Usman Nurmagomedov is 22-0 and officially a free agent, and American Top Team’s Grant Dawson is straight up saying the dude deserves a UFC title shot right now if he joins the roster. Nurmagomedov, who’s been the PFL lightweight champion, has got his UFC welterweight champ teammate Islam Makhachev pushing for him to hit the big leagues, and Dawson thinks the guy has earned his shot against the best.
The UFC Lightweight Division Is A Meat Grinder
Dawson knows how brutal it is to climb the ranks in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. He was once on a crazy 12-fight unbeaten streak himself, but even with that, he couldn’t land a major top contender fight. The division is just built different, man. Dawson told MMA Junkie it “sucks” trying to get noticed, bringing up a meme about how you have to go through an absolute murderer’s row of Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira just to get knocked out by whoever the champ is. It’s truly wild, and now there’s another undefeated phenom potentially coming in? Is that even fair?
Why You Can’t Just Throw Him To The Wolves (But Also, You Can)
If Nurmagomedov does land in the UFC, Dawson believes they need to throw him into the fire immediately. This isn’t some rookie we’re talking about; Nurmagomedov has been a champion in both Bellator and PFL for nearly four years. PFL, by the way, is arguably the second biggest promotion in America, maybe even the world, according to Dawson. This isn’t some rinky-dink outfit. Nurmagomedov’s record is sparkling clean at 22-0, with “a lot of finishes.” Dawson is adamant: you gotta give him a big name. He’s talking about matchups with Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, or even Arman Tsarukyan, assuming Arman isn’t holding the belt at that point. Dawson even floated the idea of an immediate title fight, saying the UFC has “done it before.”
This guy isn’t just another tough dude; he’s proven it. If Usman Nurmagomedov actually makes the jump to the UFC, the lightweight division is about to get even more insane. Who’s going to be brave enough to step up first against an undefeated champion with a teammate like Islam Makhachev in his corner?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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