Dana White’s body language said it all.
The UFC CEO was smiling from ear to ear when asked if he’d be interested in signing Usman Nurmagomedov (22-0), who fought out his contract with the PFL on Friday. Speaking with reporters on Saturday at the UFC Fight Night 282 post-fight press conference in Serbia, White gave a simple “sure” in response to the question, along with a big smile.
Dana White gives a one-word answer about UFC’s interest in signing 22-0 PFL champion Usman Nurmagomedov. 😬
🎥 @ufcpic.twitter.com/ZpByvq3wip
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 1, 2026
After the conclusion of the press conference, White took to X to reply with a smiling emoji to a clip of his response about potentially signing Nurmagomedov.
😁
— danawhite (@danawhite) August 1, 2026
Nurmagomedov fought out his contract with the PFL on Friday with his KO win over Archie Colgan in the main event of PFL New York. After the fight, he expressed his interest in exploring the idea of signing with the UFC.
“We’ll see what’s going on,” Nurmagomedov said in the cage after the fight at PFL New York. “It was my last fight (on my contract). MVP, they always trash talks a little bit about Dana – he doesn’t pay. Now we’re going to see how they’re going to pay.”
Many consider Nurmagomedov to be one of the best fighters outside the UFC today. Nurmagomedov is undefeated with an impressive 22-0 record. He won the Bellator lightweight title in 2022 and defended it three times. After the PFL-Bellator merger, Nurmagomedov fought for and won the inaugural PFL lightweight title in late 2025, and has since defended the belt twice. Nurmagomedov is the younger brother of UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White all smiles when asked about free agent Usman Nurmagomedov
