UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov will be facing off again, but this time outside the cage, from opposite corners at the upcoming PFL New York.

PFL New York is set to take place on the 31st of July at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. The event is headlined by a lightweight championship bout between undefeated fighters, Usman Nurmagomedov (the current champion) and Archie Colgan.

Khabib’s cousin, Usman, boasts a staggering 21-0 record. He won the inaugural PFL lightweight championship after beating Paul Hughes via unanimous decision, back in October 2025. Usman has defended the belt once, as he beat Alfie Davis by technical submission earlier this year at PFL Dubai.

2025 PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE, Saturday, Saturday, January, 25, 2025. (Jose Peñuela / PFL)

His challenger, Colgan, meanwhile, is 13-0 in his MMA career and is coming off 6 straight unanimous decision victories. His last win came against Jay-Jay Wilson on the same night Usman won the PFL lightweight belt.

With only a couple of days left for the fight, news has emerged that Gaethje will be cornering Colgan, opposite Khabib, who will be in the corner of Usman. ‘The Highlight’ also confirmed the same in an interview with reporter Kennedy Smith.

Check out the post below:

Justin Gaethje was Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Last Fight in his MMA Career

Khabib Nurmagomedov hung up his gloves following UFC 254 back in October 2020. The indomitable Russian was defending his UFC lightweight belt when he took on Justin Gaethje, in what would be the last fight in his MMA career.

‘The Eagle’ had lost his father due to complications from COVID-19, only a few months prior (July 2020). In a fight that ran high on emotions for Khabib, he earned a second-round technical submission victory (via triangle choke) to cap off one of the greatest careers ever in the sport.

Gerard Crispin

Gerard Crispin is an editor and writer with expertise across MMA, Football, Tennis, Cricket, NBA and F1. He has published over 3500 articles in Combat Sports, across multiple websites, viz. Sportskeeda, FanSided MMA, MediaReferee, FirstSportz and PFSN. Crispin currently covers UFC for LowKickMMA.