Usman Nurmagomedov Questions UFC Lightweights Pimblett, Topuria, and Tsarukyan
Usman Nurmagomedov used a Sport24 interview to cut into the UFC lightweight division, naming Paddy Pimblett, Ilia Topuria, and Arman Tsarukyan while arguing their records do not match the billing. The comments come as the undefeated PFL champion sits in exclusive negotiations and decides whether his next title fight happens outside the UFC.
Nurmagomedov, 28, is 22-0 with one no contest. He knocked out Archie Colgan in the first round on July 31 in the last fight of his PFL contract and remains the promotion’s lightweight champion.
He started with Pimblett, who lost a five-round unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje in an interim title fight at UFC 324 on Jan. 24. Gaethje, then 37, later stopped Topuria to become undisputed champion.
“Pimblett lost to a 37-year-old veteran fighter. Well, he’s top one or two now,” Nurmagomedov told Sport24.
The “he” in that line points to Gaethje, who is now the UFC lightweight champion after going 28-5. Pimblett, 24-4, rebounded in July with a first-round submission of Benoit Saint Denis and is ranked No. 5 at 155 pounds.
Nurmagomedov was sharper on Topuria. The former champion’s only professional loss came on June 14 at UFC Freedom 250, when his corner stopped the fight after the fourth round against Gaethje.
“Topuria, who was praising himself. Lost early, sat down on a chair, and said that I was not continuing,” Nurmagomedov said.
That is Nurmagomedov’s description of the finish. The official result was a TKO via corner stoppage, and Topuria has not fought since while recovering from the beating.
His longest critique was reserved for Tsarukyan, the No. 2 ranked UFC lightweight. Tsarukyan’s two UFC losses are a 2022 decision to Mateusz Gamrot and a 2019 decision to Islam Makhachev.
“Arman lost to Gamrot, and he lost to Islam. He sits, waits a year, fights once says that he is the best fighter in the world. While he had two fights, I made four title defenses,” Nurmagomedov said.
The activity comparison is the core of his argument. Tsarukyan has had one UFC bout since April 2024, a November 2025 submission of Dan Hooker, and is 23-3 overall with a 10-2 UFC record.
Nurmagomedov, in a similar stretch, defended titles at Bellator and in the PFL. His last four championship defenses were against Alexander Shabliy, Paul Hughes, Alfie Davis, and Colgan.
In the same Sport24 interview, he said the UFC’s promotional machine is strong but he does not see the lightweight roster as that strong. He pointed to Tsarukyan’s Sept. 19 co-main event against Mauricio Ruffy, who was submitted by Saint Denis in 2025, and said fighters in that division beat one another and remain in the top 10.
Tsarukyan has described Nurmagomedov as a threat to almost every UFC lightweight, including Gaethje, while also saying the PFL does not have the same competition. Nurmagomedov is answering that ranking talk with a ledger of title fights.
He has not signed with the UFC. PFL still holds an exclusive negotiating window, and Nurmagomedov said this week that talks are ongoing and the 90-day period has to expire before the next decision.
A move to the UFC would put him in the same 155-pound mix he just dismissed. Gaethje is champion, Topuria is ranked No. 1, Tsarukyan is ranked No. 2, and Pimblett is still in the top five.
None of those names is a booked opponent. The next confirmed lightweight date on the UFC calendar is Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.
Nurmagomedov’s next step is the PFL window, with manager Ali Abdelaziz handling the offers. His Sport24 comments make the pitch clear: he wants the UFC lightweight hierarchy measured against title defenses, not against a year between fights.