It has paid him off well so far. Aside from having a 2023 fight at the historic Bellator 300 against Brent Primus (16-5, 1 NC MMA, 4-2 PFL) turned into a no-contest, he has come out on the right side of the fight every time.
Usman Nurmagomedov now turns his attention to this Saturday evening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for PFL Dubai, the first event on the 2026 PFL schedule. Awaiting him this weekend is the 2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament Champion, Alfie Davis (20-5-1 MMA, 3-1 PFL) for the PFL Lightweight Championship ESPNs direct-to-consumer streaming service.
Usman Nurmagomedov receives high praise from cousin Khabib ahead of the anticipated PFL Dubai Clash
Usman Nurmagomedov’s cousin is quite well versed in MMA in his own right. The great Khabib Nurmagomedov retired with an undefeated record in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has remained in the sport as a coach.
Khabib has watched his cousin’s development as a fighter in recent years. To say he’s impressed with what Usman Nurmagomedov has been able to do would be the understatement of the century.
Recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov sat down to talk about his cousin’s upcoming fight with Alfie Davis in a interview with team gorilla.
“It’s a very good and competitive fight,” Khabib said of his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov’s Saturday night match, translated via on-screen subtitles. “Usman’s opponent is very awkward in style. We know what to expect, but the opponent is fast and has very rare punches in MMA. If you work carefully, Usman should win with experience and skill.”
Usman Nurmagomedov reflects on the first fight with Paul Hughes
Usman Nurmagomedov comes to PFL Dubai after winning a two-fight series over Paul Hughes. While the first fight against Hughes resulted in a victory, Nurmagomedov knew there was room for improvement.
“It’s just that the preparation was bad,” said Usman Nurmagomedov. “It wasn’t the hardest fight of my career. I fought like I was on the street.:
When the rematch took place last October, Usman’s game plan took on a different tone.
“I trained like a professional fighter,” he said. “No one knew Paul Hughes before the fight with me. He came out, gave a good fight and they started talking about him. Anyone who fights me becomes famous. A lot of people wanted me to lose, that’s why there’s so much talk about it.”
Usman Nurmagomedov on Alfie Davis and Khabib Nurmagomedov on Cousin’s Chances Against UFC Fighters
In Alfie Davis’ last fight, he took on Gadzhi Rabadanov (26-5-2 MMA, 7-1 PFL the distance) to secure the tournament championship at 155 lbs. Ahead of Saturday’s match in Dubai, Usman Nurmagomedov appears bewildered by his opponent.
“I won’t say the opponent is easy, but I won’t say he’s special either,” he said. “A rival is like a rival.”
From there, Khabib Nurmagomedov was given the opportunity to address the idea that his cousin could one day make the jump to MMA’s No. 1 promotion, the UFC.
“I have my own opinion on this,” he said, “but it’s not right to talk about the UFC. [with him] being a PFL fighter. In a year, Usman has grown enormously. I fight him myself. I work personally and from the outside he is at least on the same level as them.”
Final thoughts
Any talk of Usman Nurmagomedov possibly joining the UFC will wait for another day. At this stage of his career he will have to take it fight by fight and round by round.
Perhaps, with a few more defenses of the PFL Lightweight Championship, the Nurmagomedov camp can start seriously considering diving into the UFC pool. As long as he remains undefeated, he could potentially attract the interest of UFC CEO Dana White.
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