Khamzat Chimaev reportedly signed Islam Vagaev to the UFC while Khabib Nurmagomedov brought in Abubakar Gasanov, both deals arranged through UFC executives rather than through matchmakers, who were presented with the signings as a fait accompli. According to insider information, matchmakers responded by first booking Vagaev and Gasanov against each other, then pulling Gasanov from the bout citing a failed doping testing timeline — despite the fighter reportedly being ready. Vagaev was subsequently offered a fight at 170 lbs against Saygid Izagakhmaev as the only available slot, a matchup sources say also served to saddle Izagakhmaev with a difficult opponent.
Reports emerged on June 22 that UFC matchmakers allegedly took retaliatory steps against two fighters signed through backchannels by Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, bypassing the promotion's standard matchmaking process entirely.
According to insider sources, Chimaev secured a UFC contract for Islam Vagaev while Nurmagomedov brought in Abubakar Gasanov, with both deals brokered directly through UFC executives. Matchmakers were reportedly informed of the signings only after the fact. The sources allege matchmakers responded by initially booking Vagaev and Gasanov against each other — before pulling Gasanov from the bout on the stated grounds of a failed doping testing timeline. Sources claim Gasanov was in fact ready to compete. Vagaev was then offered a welterweight bout against Saygid Izagakhmaev, described as the only slot available, with insiders suggesting the pairing was also intended to burden Izagakhmaev with a challenging assignment.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, 37, retired with a perfect 29-0 record and has since grown into a prominent managerial and coaching figure. Chimaev, 30 — wait, 32 — carries a 15-1 record and is currently ranked first in the UFC middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound, averaging 5.29 takedowns per fifteen minutes with a striking accuracy of 60 percent. Both men carry significant influence within the promotion, and their ability to negotiate signings above the matchmaking tier underlines that leverage.
Izagakhmaev, 31, holds a 22-3 record and trains out of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School in Russia. He lands 4 takedowns per fifteen minutes and posts a striking accuracy of 58 percent, making him a legitimate threat at welterweight regardless of the circumstances surrounding this booking.
Why it matters
- If accurate, the episode exposes a power struggle between UFC matchmakers and high-profile fighter-managers operating with executive-level access.
- Vagaev and Gasanov, as new signings, are caught between institutional factions before their UFC careers have properly begun.
- Izagakhmaev, already carrying a credible grappling-based style, may be facing a deliberately difficult debut opponent if the allegations prove true.
