Kamaru Usman Tells Henry Cejudo to Drop Usman Nurmagomedov From Lightweight Talk
Kamaru Usman does not want Usman Nurmagomedov treated like a UFC lightweight until the contract is real.
The former welterweight champion and Henry Cejudo spent a segment of their Pound 4 Pound show arguing over who belongs in the 155-pound title picture.
Usman started with the names already on the roster.
“You got Justin Gaethje, you’ve got Ilia Topuria, you’ve got Arman Tsarukyan, you’ve got Paddy the Batty,” he said. “And you’ve got new guys coming in there.”
He added Max Holloway and a newcomer he called Saladin, then said he was not putting that fighter in the tight title mix.
Cejudo pushed back on stacking the division with outsiders.
“There’s a lot of better matchups that you could do with the real 155ers,” Cejudo said. “I’m just saying, like, I think them adding sh*t to this division, like, it doesn’t, it’s a cool fight, but it’s not the most, you know, you wanna see who’s gonna be the next title contender in that position.”
Then he brought up Nurmagomedov.
“And I do feel like if it’s, if Usman Nurmagomedov signs with…”
Usman cut him off.
“First of all, Mr. Henry, why do we keep bringing up Usman?” he said. “This is not a done deal that Usman is going to be here.”
He asked Cejudo to take the PFL champion out of the hypothetical.
“He shouldn’t be in the conversation,” Usman said. “I’m gonna talk Habib what you just said. Tell him what I just said. And Habib, I guarantee you Habib will 100% agree with me. Stop putting him in the conversation. Usman right now is the PFL’s top dog.”
Cejudo said he would pass the comment to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I’m gonna tell Khabib what you just said.”
Usman’s answer was one word.
“Tell him.”
That is the disagreement in plain language. Cejudo is weighing a future signing as title-picture material. Usman is drawing a line at paperwork.
Nurmagomedov is still the PFL lightweight champion. He finished his PFL contract with a first-round stoppage of Archie Colgan in New York and has been in an exclusive negotiating window with the promotion.
PFL CEO John Martin has said the UFC has not been legally able to offer him a deal during that window. Islam Makhachev has said he believes a UFC move is likely. None of that is a signed Octagon contract.
Gaethje is the UFC lightweight champion after beating Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Tsarukyan just knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 and is widely viewed as next in line.
Topuria, Holloway, and Pimblett are already inside the UFC lightweight conversation without a free-agent asterisk.
Cejudo’s point is matchmaking. He wants the next contender fight built from fighters already at 155, not from a name that still fights under another logo.
Usman’s point is process. Rankings, title shots, and “next guy” talk belong to people on the roster.
Nurmagomedov can change that the day he signs. Until then, Usman wants his name out of the same sentence as Gaethje and Tsarukyan.