Khamzat Chimaev reportedly signed Vagaev to the UFC and Khabib Nurmagomedov signed Gasanov, both bypassing the organization's matchmakers by going directly through UFC management. In an apparent act of retaliation, matchmakers initially booked Gasanov and Vagaev against each other, then pulled Gasanov from the card citing a failed USADA testing timeline. Vagaev was subsequently told his only available opponent was Saygid Izagakhmaev at welterweight, a matchup he accepted.
Reports emerged on June 22 that UFC matchmakers may have retaliated against two fighters whose signings bypassed the organization's standard booking process — though the claims remain unconfirmed.
According to the report, Khamzat Chimaev arranged the signing of Vagaev directly through UFC management, while Khabib Nurmagomedov did the same for Gasanov, with neither fighter going through the matchmakers in the conventional way. In what sources describe as apparent pushback, matchmakers initially scheduled Gasanov and Vagaev to fight each other. Gasanov was then pulled from the card, with a failed USADA testing timeline cited as the reason. Vagaev was subsequently informed that his only available opponent was Saygid Izagakhmaev at welterweight, a fight he agreed to take.
Nurmagomedov, 37, retired with a perfect 29-0 record and remains one of the most influential figures in MMA outside the cage. His involvement in fighter management carries significant weight given his standing in the sport. Chimaev, 32, is currently ranked number one in the middleweight division and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center, the Borz carries a 15-1 record and lands significant strikes at a 60 percent accuracy clip — among the highest in the sport.
Izagakhmaev, the man Vagaev has agreed to face, holds a 22-3 record and fights out of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School in Russia. The 31-year-old is a calculated grappler, averaging four takedowns per fifteen minutes while registering a 58 percent striking accuracy rate.
Why it matters
- The situation raises questions about fighter agency and the power dynamics between management figures and UFC matchmakers.
- Chimaev and Nurmagomedov leveraging direct access to UFC leadership to sign fighters could signal a shift in how top-tier cornermen operate within the promotion.
- Vagaev now faces a welterweight opponent in Izagakhmaev under circumstances shaped by an internal dispute rather than a straightforward competitive matchmaking process.
- None of these details have been officially confirmed by the UFC, and the story should be treated as an unverified report.
