Tofiq Musayev will sign a new contract with Rizin according to Azeri Sport. The Azerbaijan based website reports that the lightweight Grand Prix winner rejected offers from both the UFC and ONE Championship.
Musayev’s manager Kirill Medvedovsky was quoted as saying,
“At the moment, we have negotiated with Rizin and decided to continue with them because they offered better terms than the UFC and ONE FC. In the near future, a re-signing of the contract will be announced, if everything is as we agreed.”
The same outlet had previously reported that Musayev was negotiating with the UFC. However Medvedovsky explained why Rizin was a more attractive option than the UFC,
“The fact is that the UFC is an excellent organization and the largest league, their name already works for them. This league is recognized all over the world and the UFC can afford to communicate with fighters at their convenience and constantly dictate the rules. In Rizin this is basically not the case, they respect their fighters and try to give them everything so that they stay with them.”
Musayev won the Lightweight Grand Prix at Rizin 20. In doing so he clearly established himself as the best 155lber on the roster and a title shot surely awaits.
Earlier this week Manel Kape hinted his future lay away from Rizin. It looks set to be a busy few weeks for Nobuyuki Sakakibara as he looks to tie down the lightweight Grand Prix winner and persuade the bantamweight champion to stay.
Next up for the promotion is Rizin 22 in Yokohama on April 19th. No fights have been announced but the event is still on the schedule despite other shows in Japan being cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus.
