If Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was Ireland vs. Dagestan part one, Saturday’s entertaining five-round war between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes was the sequel.
PFL’s Road to Dubai event was headlined by an intense counter between Nurmagomedov, the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, and Hughes, a 13-win veteran fighting out of Belfast. Nurmagomedov went into the bout as a sizeable favorite to retain his title, but much to the delight of fight fans, Hughes gave the Russian everything he had for five rounds.
In the eyes of many, it was enough to dethrone Nurmagomedov and hand him his first career loss. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t agree. One official ruled the 25-minute affair a draw while the other two saw it in favor of Nurmagomedov, leaving the lightweight title around his waist and handing Hughes his second career loss.
Needless to say, McGregor, who has been an outspoken supporter of Hughes for years, was not happy with the decision and took the opportunity to once again shred the Nurmagomedov family on social media.
“Tremendous fight and performance! Easy win for Hughes, he DOMINATED THAT FIGHT,” McGregor wrote on X. “And Umar exactly what it says on the tin, a Nurmagamedov. Runner, sprinter, bolter, scarper, scurrying “fighter”. The Nurmagomedovs are not fighters. They are the most non fighting fighters out of Dagestan and all time. Run away around the cage and shoot ass bitches.Dagestan is better than the Nurmagomedovs and that is a FACT!
Paul Hughes Echoes Conor McGregor’s statement
Hughes agreed with the former two-division UFC champion, calling the judge’s scorecards “ridiculous” after having a little time to process things.
“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said post-fight on Instagram. “I think the judges’ scorecards were pretty ridiculous. But I’ll watch it back with a clear mind. I’m just judging from the energy of the arena and everyone surrounding the cage that thought it was mine. I’m not going to make excuses, though. I should’ve pushed harder. And I will the next time. I know we’ll fight again.”
A.J. McKee has revealed he is hoping to be matched up with Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in his first grand prix bout. Having made the move up to 155lbs, A.J. McKee was a clear pick to be a part of the recently announced Bellator lightweight grand prix. Whilst the first bouts have not yet […]