Usman Nurmagomedov’s manager has revealed that recent claims that he has signed with the UFC are false and inaccurate.

After fighting in the final fight of his PFL deal this past July when he knocked out Archie Colgan, Usman Nurmagomedov has consistently been linked to a move to the UFC.

And although it seemed as though the undefeated star would sign with the premier MMA promotion imminently, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

His longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz has shut down reports that he has officially signed with the UFC, calling them ‘false’.

Nurmagomedov’s manager shuts down imminent UFC signing

Despite Islam Makhachev having said there’s a 90% chance Nurmagomedov will sign with the UFC, Abdelaziz has revealed that it won’t be happening any time soon. Earlier this week, reports surfaced suggesting that the 28-year-old has officially signed with the UFC, but Abdelaziz has shut those down.

“Guys, the reports that Usman Nurmagomedov signed with another promotion are false. He’s still in an exclusive negotiating period with the PFL, which means he can’t negotiate with any other promotion right now,” the Dominance MMA manager wrote on X.

Despite Abdelaziz’s comments, it was previously believed that the PFL’s exclusive negotiating period was 90-days, which would have brought that to an end a few weeks ago considering the fact that he last fought in July. It is currently unknown how long there is left of the exclusive negotiating period, however, as soon as it ends, the UFC are free to negotiate with the undefeated star.

Usman continues to receive links to the UFC because of his links to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, as well as the fact that Dana White has already registered his interest in signing him. Not only that, but because he is widely regarded as the best lightweight fighter on the planet, combat sports fans want to see him compete in the premier promotion.

Although Abdelaziz has ruled out an imminent signing with the UFC, he hasn’t ruled it out entirely. Other than the UFC, the only other viable option for the 28-year-old would be signing with MVP MMA, who will take over the PFL at the beginning of 2027. Despite that, Nurmagomedov has already turned down a $2 million offer from the PFL, leaving his immediate future open.

With that, Abdelaziz has already spoken about who he would push for Nurmagomedov to fight in his potential UFC debut, highlighting Ilia Topuria as a dream opponent. That, though, seems unlikely as ‘El Matador’ is continuing to pursue a rematch against Justin Gaethje, or a clash against Paddy Pimblett. Having said that, because of Nurmagomedov’s popularity and standing in the sport, it is likely that he would immediately jump into a fight against a top five opponent.