The former two-division UFC champion recently crossed paths with Nurmagomedov at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The unbeaten Dagestani is now a free agent after exhausting his contract with the Professional Fighters League and Cormier has directly challenged him to test himself against the UFC's best.
Daniel Cormier wants PFL free agent Usman Nurmagomedov to face the UFC's best
Nurmagomedov (22-0) stopped Archie Colgan in the final bout of his PFL contract. Amidst the promotion’s merger with Most Valuable Promotions, he’ll likely be offered a bumper new contract to return, as PFL still has a limited exclusive negotiation window before the UFC can make an offer.
Nurmagomedov appeared to question the level of competition available to him in the UFC, calling top-ranked lightweights “bums” while talking to Cormier after UFC 330. The Hall of Famer then claimed that money should no longer be the primary goal for the Russian and that the time has come for him to start beating big names.
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“It's time for legacy. You think they're bums? Come show me,” Cormier said before shaking hands with Nurmagomedov, who could look to follow in the footsteps of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev in claiming UFC lightweight gold.
DC staying in recruiting mode after #UFC330 🤣 pic.twitter.com/BGrGlpdQKu— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026