Paul Hughes is confident he will face Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov again in the future but wasn`t surprised that an immediate rematch wasn`t granted.
Their January bout ended in a very close majority decision victory for Nurmagomedov. Hughes quickly sought a second fight soon after, but Nurmagomedov declined, stating the Belfast, Ireland native needed to secure at least one more win before earning another title shot.
While eagerly anticipating another opportunity against Nurmagomedov, Hughes wasn`t taken aback by how the situation unfolded. He now hopes his upcoming fight against Bruno Miranda on Saturday will pave the way for that rematch.
Hughes shared his perspective with MMA Fighting:
“Look, he’s always going to try to extend that as long as he can because he got very, very close to losing his belt. It didn’t surprise me that much considering I believe I won the fight, as everyone knows. I do believe that he was almost broken in there. Had the head clash not happened at the end of the fourth [round]. Of course, he’s going to try to delay it.”
He added regarding Nurmagomedov`s stance:
“Fair enough. He still has the belt. He’s the champ. He can say these things. But at the end of the day, my day will come again and it’s coming soon. Another win over Bruno Miranda here, there’s absolutely no question that Usman is next. Whenever that is, I’m not sure, but it’s coming.”
Hughes could theoretically have opted to wait for PFL to book the fight against Nurmagomedov, but he stated this thought never crossed his mind.
He has always prioritized staying active, and the Miranda fight offered the additional benefit of headlining a card in his hometown of Belfast.
Speaking on his decision to stay busy, Hughes said:
“There was never a thought of sitting out that long. At the end of the day as fighters, we don’t get paid unless we fight and at the end of the day, I’m young, I’m healthy, I’m ready to go. I’ve been very active. I want to continue to be active. Why not? I will continue to get better and fighting and fight camps are where you get better.”
He believes the rematch is inevitable and seizing the current opportunity makes sense:
“That fight [against Usman Nurmagomedov] is going to happen. We all know it’s going to happen. When that it is, I’m not sure, probably end of the year so of course, I’m going to take the opportunity to fight at home in the meantime. Of course, I am. It means literally I’m taking off No. 1 on my MMA bucket list and also improving. Another fight camp and also of course you make money when you fight so everything’s positive.”
Despite the frequent discussion surrounding the Nurmagomedov rematch, Hughes is determined not to get caught looking past his immediate opponent.
Even if the odds suggest he is a strong favorite against Miranda, Hughes recognizes the significant danger of underestimating any opponent in combat sports.
He cited boxer Ryan Garcia`s recent loss to Rolly Romero, which occurred while Garcia was reportedly focused on a rematch with Devin Haney, as a prime example of this pitfall.
Hughes has observed similar scenarios impact other fighters and is committed to avoiding the trap of looking ahead without acknowledging the risk directly in front of him.
Regarding his opponent, Hughes stated:
“Look, Bruno is a very dangerous guy. I knew that before we signed the fight. Obviously, I study everybody that’s in my kind of bracket. Very dangerous guy. Big puncher. Has been in there with a lot of world champions. Someone that is not being taken lightly in any regard. I’ve had to treat this as another world title fight, essentially… Bruno is the type of guy if you slip up, he can knock you clean out. He has the capabilities to do that.”
He emphasized the seriousness of the challenge and the opportunity:
“So I have to take the fight unbelievably serious. Any fight in mixed martial arts there is risk but without risk there is no reward. At the end of the day, I get to live my dream and fight at the SSE Arena in Belfast and bring the company, bring the PFL here and show them what we can do. So incredible opportunity.”
Fighting at home presents unique pressures. While Hughes will enjoy being the main attraction, expectations for his performance will be higher than ever before.
Hughes embraces this pressure, seeing headlining a card in Belfast as a dream realized and acknowledging that this opportunity might be a one-off.
On dealing with pressure, Hughes commented:
“There’s pressure every time I fight now. I’m used to it. I’m the best. So I always deal with it well. Pressure creates diamonds.”
He concluded confidently:
“I am a competitor that always shows up. You’ve never seen me through any night of my career not show up on fight night and that will not change.”
Oliver Croft