Tag: Paul Hughes

Khabib Nurmagomedov Invites Ireland’s Paul Hughes To Dagestan After PFL Battle With Cousin Usman

After a respectful exchange inside the cage at Saturday’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event, that trend has continued between the Nurmagomedov family and Paul Hughes on social media. For a second time this month, a Nurmagomedov was involved in an early Fight of the Year contender. But while Umar came on the losing […]

After a respectful exchange inside the cage at Saturday’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event, that trend has continued between the Nurmagomedov family and Paul Hughes on social media.

For a second time this month, a Nurmagomedov was involved in an early Fight of the Year contender. But while Umar came on the losing side of his at UFC 311 in Los Angeles, the bantamweight’s brother Usman had his hand raised in Dubai this past Saturday.

The Bellator lightweight champion kept the gold in his possession with a hard-fought decision victory over Paul Hughes at the PFL’s first event of the year.

Following a heated lead-up fueled by promotional material that dubbed the clash Dagestan vs. Ireland 2 — a reference to Khabib and Conor McGregor’s heated rivalry — the pair buried any hatchet that existed post-fight.

On Usman’s part, he admitted to underestimating “Big News,” whom some believe did enough to deserve the championship. Khabib, meanwhile, has also been giving Hughes praise.

In fact, the former UFC champion was so impressed — and keen to show that his animosity lies solely at McGregor’s feet rather than Ireland as a whole — that he’s even offered to host Hughes in his native Dagestan.

“Thank you for the fight @paulhughesmma and for the experience,” Khabib Nurmagomedov wrote. “I invite you and your whole team and family to Dagestan, any time you want, believe me you will like it and your arrival will serve as a good example for many young generations”

The ex-Cage Warriors standout was quick to respond, outlining his respect for the lightweight legend.

But when it comes to taking “The Eagle” up on his offer, Hughes had one condition that must be fulfilled first: a rematch.

“Thankyou @TeamKhabib I have great respect for you, your team and your nation,” Hughes wrote. “I would be honoured to take you up on this offer someday and then return the favour in Ireland. But please, only after I get to rematch Usman.”

It remains to be seen what the PFL will have in store for Usman Nurmagomedov and Hughes moving forward.

While many have echoed the Irishman’s calls for an immediate second dance, the champ suggested backstage at the Coca-Cola Arena that “Big News” requires three or four wins to earn another shot.

Paul Hughes Slams ‘Ridiculous’ Scorecards After Narrow Defeat To Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov. On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE. Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional […]

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov.

On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE.

Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional performance, pushing the undefeated Dagestani phenom to the brink over five grueling rounds. Hughes countered every challenge Nurmagomedov threw his way and showcased his dominance in various exchanges throughout the bout.

However, Nurmagomedov found his rhythm between the rounds, leveraging his wrestling to gain control over Hughes, who couldn’t sway the judges despite his opponent’s point deduction for low blows in the third round.

After 25 minutes of intense back-and-forth action, two judges scored the contest 48-46 in favor of Nurmagomedov, while the third saw it as a 47-47 draw, allowing the champion to retain his title.

Moments following the conclusion of the fight, “Big News” took to Instagram to voice his frustration with the judges’ scoring. The Irishman confidently claimed that, in his eyes, he had done more than enough to seal the win for himself.

“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said. “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.”

Hughes went on to explain that the accidental head clash in the fourth round swung the fight’s momentum, insisting that up until that point, he had been on the verge of overwhelming Nurmagomedov.

In his post-fight interview, the 27-year-old fervently expressed his desire to run it back, this time in front of his home crowd in Belfast. He once again called for an immediate rematch to settle the score with the Russian.

“I’m obviously disappointed. I’m gutted. I’m proud of myself, but I need to get that back. I deserve to have that belt.”

Paul Hughes Slams ‘Ridiculous’ Scorecards After Narrow Defeat To Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov. On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE. Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional […]

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov.

On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE.

Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional performance, pushing the undefeated Dagestani phenom to the brink over five grueling rounds. Hughes countered every challenge Nurmagomedov threw his way and showcased his dominance in various exchanges throughout the bout.

However, Nurmagomedov found his rhythm between the rounds, leveraging his wrestling to gain control over Hughes, who couldn’t sway the judges despite his opponent’s point deduction for low blows in the third round.

After 25 minutes of intense back-and-forth action, two judges scored the contest 48-46 in favor of Nurmagomedov, while the third saw it as a 47-47 draw, allowing the champion to retain his title.

Moments following the conclusion of the fight, “Big News” took to Instagram to voice his frustration with the judges’ scoring. The Irishman confidently claimed that, in his eyes, he had done more than enough to seal the win for himself.

“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said. “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.”

Hughes went on to explain that the accidental head clash in the fourth round swung the fight’s momentum, insisting that up until that point, he had been on the verge of overwhelming Nurmagomedov.

In his post-fight interview, the 27-year-old fervently expressed his desire to run it back, this time in front of his home crowd in Belfast. He once again called for an immediate rematch to settle the score with the Russian.

“I’m obviously disappointed. I’m gutted. I’m proud of myself, but I need to get that back. I deserve to have that belt.”

Paul Hughes Slams ‘Ridiculous’ Scorecards After Narrow Defeat To Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov. On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE. Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional […]

Paul Hughes is livid over how the judges scored his fight against Usman Nurmagomedov.

