Paul Hughes’s rematch callout of Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Belfast has been answered by a member of Nurmagomedov’s inner circle.
PFL superstar Paul Hughes bounced back in a big way from his loss to Usman Nurmagomedov by earning a vicious knockout of Bruno Miranda on Saturday in Belfast. Hughes needed just 42 seconds to finish Miranda by TKO, getting back in the win column and eying several big-name fights.
Hughes’s loss to Nurmagomedov by majority decision in January was easily the toughest test of Nurmagomedov’s career. Usman, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, remains unbeaten inside the cage and is a likely future UFC target.
After handing Miranda a brutal knockout defeat, Hughes used his camera time to attempt to lure his former rival back to the cage to settle unfinished business.
Usman Nurmagomedov’s manager responds to ‘attention seeker’ Paul Hughes
A timeline for Nurmagomedov’s return to the cage remains uncertain, as the PFL continues to deal with the aftermath of the departures of several top names. Patricio ‘Pitbull’, Aaron Pico, and Ryan Bader are a few names brought over from the Bellator merger that have since left the PFL banner.
But as Hughes and Nurmagomedov plot their fighting returns, a rematch between them could make a lot of sense, and it didn’t take long for a top member of Nurmagomedov’s inner circle to respond to Hughes.
In a recent post on X, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz responded to Hughes’s callout for a rematch.
“This guy funny I keep using Usman name to make himself relevant,” Abdelaziz posted Sunday.
“Just focus on yourself.”
As of this writing, Hughes hasn’t responded to Abdelaziz. Nurmagomedov hasn’t fought since the Hughes fight, and a timeline for his return to the cage remains uncertain.
Before falling to Nurmagomedov, Hughes won seven consecutive fights, including three-straight knockout wins inside two rounds. A split decision win over AJ McKee last October earned Hughes a shot at Nurmagomedov’s Bellator lightweight title.
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Paul Hughes vs. Usman Nurmagomedov 2 is the PFL’s biggest fight in 2025
Aside from Francis Ngannou‘s potential MMA return later this year, Hughes vs. Nurmagomedov is easily the biggest potential fight the PFL can make in 2025. Ngannou is expected to return to boxing later this year, postponing a possible MMA return, although PFL co-founder Donn Davis insists Ngannou’s roster status remains solid.
Hughes and Nurmagomedov’s cordiality after their first fight sparked a heated feud between the Irish star and Conor McGregor, who has a long, checkered history with Team Khabib. McGregor went on a social media tirade against Hughes, questioning his nationality and sparking a big controversy online.
McGregor hasn’t fought since suffering a devastating leg injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was scheduled to face Michael Chandler last June before withdrawing from UFC 303 on short notice due to a toe injury.
If the Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes rematch comes to fruition, it’s safe to say that McGregor won’t be in Hughes’s corner for the fight. In the meantime, rematch fight talks are ramping up as summer quickly approaches.
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