Archie Colgan confident he brings 'threats' PFL champ Usman Nurmagomedov hasn't faced

USA Today

24-06-2025

PFL's Archie Colgan is potentially on the verge of a lightweight title shot, and is confident in his ability to end the undefeated record of the current champion, Usman Nurmagomedov.
The PFL lightweight title picture is somewhat crowded at the moment. The promotion just completed the semifinal round of lightweight bouts at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6, where Gadzhi Rabadanov and Alfie Davis won their bouts to advance to the finals. The winner, in theory, would be considered for a title shot against Nurmagomedov (19-0). However, should Rabadanov (26-4-2) win the final, he will not face his good friend and training partner. Paul Hughes, who lost a majority decision to Nurmagomedov in January, is also angling for a rematch.
That's where Colgan (12-0) fits in.
At 2025 PFL 6, the undefeated wrestler defeated Mansour Barnaoui by unanimous decision in a lightweight non-tournament bout. The fight wasn't directly billed as a No. 1 contender fight, but Colgan's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told him it would be considered as such when he signed the contract. After turning in a strong performance in the win, Colgan expects his title opportunity to come later this year, maybe in October or November, if the promotion returns to the Middle East.
Should that be the direction the PFL goes, Colgan is confident his skillset would be a difficult puzzle for Nurmagomedov to solve.
"I think there's attributes that I possess, things that I bring to the table that he has not seen in a fight," Colgan told MMA Junkie. "I'm sure he's seen it in training, you know, he's got some of the best training partners – but in a fight, I think that there's just different things that I bring to the table that nobody else has brought to him. Obviously, offensive wrestling, defensive wrestling, but my inside boxing is there as well. My fight IQ is very good as well. I just think I bring different threats that he hasn't had to face under the lights, under the performance, and I'm excited to get my opportunity to go show that to the world."
On paper, the clash of Dagestani wrestling vs. American wrestling would be a key component to the fight. It's something that Colgan would embrace, and is fully aware that would be the narrative surrounding the fight. While confident in his ability to win, Colgan knows Nurmagomedov is such a talented fighter that the champ would have his moments in the fight.
"It is a narrative, but it's only a narrative because it's partially true," Colgan said. "Yeah, I do take pride in representing USA wrestling. USA wrestling has built me to this point, done a lot for me in my life, and many other fighters. I would be very proud and happy to carry that torch to go be the one who shows whose wrestling is better. I've come to terms that he's a very good fighter and he'll probably take me down as well. ... I'm going to score takedowns. I know that. I can take anybody down, and I'm very understanding that he's a very high-caliber person, and I'll probably get taken down as well."
"... He's his own person, and he hasn't been beaten. So, he carries the same confidence that I carry. You don't know how or what it's gonna be, but you believe that when it comes time to fight, you're gonna find a way to get the win. He believes that and so do I. Neither one of us have seen the loss."