On Saturday, Hughes challenged reigning Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in the headline clash of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE.

Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, “Big News” delivered an exceptional performance, pushing the undefeated Dagestani phenom to the brink over five grueling rounds. Hughes countered every challenge Nurmagomedov threw his way and showcased his dominance in various exchanges throughout the bout.

However, Nurmagomedov found his rhythm between the rounds, leveraging his wrestling to gain control over Hughes, who couldn’t sway the judges despite his opponent’s point deduction for low blows in the third round.

After 25 minutes of intense back-and-forth action, two judges scored the contest 48-46 in favor of Nurmagomedov, while the third saw it as a 47-47 draw, allowing the champion to retain his title.

Moments following the conclusion of the fight, “Big News” took to Instagram to voice his frustration with the judges’ scoring. The Irishman confidently claimed that, in his eyes, he had done more than enough to seal the win for himself.

“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said. “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.”

Hughes went on to explain that the accidental head clash in the fourth round swung the fight’s momentum, insisting that up until that point, he had been on the verge of overwhelming Nurmagomedov.

In his post-fight interview, the 27-year-old fervently expressed his desire to run it back, this time in front of his home crowd in Belfast. He once again called for an immediate rematch to settle the score with the Russian.

“I’m obviously disappointed. I’m gutted. I’m proud of myself, but I need to get that back. I deserve to have that belt.”

‘I Underestimated This Guy’ – Usman Nurmagomedov Eats His Words After Grueling Fight With Paul Hughes

Usman Nurmagomedov now knows firsthand just how formidable Paul Hughes is. Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Hughes in the main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, held at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE on Saturday night. The undefeated Dagestani went the full five rounds with “Big News,” with several instances […]

Usman Nurmagomedov now knows firsthand just how formidable Paul Hughes is.

Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Hughes in the main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, held at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE on Saturday night.

The undefeated Dagestani went the full five rounds with “Big News,” with several instances where it was clear he was struggling to match the intensity of the determined challenger, even with his renowned, wrestling-heavy style.

However, following the tightly contested fight, Nurmagomedov managed to impress two judges with his performance, earning 48-46 scores, even after a point was deducted for groin strikes in the third round. The third judge scored the bout a 47-47 draw.

Ahead of their clash, the 155-pound champion consistently downplayed Hughes as a legitimate threat, undermining the Irishman by claiming he wasn’t worthy of the title shot. But after 25 minutes in the cage with him, Nurmagomedov now realizes just how misguided his assumptions were.

In his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov openly admitted his mistake in overlooking “Big News” and gave credit where it was due.

“Paul Hughes, brother, you are the man, brother,” Nurmagomedov said. “You’re really the man. Brother, you are tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy. Whew. It was my little mistake, but still undefeated, undisputed, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov.”

The Russian went on to heap further praise on Hughes, commending his versatile game plan and acknowledging his opponent’s incredible resilience in the face of adversity.

“His wrestling defense, takedown defense [was] very well. He’s tough, he’s strong. I didn’t think he would be this strong. Brother, you are really strong. You tell me in the face to face, this was my mistake, you were right, brother. Thank you so much. I never take this damage, what I take with him in this fight. I have a lot of pain on my body. Brother, thank you for this fight. I think I jumped to next level because of him. He make me better than I was today. And I think, for sure, he got better, too. Thank you so much, Paul. I really respect you brother.”

‘I Underestimated This Guy’ – Usman Nurmagomedov Eats His Words After Grueling Fight With Paul Hughes

Usman Nurmagomedov now knows firsthand just how formidable Paul Hughes is. Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Hughes in the main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, held at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE on Saturday night. The undefeated Dagestani went the full five rounds with “Big News,” with several instances […]

Usman Nurmagomedov now knows firsthand just how formidable Paul Hughes is.

Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Hughes in the main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, held at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE on Saturday night.

The undefeated Dagestani went the full five rounds with “Big News,” with several instances where it was clear he was struggling to match the intensity of the determined challenger, even with his renowned, wrestling-heavy style.

However, following the tightly contested fight, Nurmagomedov managed to impress two judges with his performance, earning 48-46 scores, even after a point was deducted for groin strikes in the third round. The third judge scored the bout a 47-47 draw.

Ahead of their clash, the 155-pound champion consistently downplayed Hughes as a legitimate threat, undermining the Irishman by claiming he wasn’t worthy of the title shot. But after 25 minutes in the cage with him, Nurmagomedov now realizes just how misguided his assumptions were.

In his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov openly admitted his mistake in overlooking “Big News” and gave credit where it was due.

“Paul Hughes, brother, you are the man, brother,” Nurmagomedov said. “You’re really the man. Brother, you are tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy. Whew. It was my little mistake, but still undefeated, undisputed, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov.”

The Russian went on to heap further praise on Hughes, commending his versatile game plan and acknowledging his opponent’s incredible resilience in the face of adversity.

“His wrestling defense, takedown defense [was] very well. He’s tough, he’s strong. I didn’t think he would be this strong. Brother, you are really strong. You tell me in the face to face, this was my mistake, you were right, brother. Thank you so much. I never take this damage, what I take with him in this fight. I have a lot of pain on my body. Brother, thank you for this fight. I think I jumped to next level because of him. He make me better than I was today. And I think, for sure, he got better, too. Thank you so much, Paul. I really respect you brother.”