Paul Hughes successfully returned to the win column in spectacular fashion. On Saturday, Hughes stepped back into competition, headlining PFL Belfast at the SSE Arena against Bruno Miranda. This event marked Hughes’s first fight since his extremely close decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in their Bellator lightweight title bout last January. The show was notably centered around the Belfast native`s homecoming. “Big News” fully capitalized on the moment, dispatching Miranda in under a minute.
The SSE Arena was buzzing with excitement from the outset. Hughes`s walkout was particularly memorable, featuring a live introduction from Irish musician Foy Vance, which truly energized the crowd. Hughes channeled this powerful atmosphere into an immediate offensive against Miranda. He pressed forward effectively, catching a somewhat careless kick from Miranda before swiftly countering with a sharp left hook that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. Hughes wasted no time, swarming Miranda with ground-and-pound until the referee was forced to intervene just 42 seconds into the contest.
Following his rapid victory, Hughes had a direct message for his former rival, whom he clearly desires to face again.
“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is f*cking coming!”
Oliver Croft