Nikita Krylov had every intention of returning to the UFC when he announced that he would part ways with the promotion in Dec. 2016, following a loss to Misha Cirkunov at UFC 206.
As he explained in an Instagram post, he felt he still needed to grow as an MMA fighter before challenging at the top table of the light-heavyweight division.
“I understand that everyone who asks would be interested to see how I would fight against Manuwa or Gustafsson, I myself would be interested in fighting them, but not right now.