Would New MMA Free Agent Usman Nurmagomedov Beat Justin Gaethje?

The last few days have proven to be quite memorable in MMA this year. August 1 saw UFC Belgrade set modern UFC records for the most finishes and first-round finishes on a card. July 30, meanwhile, saw a bombshell announcement that the PFL and MVP MMA will be merging, with the PFL rebranding to MVP MMA effective January 1.

And between all that, one of the PFL’s biggest stars – Usman Nurmagomedov, billed as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion – retained the PFL lightweight title with a first-round knockout of Archie Colgan. And by doing so, he became a white-hot free agent, having fulfilled his PFL contract.

He’ll be a heavily pursued fighter, and the negotiations appeared to start in the PFL cage during his post-fight interview at PFL New York on July 31. Jake Paul, MVP founder, offered to buy Nurmagomedov a car if he won his next fight. Nurmagomedov immediately shut that down, saying he doesn’t know where his next fight will be.

“MVP, they always trash talk a little bit about [UFC CEO] Dana [White] – he doesn't pay,” Nurmagomedov said. “Now we're going to see how they're going to pay.”

Usman Nurmagomedov, the cousin of the legendary undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, is 22-0 (1 NC) in professional MMA. After ruling over Bellator’s lightweight division, he was brought into the PFL following the PFL’s late 2023 acquisition of Bellator. He then became PFL lightweight champion in 2025 and retained the title against Colgan and Alfie Davis this year.

With his contract now fulfilled, and given his status as one of the best fighters, let alone lightweights, outside the UFC, plenty expect he will be the next noteworthy name to make the jump to the world’s biggest MMA organization.

And if you don’t think White isn’t interested in getting him over, especially given his belittling remarks about the PFL-MVP merger, all he needed was to say one word and make one facial expression at the UFC Belgrade post-fight press conference.

“Sure!” White said, grinning ear to ear.

And then he followed it up with a simple smiling emoji.

Ultimately, what this all comes down to, perhaps, is whether Usman Nurmagomedov is more interested in creating a legacy for himself in the sport inside the Octagon – or in promotions outside of it. Will the PFL/MVP be willing to fork over the money required to keep Usman Nurmagomedov on their roster – especially given the anticipation and expectations surrounding their new merger? Will White and TKO be willing to fork over extra money to get another generation of Nurmagomedov on their roster – at the same time as they have another Khabib Nurmagomedov protegee, Islam Makhachev, as welterweight champion?

Fans have already speculated what will be next for the younger Nurmagomedov and thinking of potential matchups that could happen if he were to sign with the UFC – potential opponents ranging from the likes of Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, to Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett.

Then there’s Justin Gaethje, the current UFC lightweight champion. It’s uncertain if the two will ever match up – Gaethje is admittedly on the door of retirement, it’s rare for new UFC fighters to get a title shot in their promotional debut, and Nurmagomedov and Gaethje both are under the same management of Ali Abdelaziz. Usman Nurmagomedov also holds a high respect for the current UFC champion.

But the Gaethje comparison is one of the reasons why PFL CEO John Martin would love to keep hold of the Dagestani fighter. Martin, in fact, says he’d pick Nurmagomedov to defeat Gaethje if the two were to ever do battle.

“We had mutually agreed to hold off discussing his future with us or anywhere else until after tonight,” Martin said at the PFL New York post-fight press conference. “So now we look forward to sitting down and finding out what he wants to do. He is an extraordinary young fighter, still in his late 20s.

“I’d love to be able to keep him here. I really, legitimately think he’s the best 155-pounder in the world. Justin Gaethje was in the cage, in Archie’s corner. Justin’s an outstanding fighter. If I had to take a wager on if those two fought, I would go with Usman.”

Usman Nurmagomedov’s free agency, wherever he ultimately lands, will be a hot storyline to watch in these last five months of MMA in 2026.