Hamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov allegedly secured UFC contracts for Adam Vagaev and Magomed Gasanov respectively by going directly through the organization's top brass, bypassing matchmakers who were presented with a fait accompli. In apparent retaliation, matchmakers paired the two fighters against each other, then removed Gasanov from the bout citing a failed USADA testing timeline — despite the fighter reportedly being ready to compete. Vagaev was subsequently told the only available slot for him was at 170 pounds against Saygid Izagakhmaev, a matchup seen as a difficult test designed to punish both fighters.
Reports emerging ahead of the UFC's June 22 news cycle suggest that matchmakers within the promotion took deliberate steps to punish two fighters whose contracts were secured over their heads, bypassing the standard signing process entirely.
According to the report, Hamzat Chimaev intervened on behalf of Adam Vagaev while Khabib Nurmagomedov did the same for Magomed Gasanov, with both heavyweights going directly to the UFC's top brass to push the deals through. Matchmakers were reportedly presented with completed agreements and had no input in the process. What followed, per the account, amounted to a coordinated response: the two fighters were booked against each other, then Gasanov was pulled from the bout on USADA testing-timeline grounds despite allegedly being cleared to compete. Vagaev was then told his only available option was a welterweight assignment against Saygid Izagakhmaev.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, the retired 29-0 lightweight icon and founder of the Fightspirit Team, remains one of the sport's most influential figures outside the cage. His ability to place Gasanov directly with the promotion underlines the leverage he carries with UFC leadership, even years removed from competition.
Izagakhmaev, the man Vagaev is reportedly being steered toward, carries a 22-3 record and competes out of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School. The 31-year-old Russian stands six feet tall with a 74-inch reach and posts a takedown rate of four per fifteen minutes, making him a credible and dangerous grappling-based opponent at 170 pounds.
Why it matters
- The episode, if accurate, reveals friction between fighter management networks and UFC matchmaking infrastructure
- Vagaev's placement at welterweight against Izagakhmaev is framed not as an organic booking but as a punitive assignment
- Gasanov's removal from the card on procedural grounds adds a second layer to what sources characterize as deliberate obstruction
- None of these details have been officially confirmed by the UFC, USADA, or the fighters involved
