Tag: pfl

Paul Hughes Looks To Secure Revenge For Ireland Against Dagestan: ‘I’ll Find Out Where Islam’s At’

At the PFL’s Battle of the Giants event, Paul Hughes was one of the biggest stories of the night following his great performance. The Irish lightweight was considered to be one of the brightest rising talents in the sport but in a huge step-up against AJ McKee, he showed that he’s the present as well […]

At the PFL’s Battle of the Giants event, Paul Hughes was one of the biggest stories of the night following his great performance. The Irish lightweight was considered to be one of the brightest rising talents in the sport but in a huge step-up against AJ McKee, he showed that he’s the present as well as the future by beating him via the scorecards.

Just like he wanted to face McKee so that he could make a statement, Hughes knew exactly who was in his sights after getting his hand raised. “Big News” called for a fight with Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, which has since been confirmed for January 25 in Dubai in one of the best match-ups that the promotion could possibly put together.

The challenger also did a lot of the heavy lifting for the PFL when it comes to marketing this fight after on the mic, he pitched it as Dagestan vs Ireland 2. The promotion has ran with that tagline when the fight was announced yesterday, setting it up as the second chapter to the biggest fight in MMA history between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

In a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Hughes said that evening the score by getting some revenge for “The Notorious” by beating Khabib’s cousin next time out is a big source of motivation for him. He doesn’t see this being the decider either, teasing the potential of a trilogy bout with the UFC’s lightweight king, Islam Makhachev further down the line.

“Yeah 100%, I’m going to make it 1-1 for the boys definitely and maybe in the future, make it 2-1. I’ll find out where Islam’s at and maybe do that in the future but I’ll not get ahead of myself now. Usman’s an incredibly, incredibly dangerous fighter that I have to be on my game to beat.”

Francis Ngannou, Ryan Garcia and More Stars Call Out Jake Paul After Mike Tyson Win

Jake Paul is the hottest commodity in all of combat sports, and multiple stars are vying for the opportunity to do business with the YouTuber. After Paul…

Jake Paul is the hottest commodity in all of combat sports, and multiple stars are vying for the opportunity to do business with the YouTuber. After Paul…

PFL Announces ‘Dagestan vs. Ireland 2’ As Paul Hughes Challenges Usman Nurmagomedov

The Bellator Champions Series will head to Dubai in 2025, where lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov headlines in defense of his title. In a press release this week, the Professional Fighters League announced a multi-year partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism that will see the promotion return to the United Arab Emirates annually. […]

The Bellator Champions Series will head to Dubai in 2025, where lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov headlines in defense of his title.

In a press release this week, the Professional Fighters League announced a multi-year partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism that will see the promotion return to the United Arab Emirates annually.

And the first major event there is set for the Coca-Cola Arena on Jan. 25, as the first Bellator Champions Series event of the new year goes down.

Headlining will be the return of Nurmagomedov (18-0, 1 NC), the Bellator lightweight titleholder who made his first outing since the PFL acquired his previous employer in San Diego this past September.

Having got past Alexandr Shabliy to maintain his undefeated status, the Dagestani will next look to stall the championship ambitions of Ireland’s Paul Hughes (13-1).

“I am always excited to challenge myself against the best athletes and I view Paul Hughes as a worthy opponent,” Nurmagomedov said. “I’m proud to be the first MMA main event in Dubai history.”

Hughes has made a splash since signing with the PFL off the back of title glory under the Cage Warriors banner. After knocking out Bobby King on debut, “Big News” most recently recorded the biggest win of his career over AJ McKee on the undercard of Francis Ngannou’s return.

A result of that magnitude has unsurprisingly bagged him a first shot at gold opposite Nurmagomedov.

“The championship has always been in my plans, and now it’s coming to fruition in January when I face Usman,” Paul Hughes said. “I respect what he brings to the table and I am not discrediting him, but I know I will leave Dubai on January 25 as the new champion.”

The PFL’s “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2” branding references the memorable feud between the great Khabib Nurmagomedov — cousin of Usman — and Conor McGregor back in 2018. In recent months, Hughes has called for his “Notorious” fellow countryman to corner him for his clash with the Russian next year.

The press release announcing the title fight also revealed that all Bellator Champions Series events will now be co-branded as the “Road to Dubai,” with the cards leading up to the finale in the UAE each year.

Breaking: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Booked for January 25 in Dubai

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL BellatorUsman Nurmagomedov will look to defend his world title against the top-ranked contender Paul Hughes in the PFL hosted…

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL Bellator

Usman Nurmagomedov will look to defend his world title against the top-ranked contender Paul Hughes in the PFL hosted in Dubai on January 25.

Road to Dubai

Dubai is teaming up with the Professional Fighters League to make the city a major destination for mixed martial arts. This partnership will bring annual events called the “Road to Dubai” to the city, along with training programs to help develop Emirati fighters into future champions. The goal is to establish Dubai as a global hub for MMA while boosting sports tourism and showcasing the city’s world-class hospitality.

