Dana White on Usman Nurmagomedov: 'When he's a free agent and able to talk to us, we're interested'

UFC CEO Dana White has said the promotion is interested in signing unbeaten PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov once he becomes a free agent. White made the comments in an interview with Steve Luckings of The National in Abu Dhabi, published on Saturday, October 24, the day of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena.

Asked whether any talks had taken place with the Dagestani fighter, White gave little away but left no doubt about the UFC's position.

"Well, contractually, I don't know where he's at right now, but obviously, when he's a free agent, and he's able to talk to us, we're interested," White told The National.

Where Usman Nurmagomedov stands with the PFL

Nurmagomedov fought out his PFL contract with a first-round win over Archie Colgan at PFL New York in July. According to The National, he is now officially out of contract but locked into a 90-day exclusive negotiating period with the PFL, which means he cannot sign with or negotiate with rival promotions such as the UFC until that window expires. The National reports that the window is closing soon.

PFL CEO John Martin confirmed the 90-day exclusive period on The Ariel Helwani Show in August. "The UFC has not given him an offer. They're not legally allowed to. We have an exclusive negotiating period," Martin said at the time, adding that the PFL was putting together what he expected to be a competitive offer and would "love to keep him".

On October 17, Nurmagomedov's manager Rizvan Magomedov denied reports that the fighter's team was already negotiating with the UFC. Speaking on the BOSTANOV MMA YouTube channel, as quoted by Metaratings, he said the exclusive PFL period had not yet expired and that the team expected to meet PFL management about a week later to hear an official offer.

"There were no negotiations with the UFC, nor about a possible opponent, nor offers from the PFL that we supposedly rejected. We will need to see what options there are, weigh everything and then make a decision," Magomedov said. He added that, in his view, Nurmagomedov could be one fight away from a title shot if he signs with the UFC.

Family ties to the UFC

A move to the UFC has long been discussed. Usman's brother Umar Nurmagomedov already competes in the UFC bantamweight division, and their cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov is a former UFC lightweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer. Usman was also in attendance at UFC 330 in Philadelphia to support teammate Islam Makhachev, where he was filmed greeting White and UFC executive Hunter Campbell, according to MixedMartialArts.com.

What is confirmed and what is not

• Confirmed: White says the UFC is interested once Nurmagomedov is a free agent and able to negotiate (The National, October 24).
• Confirmed: The PFL holds a 90-day exclusive negotiating period, per PFL CEO John Martin.
• Not confirmed: Any UFC offer or talks. Both the PFL and Nurmagomedov's manager have said there have been none, and White did not say any had taken place.

In the same interview, White also said Tom Aspinall will let the UFC know when he is ready to return, and declined to predict the outcomes of the UFC 333 title fights: Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili.