Usman Nurmagomedov made sure his final PFL fight under his current contract ended with a statement.
The undefeated lightweight champion stopped Archie Colgan by first-round knockout in 3:42 in Friday’s PFL New York main event at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
Nurmagomedov improved to 22-0 with the victory, while Colgan suffered the first defeat of his professional career and dropped to 13-1.
Nurmagomedov Overwhelms Colgan
Colgan struggled to survive once Nurmagomedov found his rhythm.
Nurmagomedov initially hurt him with a powerful right switch high kick. Colgan went down but managed to scramble back to his feet.
The Russian quickly returned to the attack.
A left hand sent Colgan back to the canvas. Colgan tried to recover by reaching for Nurmagomedov’s leg, but the champion pulled his leg free as his opponent rose.
Nurmagomedov then unleashed the finishing sequence.
A combination caught Colgan clean and forced him down to his knees. Referee Keith Peterson stepped in after Nurmagomedov landed several more follow-up strikes, bringing the fight to an end at 3:42 of the opening round.
Champion Heads Into Free Agency
The victory allowed Nurmagomedov to retain his PFL lightweight title while closing out his contract in emphatic fashion.
Speaking inside the cage after the fight, Nurmagomedov acknowledged that his future remains uncertain.
“We’ll see what’s going on.”
“It was my last fight. MVP, they always trash talks a little bit about Dana – he doesn’t pay. Now we’re going to see how they’re going to pay.”
At 28, Nurmagomedov has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters competing outside the UFC.
His connection to Khabib Nurmagomedov has naturally placed him under a spotlight, but his performances have allowed him to build a reputation of his own.
Friday’s knockout was the 16th stoppage victory of his professional career. With his PFL contract now complete, Nurmagomedov enters free agency as one of MMA’s most coveted undefeated fighters.