M-1 Light Heavyweight Champ Vinny Magalhaes now a free agent, says he's in negotiations with the UFC, others

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Vinny Magaelhaes may be on his way back to the UFC, as the M-1 Light Heayvweight Champion is now a free agent.

His relationship with the Russian promotion essentially came to an end during his last title defense in October. Magalhaes has said in a number of interviews that things turned sour when M-1 official Evgeni Kogan was openly coaching and rooting for his opponent, Mikhail Zayats.

"We weren't so concerned about the cheering as the coaching," Magalhaes' representative Steve Pacitti said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.

"The first thing I said when I heard about it was, 'I'm never going to fight for these guys again,'" Magalhaes added. "A few months later, that's still my thought."

After that incident in October, Magalhaes decided to simply let his contract expire, and he's now been taking offers from what they say are several organizations. Of course, a return to the UFC for the first time in three years is what's on the top of his mind.

Magalhaes was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter season eight, losing to Ryan Bader in the finals in 2008. He then dropped a decision to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97 and was released from his contract. Since then, he's has won seven of eight fights, and is currently riding a five-fight winning streak; he hopes that run will lead to a good deal from the premiere organization in the sport.

"Yes, we're negotiating with the UFC right now," Pacitti said. "There are others, but the UFC is certainly in line. The UFC is definitely attractive."

"Being in the UFC would be a preference," Magalhaes continued. "But who knows. It's whoever gives the best offer, and it's not just about the money. It's about the best deal offer overall. (With the UFC), it's not just the money; it's the recognition. ... You can carry that for your life and open your gym and advertise yourself as a former UFC fighter. Just overall, it's good for your career. The name just weighs that much more."

"Tell me one fighter who doesn't want to be in the UFC. If he doesn't want to be in the UFC, then he probably just doesn't want to fight."

Penick's Analysis: Magalhaes has improved greatly since his first stint in the organization, and all seven of his wins since leaving the UFC have come by stoppage. Most of those have been in highly impressive fashion as well, with a mounted gogoplata submission and a head kick set-up to a TKO in his last two fights ranking at the top of that list. He'd be a great addition to the UFC's light heavyweight division, and hopefully it's a signing we'll see here in the next month.

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