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes

The first event, the Champions Series World Title, will take place on January 25, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena. Headlining the event is a matchup between undefeated MMA champion Usman Nurmagomedov from Dagestan and Irish rising star Paul Hughes. This will be Dubai’s first-ever major MMA title event and a historic moment for the sport in the region.

Usman Nurmagomedov is the cousin and student of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hughes was a champion in Cage Warriors before signing with the PFL, and recently earned an impressive win against former champion AJ McKee. Usman Nurmagomedov’s world title will be on the line in this matchup.

“I am always excited to challenge myself against the best athletes and I view Paul Hughes as a worthy opponent,” Usman Nurmagomedov continued, “I’m proud to be the first MMA main event in Dubai history.”

“The championship has always been in my plans, and now it’s coming to fruition in January when I face Usman,” Paul Hughes explained. “I respect what he brings to the table and I am not discrediting him, but I know I will leave Dubai on January 25 as the new champion.”

“The Professional Fighters League is proud to be the first organization to launch major global MMA events in Dubai,” said PFL CEO Pete Murray. “We are excited to partner with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Sports Council to stage annual mega events in the city of gold and develop the next generation of UAE champion fighters.”

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL Bellator

Breaking: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Booked for January 25 in Dubai

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL BellatorUsman Nurmagomedov will look to defend his world title against the top-ranked contender Paul Hughes in the PFL hosted…

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL Bellator

Usman Nurmagomedov will look to defend his world title against the top-ranked contender Paul Hughes in the PFL hosted in Dubai on January 25.

Road to Dubai

Dubai is teaming up with the Professional Fighters League to make the city a major destination for mixed martial arts. This partnership will bring annual events called the “Road to Dubai” to the city, along with training programs to help develop Emirati fighters into future champions. The goal is to establish Dubai as a global hub for MMA while boosting sports tourism and showcasing the city’s world-class hospitality.

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes

The first event, the Champions Series World Title, will take place on January 25, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena. Headlining the event is a matchup between undefeated MMA champion Usman Nurmagomedov from Dagestan and Irish rising star Paul Hughes. This will be Dubai’s first-ever major MMA title event and a historic moment for the sport in the region.

Usman Nurmagomedov is the cousin and student of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hughes was a champion in Cage Warriors before signing with the PFL, and recently earned an impressive win against former champion AJ McKee. Usman Nurmagomedov’s world title will be on the line in this matchup.

“I am always excited to challenge myself against the best athletes and I view Paul Hughes as a worthy opponent,” Usman Nurmagomedov continued, “I’m proud to be the first MMA main event in Dubai history.”

“The championship has always been in my plans, and now it’s coming to fruition in January when I face Usman,” Paul Hughes explained. “I respect what he brings to the table and I am not discrediting him, but I know I will leave Dubai on January 25 as the new champion.”

“The Professional Fighters League is proud to be the first organization to launch major global MMA events in Dubai,” said PFL CEO Pete Murray. “We are excited to partner with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Sports Council to stage annual mega events in the city of gold and develop the next generation of UAE champion fighters.”

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes Dubai PFL Bellator

Cédric Doumbé Hints At Baki Rematch In A Huge Stadium In France Next Year: ‘I Won’t Say More…’

Cédric Doumbé is still hoping to avenge the one and loss on his MMA record following one of the most controversial endings to a fight in recent times. After winning his PFL debut in just 9 seconds, the French superstar received a step-up for his next test. The striking specialist faced off with the undefeated […]

Cédric Doumbé is still hoping to avenge the one and loss on his MMA record following one of the most controversial endings to a fight in recent times. After winning his PFL debut in just 9 seconds, the French superstar received a step-up for his next test.

The striking specialist faced off with the undefeated Baysangur Chamsoudinov, or Baki for short, in March this year where their main event at the Accor Arena in Paris became a huge talking point. The fight was waved off by referee Marc Goddard in the third round after Doumbé wanted to pause the action due to a splinter that was in his foot.

It wasn’t clear whether Baki would re-sign to the promotion following some negative comments that he made about the PFL but in June, it was announced that he had put pen to paper on a new multi-fight deal that would seemingly set up the rematch for the near future.

Doumbé spoke about this in a recent interview with RMC Sport where he said that the rematch is definitely on the cards now that they’re both back under the same banner.

“The return match will definitely take place. If the PFL, the organization in which I fight, decided to sign Baki, it is only for this revenge that the whole world is waiting for after the frustration of this famous thorn that is very notorious today.”

He went on to say that he thinks the fight will happen later on in 2025, suggesting that the PFL has other plans for him early next year. He added that he thinks the fight will take place in a stadium in France but did not share any specific details.

“In the second quarter of 2025. In France, undeniably, the French public must see this. There will probably be a stadium bigger than Bercy. A stadium that looks like the Parc, I won’t say more.”