are pending.

“It's not like 100% he’s leaving and going to the UFC. It doesn’t
work like that,†Abdelaziz concluded. “It has to be a lot of
decisions. I have to negotiate, he has to like it, Khabib has to
sign off on it and this is how we work.”

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MMA

Nina Drama denies being forced to wear hijab for Movsar Evloev interview

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Nina Drama denies being 'forced' to wear hijab for Movsar Evloev interview
Nina-Marie Daniele says she wore a hijab for her interview with
Movsar
Evloev out of respect.

Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Daniele's
decision to wear a hijab while interviewing the Muslim fighter drew
criticism online, prompting her response.

Nina-Marie Daniele explains why she wore a hijab for Movsar
Evloev interview ahead of UFC 333

During the interview, Evloev said his religious beliefs would
prevent him from looking at her if she were dressed less modestly.
Daniele defended her choice, explaining that she wanted to make him
comfortable. She also said participation in her interviews is
voluntary and that no one forced her to wear the hijab.

“At the end of the day it's always about respect,†Daniele wrote on
X. “I have so much respect for all my Muslim friends. I love
learning about cultures and I'm so grateful for the UFC for giving
me the opportunity to travel the world. Some people are offended
and that's fine, this came from a place of respect and wanting to
be able to make Movsar
Evloev comfortable in our interview. My interviews are not
‘mandatory' and never were, the fighters that show up show up
because they want to and I was in no way shape or form ‘forced' to
do anything. Thank you to Movsar and his team for giving me the
opportunity to show the fans a different side of him! I'm so happy
people are enjoying the interview!â€

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MMA

Morning Report | Paddy Pimblett: Movsar Evloev ‘quit’ in loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

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Morning Report | Paddy Pimblett: Movsar Evloev ‘quit’ in loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

Movsar Evloev, 20-0 no longer. But apparently, his UFC 333 loss to Alexander Volkanovski is deeper than that.

The top featherweight contender updated his Instagram bio following his disappointing knockout defeat at the hands of Volkanovski, but not to 20-1.

Instead, Evloev is now “0-1,” signaling a new beginning, perhaps? At 32, Evloev is not a young man in the 145-pound division, but perhaps there’s still room for him to grow and even if he can’t beat Volkanovski, can he hang around long enough for Volkanovski to exit and then step into his place as a future champion?

What do you all think of Evloev’s profile tweak?

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Aaron Pico admits he was fighting too out of control before UFC 333

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Aaron Pico admits he was fighting 'too out of control' before UFC 333
Aaron
Pico is learning to be more patient inside the Octagon.

Pico (14-5) is scheduled to face Losene
Keita (17-2) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the
matchup, the former Bellator
fighter said he wants to gain experience rather than rush to
finish.

Aaron Pico explains new fighting mentality ahead of Losene
Keita matchup at UFC 333

Pico was knocked out in his UFC debut last year before earning his
first promotional victory against Patricio
Freire. He said he has since adopted a “beginner
mentality.â€

Pico, who has finished 11 of his 14 professional victories, has
worked with coach Roberto Barreiro to develop a more measured
approach. Instead of trying to end fights as quickly as possible,
he now wants to settle into the action.

“When I say I needed to be humbled, it’s not in the fact that I
walked or carried myself… I needed to humble myself in the way that
I was fighting,†Pico said at the UFC 333 media day. “I was
fighting just too out of control. When I would go do a fight, the
mindset was to get this thing over. I just want to go in there, do
what I have to do, get the win and go home. I've really worked with
coach Roberto Barreiro a lot in Morocco to switch the mindset a
little bit. Now I want to enjoy and cook the fight.â€

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