Usman Nurmagomedov‘s next move has suddenly become one of the biggest storylines in MMA. The undefeated lightweight champion just wrapped up the final fight of his PFL contract in stunning fashion this weekend, knocking out previously unbeaten Archie Colgan in the opening round at PFL New York.

Now comes the difficult decision: whether to re-sign with the newly merged PFL-MVP MMA or join the biggest MMA promotion in the world, the UFC. According to team Dagestan’s longtime coach Javier Mendez, there’s just one factor that could end up deciding everything. Money.

“We haven’t discussed it,” he told Submission Radio about the future move. “But I mean, you can imagine if he does end up there. And I don’t know because you don’t know what the negotiation’s going to be like. Maybe Jake Paul and the group over there put their money where—like Usman said—put your money where your mouth is. Let’s see.

“Or maybe Dana (White) shows more interest. He showed a little bit of interest in discussing him. So maybe Dana realizes what a superstar he has in his hands, and maybe he comes out with the wallet. I don’t know. This is one of those situations where it’s Usman’s decision, but all he can do is guide him and make sure the right opportunities are given to him.”

Ultimately, though, Coach Mendez stressed that neither he nor Khabib Nurmagomedov will be making the call for the 28-year-old phenom.

“All Usman is going to say is yes or no,” he continued on the podcast. “Khabib too, you know. At the end of the day, this is not Khabib’s decision. This is not my decision or anybody else’s but Usman’s decision.

“He decides where he wants to go, you know. So let’s see. I don’t know where he wants to go. I know one thing: money does talk, you know. I think we all know that. We all know that money does talk.”

Usman himself echoed a similar sentiment after defeating Archie Colgan. Following the biggest win of his PFL career, the lightweight champion reminded everyone during the post-event press conference that legacy isn’t enough when it comes to contracts.

“Legacy, we keep doing legacy, but money, brother,” he said. “I have a family. Legacy doesn’t pay check. We’ll see. I don’t want to go ahead and say something, big words. I have to talk to Khabib, I have to talk with my team, and then we will make the decision.”

That puts both promotions in an interesting position. The Dana White-led promotion has long been regarded as the obvious destination for someone like Usman Nurmagomedov, but the timing has changed significantly since PFL announced its merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion.

Coach Mendez feels the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s involvement will make staying a considerably more appealing choice than many initially expected, with him already offering major incentives to Nurmagomedov to stay.

So, when asked if the merger boosted the lightweight’s odds of continuing with the promotion, the American Kickboxing Academy head coach cited one thing ‘The Problem Child’ has consistently shown throughout his fighting career.

“I think I’m waiting to see, right?” he continued. “But I’m feeling—I’m feeling that because Jake Paul is involved, I’m feeling this is a fantastic opportunity for the PFL to jump to a new level because one big thing that Jake Paul knows how to do: market.

“Another thing that he has is he has Netflix, and he has the eyes of Netflix. So Jake Paul is a needle mover beyond any needle mover that’s not an MMA fighter, you know. He’s a needle mover, and he’s proven it, you know.”

With PFL-MVP eager to keep one of its greatest stars and the UFC reportedly interested in one of the world’s finest lightweights, Usman Nurmagomedov suddenly finds himself in one of the best negotiating positions of any free agent in MMA.