Remember Ireland vs. Dagestan 2.0? It was a collision of pride and precision where Irish lightweight Paul Hughes clashed with Team Khabib’s undefeated phenom, Usman Nurmagomedov, at PFL: Road to Dubai for his Bellator 155lbs title. Though Hughes didn’t get his hand raised, he did what no one else dared—he shook the aura of invincibility around the Dagestani. Rocking Usman multiple times, Hughes won the crowd and proved that even the most dominant can bleed. As the dust settled, Usman admitted the Irishman left him rattled.
Moreover, by the end of the bout, the two opposing parties had earned each other’s respect, with Khabib Nurmagomedov even inviting the Irishman to Dagestan to train as a gesture of goodwill. Now, months later, the fire’s been reignited as Hughes has officially thrown down the gauntlet once again. This Saturday, the Irish 155fer got back to the winning column, and he certainly did it in a grandiose manner.
He locked horns with Brazil’s Bruno Miranda on his home soil as part of the PFL: Belfast event. Their battle was nothing but a one-sided endeavor for Hughes, who finished his opponent in the very first round within 42 seconds to seize the battle under his name. When Miranda threw a loose kick, Hughes read it like a book, catching it clean and firing back a savage left hook that dropped his opponent instantly. Hughes didn’t hesitate as he swarmed with ruthless ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to intervene just 42 seconds into the main event.
This victory was a clear statement by Hughes to the world—and especially to Usman Nurmagomedov, who had once said during their rivalry that Hughes might deserve a rematch. After making a thrilling comeback, Hughes again called out to Nurmagomedov for a battle, “Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is f——g coming!”
Paul Hughes wins in 42 seconds. Absolute bedlam in Belfast. pic.twitter.com/IAtX47oUAD
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 10, 2025
After the victory, Paul Hughes’ official MMA record stands at 14 wins and two losses. His lightning-fast victory against Bruno Miranda will ascertain that he will be the next one to fight Usman Nurmagomedov for the belt again. So, what do the fans have to say about this callout? While they’re certainly happy about the victory, calling out Usman Nurmagomedov—after already fighting him back in January—just doesn’t make sense to them.
Fans react as Paul Hughes calls out Usman Nurmagomedov within months
“Nobody watches PFL lol,” said a fan as he challenged the relevance of the promotion and especially after they acquired Bellator. But, is it true that no one watches PFL? It seems like it, as of April 2025, PFL’s average viewership on ESPN dropped to 193,000, marking a 30% decrease since August 2024. Notably, PFL 2 on ESPN 2 averaged just 38,000 viewers, a figure considered particularly low given the streaming giant’s broad reach.
Paul Hughes and Usman Nurmagomedov fought on January 25th in Dubai, UAE. In a closely contested bout that left Hughes bloodied and Nurmagomedov injured, the Dagestani claimed victory by way of majority decision. Usman may have won the battle, but Hughes made a statement. Looking at this, a fan wrote, “Day is coming? They already fought, and Usman won 4 rounds.” Moreover, a fan believed that witnessing Paul Hughes’ performance recently, it is certain that the UFC CEO, Dana White, might pull him to the UFC, “Cool. You’ll see him in the Dana promo soon!”
After the victory, Khabib Nurmagomedov invited Hughes to Dagestan for a friendly visit. Hughes agreed and stated that he would come only if he got a chance to fight Usman Nurmagomedov once again. When Usman was asked about this, he said that Hughes would need to fight more to earn the rematch, and it appears that Hughes did earn his rematch. Looking at this, a fan wrote, “This rematch needs to happen. It’s like the highest-level Bellator fight out there.”
Furthermore, a social media user highlighted the timeline of their battle, “He literally beat him like 2 months ago.” Last but not least, a social media user is certain that the Irishman will turn out to be a big star in the coming period: “he’s a future big star, buddy.”
With the victory, Paul Hughes is now just one step closer to the title, with only Usman Nurmagomedov standing in his way. What are your thoughts on their back-and-forth? Share your opinions in the comments below
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