Paul Hughes will fight in front of his home crowd in Belfast

Paul Hughes will fulfill a dream and fight in front of his own audience in Belfast, it will be a little short of full happiness, as the rival will not be Usman Nurmagomedov.

Paul Hughes and Usman Nurmagomedov met in the cage on January 25, and their duel was considered an early candidate to be the fight of the year in world MMA. The Irishman gave his all in that clash, and many experts and fighters believe he was robbed of a win by the judges in Dubai.

However, time will no longer turn back, and for the time being, one of the top lightweights in the PFL organization will have to rebuild. To soothe the tears came great news, as Paul Hughes will fight in Belfast. It’s almost a dream scenario for Big News, as he will enter from the cage in front of his own audience.

There was really not much missing, as Hughes revealed that Nurmagomedov needs a break and will not be ready for May 10. Donn Davis and Mike Kogan will therefore have to find Hughes another opponent.

It is known that one of the top fighters has already dropped out of the competition, as Gadzhi Rabadanov, the winner of the season and the PFL belt in 2024, will take part in the tournament again. Here, club matters probably came into play, as Usman and Gadzhi train together under Khabib‘s tutelage. In the event of a potential Rabadanov win, the fighters would have to fight each other, and given the Dagestani brotherhood such a situation is not an option.