Lightweight set to make debut "by December or January"; Khabib says he is considering options beyond his own fight with Gaethje at UFC 254
Saturday 3 October 2020 10:19, UK
Bellator have announced the signing of Usman Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The promotion announced on Friday that they have signed Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0) to an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract. Like his cousin, the Russian will compete in the lightweight division, which is currently championed by champ-champ Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire.
"With today's signing of Usman Nurmagomedov, we are making it clear that Bellator is home to the best fighters on the planet and an organization where the sport's future stars are coming to compete," Bellator president Scott Coker said.
"I am thrilled to have Usman join the promotion and he will be placed in an immediate position to showcase his skills and contend at 155-pounds. We hope to have him in action inside the Bellator cage by December or January."
Usman Nurmagomedov currently trains at American Kickboxing Academy in California alongside Khabib and was also trained by the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in Dagestan.
While Usman Nurmagomedov prepares for his new venture in Bellator, his older cousin Khabib is unsure about what the future holds in MMA.
The undefeated UFC lightweight champion takes on Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and while there is uncertainty about his future, the Russian did tease a number of potential options available to him.
When asked about the possibility of retiring after the Gaethje fight, Khabib told MMA Fighting: "I don't know. For example, I'm going to finish Justin Gaethje inside the cage October 24. What else? This is a very good question.
"I love competition. I love competing with the best fighters in the world. That's why I am here. I'm not in the UFC to make money. I have a lot of business projects outside the UFC, I can make money."
With rumours of a possible rematch with Conor McGregor or a showdown with UFC legend and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, Khabib revealed that UFC president Dana White has promised him something special.
"I don't think [I'll retire after the fight]. We have a couple of options. We're going to think about this after this fight.
"Dana told me after this fight, he has something special for me. But I told him, please keep this, after the fight we're going to talk. He said we have very big things after this fight for me. We'll see."
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