There’s A New Name At The Top Table In MMA – Paul Hughes

Did we just witness the fight of the year already…in January?

Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes put on a sensational five-round war at the top of the PFL’s Road to Dubai: Champions Series fight card in Dubai on Saturday.

With no UFC show taking place this weekend and with the PFL event having received a massive shot in the arm from a PR perspective when Usman Nurmagomedov’s coach (and cousin) Khabib disparaged the standards of Irish fighters around the world, the stars aligned to draw the eyes of the MMA world toward Dubai and onto Saturday’s main event.

A Close Call

And we were treated to a hell of a show as both fighters went to war for 25 minutes, with Nurmagomedov emerging victorious by way of majority decision.

Image: Jed I. Goodman

With the judge’s being split on three of the five rounds, it’s evident that the fight could easily have gone either way, and many observers on social media called for a rematch.

As did Hughes himself, as he told Dan Hardy during his post-fight interview in the PFL smartcage, “It played out how I expected, I’m so gutted and disappointed I lost. I thought I won the fight, I probably left some in the tank, I need to leave everything behind next time.

“I really thought I was going to win,” he continued. “The PFL believed in me and I believe in the PFL. We have to do the rematch in Belfast, it has to be in Belfast, I think I’ve earned this.”

A Newfound Respect

Hughes had promised to become the first fighter to beat Nurmagomedov, and stated that he would knock the previously unbeaten champion out and go on to become “the face of the PFL”.

While he ultimately fell short of achieving that goal, he certainly earned the respect of his opponent.

“Paul Hughes, you are the man, brother you’re tough, I underestimated this guy,” Usman Nurmagomedov said. “But I’m still undefeated, undisputed Bellator Lightweight Champion.”

Image: PFL

The Future Is Bright

One thing is certain after Saturday’s epic battle – both fighters proved to the watching world that they are among the best lightweights on the planet.

In fact, with the upper echelons of the UFC’s 155 lb rankings populated by fighters who may not even be active in 2-3 years time (Charles Oliiveira, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway), 26-year-old Nurmagomedov and 27-year-old Hughes may just have announced their arrival at the top table at just the right time.

Paul Hughes certainly proved in defeat that he is more than capable of hanging with the best fighters in the world, while Nurmagomedov moves to 19-0 and continues to grow the Nurmagomedov dynasty.

Following Saturday’s epic battle, a rematch in Hughes’s hometown of Belfast becomes a “no-brainer” for the PFL.

Book it.

Paul Browne

Paul Browne is a professional mixed martial arts commentator, feature writer and podcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.